Registration Now Open for Door County Festival of Nature

The Ridges Sanctuary announced recently that they are now accepting registrations for the eighth annual Door County Festival of Nature, May 27 – 29.

The Festival of Nature is a three-day program of guided field trips and presentations, highlighting the incredible natural beauty and diversity of Door County. Since the Wisconsin Legislature has declared 2010 “The Year of the Niagara Escarpment,” several full-day and half-day field trips will feature escarpment sites in Door County. In addition, nearly 50 other trips are scheduled, including The Ridges Sanctuary, Toft Point, the Mink River Conservancy, and many other public and private natural areas. Field trips focus on wildflowers, birds, geology, insects and other topics, and several trips are designed for families. All trips are led by professional staff of local and state conservation organizations, as well as trained volunteers.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Roger Kuhns, who will discuss “The Niagara Escarpment: Its Natural History and Preservation.” This program, which is open to the public, will be on Thursday, May 27, 7:30 pm at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall. Special activities are planned for Friday evening, May 28, and the Festival concludes with an old-fashioned Barn Dance on Saturday, May 29 at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall. The dance is open to the public, and will begin at 7 pm.

The Festival of Nature is a cooperative effort of six local conservation organizations: The Ridges Sanctuary, Door County Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, The Clearing Folk School, and Crossroads at Big Creek. Sponsors for this year’s festival include the Door Property Owners, Inc., Baileys Harbor Yacht Club Resort, and Baylake Bank.

Due to the delicate nature of festival sites, attendance on field trips is limited, and preregistration for field trips is required. Online registration is available at http://www.RidgesSanctuary.org/festival.aspx. To receive a registration brochure by mail or email, please call The Ridges Sanctuary at 920.839.2802.