Category: Nature
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Tour Horseshoe Bay Caves Sept. 19
Public tours of Horseshoe Bay Cave will be conducted on Saturday Sept. 19, 2015, between 8:30 am and 3 pm. Tours will depart on the hour, commencing at 9 am, with the last tour departing at 3 pm. Tour participants should arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Tours will last approximately 45 minutes […]
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Marinafest, Duathlon and More Plans for Labor Day Weekend in Door County
It’s nearly Labor Day weekend in Door County and as always, a cause for celebration on the peninsula. Looking for some fun and interesting things to do? We’ve got you covered: Friday, Sept.
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On Aug. 29 at 11 am, take a hike through the wooded areas of Crossroads’ Ida Bay preserve. This is a moderate hiking difficulty. Hikers should meet at the intersection of canal road and Buffalo Ridge Trail.
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Mother Nature’s Artist – Algoma’s Kirsten Christianson
When Algoma environmental artist and teacher Kirsten Christianson walks the shore of Lake Michigan, observing the ebb and flow of the water, the crisp color of the sky, the bright leaves of summer trees, she is noting nature’s structure as much as she is appreciating it. When she returns home, she will bring those mental […]
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In Volume VI of Wisconsin Beekeeping, dated February 1929, Sturgeon Bay resident Herman Riechard writes, “I think that beekeeping is very good for the orchard man; as the bees help pollinize the cherry and apple bloom. I had fifteen hives of bees in 1927 and my orchard and those of my near neighbors yielded more […]
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Making a prairie requires a clover and one bee, Emily Dickinson wrote, and reverie – reverie alone, if bees are few. The same might be said for making gardens. When I was a child the Jung Seed Catalog would arrive during the white of winter, and I would turn glossy pages vibrant with flowers, fruits […]
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Time to Invent Your Own Constellation Myths
As early man attempted to understand the natural world around him, he looked up at the vast sky and wondered… The sky was fraught with so much meaning that eventually it became the “heavens,” home of various deities. The night sky especially offered endless mystery and possibilities to our ancestors. They saw celestial occurrences as […]
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They may not be as celebrated, but seagulls are as Door County as the cherry. They soar over our fields, nest on our shores and steal our French fries. They inspire our artists, embellish Door County t-shirts and squawk when we get too close. Maybe it’s because of those lost fries, or because of the […]
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Lake Levels 101: Where is the Water?
The lake was more than a foot higher in spring 2012 than spring 2013. The long-term average level of the lake is more than two feet higher than it is now. So go to a beach and stand at the point where the water meets the land. Imagine the waves raised by a foot, rolling […]
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Tales of Birdwatching in Door County
I imagine there are a lot of people as horrible at classifying the natural world as I am. I can’t tell a Lily of the Valley from a trillium or a muskie from a trout. And when it comes to birds, well, I know that most of them fly. So as you can imagine, I […]
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Ride for Nature to Benefit The Ridges Sanctuary
As cyclists cross the finish line of this year’s Ride for Nature, a few numbers might come to mind. The most likely pairing will be one and 100, as the June 16th ride is an early event in the cycling calendar and will probably be the first century ride of the season for many participants. […]
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Geology, Flora & Fauna on Whitefish Dunes State Park’s Brachiopod Trail
About 10 miles north of Sturgeon Bay on the shores of Lake Michigan is one of Door County’s most unspoiled gems: Whitefish Dunes State Park. The park is known best for its pristine sand dunes gracefully sloping into one of the most magnificent beaches the Door Peninsula has to offer. To characterize it as such […]
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Stalking Tranquility – Door County’s Hunting Tradition Alive and Well
When you ask a seasoned hunter what he likes most about his sport, don’t assume the answer is bagging a 30-point buck. More than likely he will mention the tranquility of the woods, the closeness to nature. Civilized man often works inside a building and travels inside a vehicle. Sometimes his only opportunity to commune with […]
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In all sorts of weather, let’s hike together, and so we do at Camp Meenahga. Each one is initiated to the beauty of the Fish Creek region by seeing the Bay and its leafy isles, from the summit of the “Tower.”
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The Ridges: Where Education and Preservation Meet
Besides providing sanctuary for many rare species for the past 74 years, The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor has provided countless educational and research opportunities to visitors and residents. “Everyone sees the land protection efforts,” says Executive Director Steve Leonard, “but the hidden treasure has been how The Ridges has impacted so many people over […]
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After a century and a half of trying to control the Great Lakes, is it time to concede to Mother Nature? Bryan Nelson stands on his wooden boardwalk over Lake Michigan, about 100 feet from shore. Well, 10 years ago he’d be standing over Lake Michigan water. Today, he’s surrounded by tall grasses growing from […]
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Door County’s Garden Peninsula
The Door Peninsula is well known for orchards and art galleries, for shorelines and parks, for fish boils and the performing arts. But less celebrated is the county’s identity as a garden peninsula. However, as the area’s public and private garden spaces continue to be featured on television and in magazines, and as more and […]
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It’s called the cliff, the Great Arch, or simply the ledge. It’s a 650-mile curve linear cliff exposure of up-ended Niagara Dolomite that stretches through eastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, arcs around the top of Lakes Michigan and Huron, and on through Niagara Falls. In geological circles it’s known as the Niagara Escarpment, and […]
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At least 85 species of North American birds either excavate nesting holes, use cavities resulting from decay (natural cavities), or use holes created by other species in live, dead, or deteriorating trees for their home. Species such as woodpeckers, swallows, wrens, bluebirds, nuthatches and owls, to name a few, are cavity nesters. Heading the list […]
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With a Little Help from My Friends
Visitors to Newport State Park can learn about the area’s cultural history by visiting a sizable kiosk just a short walk from parking lot three. This impressive structure was partially funded by the Newport Wilderness Society, along with the Door County Historical Society. “We are standing right about here,” remarks Jack Travis, current President of […]