Navigation

Category: Winter

  • A Winter Day on Washington Island

    By ,

    Last summer, I wrote up a few tips on how to spend a summer day on Washington Island. After a glorious day of driving around with the windows down, getting ice cream and going on hikes, I had to see whether winter would hold charms of its own. Well, I almost didn’t find out because […]

  • Snowkiting: A New Adventure on Lake Michigan

    By ,

    Taking to inland lakes or the frozen bay in winter is an experience usually reserved for snowmobiling and ice fishing. However, there’s another way to experience the Hothian landscape. When snow is fresh and winds rise above 15 knots, the window of opportunity to snowkite opens.  Similar to kitesurfing, snowkiting uses a kite to harness […]

  • March Meltdown Has Turkeys Strutting, Bay Ice Deteriorating

    By ,

    Wild turkey toms are gobbling from the roost and strutting once down on the ground, trying to impress the hens. But gobblers anticipating the upcoming mating season aren’t the only ones with spring fever. The first northbound sandhill cranes, tundra swans and red-winged blackbirds were spotted in southern Wisconsin last weekend, and the first anglers […]

  • Celebrating Aldo Leopold Day at Crossroads

    By ,

    This weekend, Crossroads at Big Creek will celebrate the life and “land ethic” of Wisconsin’s premier ecologist, Aldo Leopold, on Aldo Leopold Day. March 7 will start with a free, continental breakfast at 8 am. Participants may gather around the fireplace while volunteers share short passages from Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, and an optional […]

  • My First Time Cross-Country Skiing

    By ,

    I’ve lived in Wisconsin most of my life and have vacationed in Colorado, but somehow I had never put a pair of skis on my feet. My family has never been into winter sports except for the occasional tubing, ice fishing and ice skating at our cottage on Lake Winnebago. I wasn’t even that good […]

  • Enjoy – But Take Care – When Snowmobiling

    By ,

    Wisconsin offers some of the best snowmobiling opportunities around, especially in the northern part of the state.  Fourteen people have died while snowmobiling in Wisconsin this season, and there were 16 snowmobile fatalities in 2019. February is often the deadliest month for snowmobilers; there have been six snowmobile fatalities so far this February. Alcohol, excessive […]

  • Join The Ridges for Owl-O-Rama Feb. 28-29

    By ,

    Join The Ridges Sanctuary for an owl prowl program and hike on Feb. 28, 5:30-8 pm. It’s nesting season for the owls, so they’re hooting with a new set of calls. Join The Ridges’ naturalists to learn more about the county’s owls and the characteristics that make them amazing nighttime hunters. Wear appropriate winter hiking […]

  • Asian Carp, Ski for Free, Gardening and Spring Skies at Crossroads

    By ,

    The next Fish Tales lecture at Crossroads at Big Creek will be held Feb. 27, 7 pm. John Dettmers, director of fisheries management at the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will present “The Risk and Possible Prevention of Asian Carp Getting into Lake Michigan.” This program is free and open to the […]

  • Perspectives: My First Winter in Door County

    By ,

    Before my first winter in Door County began, I was told that it would be rare to see even a few cars on the road. That made me nervous, to say the least. I’ve found that although that observation (or warning?) is true, it’s not to such an extreme extent. I thought I’d take a […]

  • Anglers Want Action on Double-Crested Cormorants

    By ,

    It’s been four years since a U.S. District Court judge in Washington, D.C., shot down a successful program that allowed Great Lakes states to reduce booming numbers of double-crested cormorants. U.S. population estimates are in the millions, including about 250,000 in the Great Lakes. Whether swallowing newly stocked salmon and trout in Lake Michigan, spawning […]

  • Survey Seeks Input on Kewaunee County Outdoor Opportunities

    By ,

    The Kewaunee County Promotions and Recreation Department wants to find out what residents and visitors enjoy most about the outdoors through a 15-question online survey that includes an interactive mapping component and asks respondents about their favorite outdoor recreational activities, how often they participate in them and ideas for future development.  “Kewaunee County has a […]

  • Use Caution on Kewaunee County Snowmobile Trails

    By ,

    Snowmobilers should use caution and be mindful of their surroundings on the nearly 205 miles of trails in Kewaunee County that were set to open Feb. 14 in all four snowmobile sections, three of which include use of the Ahnapee State Trail.  “When operating on the Ahnapee State Trail, be aware that there are many […]

  • Leap Day Hike at Newport State Park Feb. 29

    By ,

    Join the Newport State Park naturalist Feb. 29, 1 pm, for a moderate, two-mile hike while learning about the origins of Leap Day and other interesting facts. Afterward, enjoy refreshments and make origami “leap” frogs. Newport State Park is located at 475 Cty NP in Ellison Bay. Meet at the park office, Lot 1. The […]

  • The Ridges’ Owl-O-Rama Returns Feb. 28-29

    By ,

    The Ridges Sanctuary will host its fifth annual Owl-O-Rama Feb. 28-29. It’s nesting season, so owls are hooting with a whole new set of calls. Join The Ridges’ naturalists on Feb. 28, 5:30-8 pm, for “Owl Prowl: Nesting Season” to learn about the county’s owls and the characteristics that make them amazing nighttime hunters. Wear […]

  • Ski for Free, Beekeeping, Fish Tales Lectures at Crossroads

    By ,

    The Ski for Free program at Crossroads at Big Creek will continue Feb. 22, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm; and Feb. 23, 1-3:30 pm. Crossroads and Door County Silent Sports lend, free of charge, an array of ski and snowshoe equipment in sizes to fit age three through large adults. When trail conditions permit, go to […]

  • Birds of a Feather Can Help Scientists in Count Feb. 14-17

    By ,

    Like watching birds? Take it a step further this weekend by donating a few minutes of your time to a citizen-science project of global proportions. The 23rd annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will run Valentine’s Day through Feb. 17. All you need to do to participate is to count birds for 15 minutes or […]

  • Birds, Planting Natives, Ski for Free at Crossroads

    By ,

    Wild Ones of Door County will host the lecture “Why Plant Natives?” – presented by Coggin Herringa, Wild Ones vice president – on Feb. 13, 7 pm. She’ll explain the ecological benefits of a native landscape. Feel the love at Crossroads on Feb. 14 with a lecture and hike at 3 pm to learn some […]

  • Latest CWD Info Available in New Video

    By ,

    The National Deer Alliance has launched a communication initiative about chronic wasting disease (CWD) to provide accurate and timely information to the public. Using testimonies and data, a new video aims to educate hunters about the spread of CWD, which has cast a long shadow over America’s most popular hunting pastime. Unlike other known or more visible […]

  • Master Gardeners, Wild Ones Talks at Crossroads

    By ,

    Join Crossroads at Big Creek and Door County Silent Sports on Feb. 8, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm; and Feb. 9, 1-3:30 pm, for Ski for Free. Borrow, free of charge, an array of ski and snowshoe equipment in sizes to fit age three through large adults. Visit the Crossroads maintenance building, where volunteers will fit […]

  • Lake Winnebago Sturgeon-Season Opener an Unusual Tradition 

    By ,

    A return to colder air in the middle of next week may be too little, too late to help opening-day sturgeon spearers on Lake Winnebago. The annual season – a tradition not unlike deer hunting in its popularity among its passionate devotees – is set to open Feb. 8 on the state’s largest inland lake […]