Navigation

Category: Nature

  • Trailblazing Door County: Local Groups Look to Create New Trail Network

      Visitors and locals admire Door County for its natural beauty. The explosion of silent sports has become the extension of that beauty. Now, outdoor enthusiasts and groups such as the Door County Silent Sports Alliance (DCSSA) are looking to take that one step further. “When you look at Duluth, Hayward, Seely, all these places […]

  • Ryan Miller

    The Secret Lives of Animals in Winter

    Winter. Love it or hate it, every being needs a strategy to survive it. From the smallest insect to the largest mammal, we are seasonal creatures, hard-wired to detect the subtle cues in our environment that warn us winter is on its way. One morning we’ll notice it’s darker than it used to be when […]

  • Framed: Ron and Mary Ellen Gallun

    Ron and Mary Ellen Gallun celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 30, 2015 by volunteering at Peninsula State Park. They are pictured here at the White Cedar Nature Center. Submitted.

  • Ridges Box Lunch Hike Set for Nov. 18

    Families looking for ways to celebrate fall in the natural world will find a variety of activities at The Ridges during Fall Fun Days. The theme for November is Backyard Birds. Every Saturday afternoon in November, Ridges naturalists will be on hand at the Cook-Fuller Center to share easy-to-do projects and activities designed to help […]

  • Everyone Invited to Night Sky Viewing at Crossroads

    On Nov. 13 at 3:30 pm, Crossroads at Big Creek will screen a film on the geological history of planet Earth. The documentary will answer many questions and no doubt stimulate others. The film will be free and open to the public. The screening will take place in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning […]

  • Airlifter Brass, Festival of Trees & More Weekend Plans

    From a patriotic brass band to the Merry-Time Festival of Trees, we’ve gathered our top picks for the weekend ahead on the peninsula! Friday, November 13 Free Patriotic Performance by USAF Airlifter Brass In honor of Veterans Day, Door Community Auditorium will host six professional musicians of the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America’s […]

  • Science Snippet: Dragonflies Are One of the Most Effective Predators in Animal Kingdom

    Here are some facts about one of the most successful predators on the planet. “African lions roar and strut and act the apex carnivore, but they’re lucky to catch 25 percent of the prey they pursue. Great white sharks have 300 slashing teeth and that ominous soundtrack, and still nearly half their hunts fail. Dragonflies, […]

  • Comments Sought on Forest Management Plans

    Interim plans guiding the management of forest resources on a number of state-owned properties across the state are now available for review and comment through Nov. 13, 2015. The interim plans will guide forest management on the properties until formal master plans are completed. The Interim Forest Management Plans are important because they will allow […]

  • Roy Lukes: The Smoky Gold Tamaracks

    Typical of the oaks, there is a Red Oak near our front yard that is clinging on to it leaves tenaciously. I look at one leaf being twirled round and round by the wind and wonder how long it can be subjected to such constant stress before it finally comes loose and falls to the […]

  • Baileys Harbor Bedrock: The Ridges Acquires Appel’s Bluff

    As of this summer, visitors to The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor have another parcel to add to their hiking itinerary in the form of the recently acquired land known as Appel’s Bluff. The nearly 70-acre property, located between Highways 57 and Q and just north of Sun Plaza Drive in Baileys Harbor, is a […]

  • Bird Species & Behavior Topic of Next Ridges Discovery Series

    The Ridges Discovery Series, modeled after its popular Lake Lessons summer series, offers monthly discussions about the plant and animal life of The Ridges and the surrounding area. On Nov. 12 at 7 pm, the topic is Bird Species & Behavior. The program meets at the Cook-Fuller Center, 8166 Hwy. 57 in Baileys Harbor, and […]

  • Crossroads’ Next Pluto Club to Focus on Stars

    “Stars” will be the topic for the November meeting of the Pluto Club at Crossroads at Big Creek. This informal group is Crossroads’ way of introducing very small (like Pluto) learners to the basic concepts of astronomy. Programs are developed for children, ages 5- 8, but are open to siblings and all learners. Pluto Club […]

  • Fish Creek Student Tours the Arctic with Students on Ice

    A snowbird is the term given to Door County’s large population that flees the cold winters for warmer climates. Makayla Swain, Fish Creek native and recent Gibraltar graduate, did just the opposite. This summer, Swain spent two weeks traveling the Arctic Circle by boat with 114 other students from around the world. “It’s to inform […]

  • Rib Fest, Sled Dogs, Packer Parties & More Weekend Plans

    October is gone and with it, the Door Peninsula settles into its late fall slumber. Enjoy the start of the quiet season with plenty of delicious foodie opportunities, gallery receptions, bluegrass and country music, and the ever-so-cuddly Door County Sled Dogs. Friday, November 6 A Weekend of Fantastic Fare Whether you’re in the mood for […]

  • OutDOORs with Coggin Heeringa: Twigs Gone Wild

    Halloween greeting cards? What a curious development in friendly communication, but cards racks are filled with witches, cats and pumpkins. On cards that picture a witch, it seems she is riding or holding a broom, and not a nice tidy broom like the one we use these days. A witch’s broom looks like a stick […]

  • DPAS to Present an Update on the New Horizon Mission

    The Door Peninsula Astronomical Society (DPAS) invites the community to its general meeting on Nov. 3, 7 pm, at the Stonecipher Astronomy Center at Crossroads at Big Creek. Dr. John Beck will present “Update on the New Horizon Mission,” which will focus on the images coming in from the dwarf planet Pluto. Refreshments will be […]

  • Jack O’Lantern Days, Dark Songs, Halloween & More Weekend Plans

    It’s the holiday weekend costume lovers have been preparing for all month – Halloween! There are plenty of places to wear your costume this weekend, including Jack O’Lantern Days in Fish Creek, Scaryoke at the Door Community Auditorium, The Rocky Horror Picture Show showing at Third Avenue Playhouse, or at the Dark Songs performances. Check […]

  • “Halloween in the Garden” Lecture at Crossroads

    On the final two weekends of October, Crossroads at Big Creek will offer a one-credit graduate level class for teachers through the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Educational Outreach program. Class times are Oct. 23, 5:30 – 8 pm, and Oct. 24, 9 am – 3 pm. Called “Teaching Archaeology in the Elementary School,” this class […]

  • Learn about Conifers of The Ridges during Hike

    Have you ever wondered why some trees have leaves while others have needles? Learn more about coniferous, or cone-bearing, trees at Conifers of The Ridges at 10 am on Oct. 24. During a brief classroom introduction, a Ridges naturalist will explain the difference between deciduous and coniferous trees and why conifers thrive in the habitat […]

  • Going Native: Monarchs Found Good Food This Year

    By Peter Sigmann This year’s summer apparently was a good season for the Monarch Butterflies in Door County. They came in small numbers and found plenty of milkweed on roadsides and in protected or neglected sites to allow their larvae to develop. Some unfortunate monarchs had their development cut short when their host plants were […]