Door County Style » Coggin Heeringa

This Week at Crossroads: Digital Nature Photography Class, Trolley to The Escarpment, Antique Appraisal Event

Coggin Heeringa — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:23:18 +0000

Migrating song birds are making their all-too-brief visit to Crossroads as they leave Door County, but now we see them rather than hear them, uttering only a few subtle cheeps.

Birds are no longer singing from the treetops, no longer proclaiming their presence and territory because their breeding season is over. Now, it’s the deer that are beginning to announce their presence to pre-register their territories.

Whitetail deer do not sing, but rather, communicate with odors. Deer have odor-producing glands on their foreheads… on their legs… near their ankles and between the the toes of their hooves. They also produce message-carrying urine.

All year long, but especially as their antlers are developing, bucks rub their heads on slender trees, usually pine or cedar with fragrant bark. Sometimes bucks strip the bark off the trees. In doing so, they leave messages for other deer.

This time of year, bucks start pawing the soil, making rather significant depressions in the forest floor. Then, they urinate or defecate in these “sign post” areas. The secretions from their feet combined with their potent urine, give off scents that are strong enough for even humans to detect. Other deer do more than just notice the odor.

The secretions and urine are filled with hormones and pheromones. Other bucks (and also does) often check the sign posts of others deer. From the scents, they can determine the gender, the approximate age, the health and the strength of the deer which made the mark. I like to think of this as pre-registering for the rut. By the time the breeding season starts in earnest, all of the deer in the area are well aware of the strengths and ambitions of all of the other deer. The rut is coming soon and bucks are signing up.

I mention all of this because we have several upcoming events at Crossroads that will also require pre-registration. During the final weekend of October, which is Fall Break for Wisconsin schools, Crossroads will offer two of our Cross-Generational Classes because:

many youth prefer learning through “experience-based” activities,
adults are willing to bring young people to educational events and
learning together provides the highest level of “quality time” between a child and an adult.

Our cross-generational programming presents a genuine opportunity for meaningful learning.

On Friday, October 28, at 1:30 we offer a Photography Class: “Digital Nature.” Instructor, Stephen Kastner will show participants how to capture images of nature using digital photography and how to share the images using the Internet. Participants are encouraged to bring their own cameras. Kastner studied photography at the University of Illinois. In the 1980s he worked as a professional photojournalist for the New York Times papers in Florida and was sent on assignment to Cuba. In the mid 90s he made the leap to digital photography and in 2006 he expanded to “moving pictures,” working as a filmmaker while on a 6-month assignment in China. For the past 10 years he has been the editor and publisher of DoorCountyStyle.com where many of his photos are seen.

The “Trolley to The Escarpment” program is offered on Saturday, October 29, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Pairs of learners will travel by Door County Trolley from Crossroads to scenic sites in Northern Door County to learn some of the natural and cultural history of the Niagara Escarpment.

Cross-Gen classes are free, but pre-registration is required. And most importantly, one adult and one child (most appropriate for students aged 7-13) must come to learn together. For more information, or to sign up for a class, call Crossroads at 920.746.5895, leaving the names of the adult and youth, your daytime telephone number and the age of the young person. Space is limited, but if fewer than 5 pairs enroll, the class will be canceled.

Finally, on Saturday, November 19, starting at 1 pm, the Door County Historical Society will present a Benefit Antique and Collectibles Appraisal Event featuring Mark Moran of Iola, Wisconsin. Formerly senior editor of Antiques and Collectibles Books for Krause Publications, Mark has also been a contributing editor for Antique Trader magazine. Moran has served as editor of Antique Review East magazine. He has also been a guest expert on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow. He is the author or co-author of more than 25 books on antiques and collectibles, including the 800-page annual Warman’s Antiques & Collectibles, now in its 45th edition.

This will be an entertaining three-hour show, divided into one-hour segments. A $3 admission fee will enable audience members to watch the proceedings. Those wanting to have their antique appraised will pay a $15 fee which covers the appraisal and a seat for the show. Proceeds from this event will be designated for the long term maintenance fund of The Historical Village at the Crossroads. Application forms, including lists of excluded objects are available by calling or stopping by Crossroads. Appraisals are limited to the first 40 applicants (first come, first served) with one object per person. Call 920.746.5895 for application forms.

Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor-supported learning preserve welcoming learners of all ages to programs in science, history and the environment. The Collins Learning Center, located at 2041 Michigan Street just east of Sturgeon Bay, is open 2:00-5:00 daily and during scheduled events.

Sunday,October 23, 1:00
Green and Gold Week
Enjoy the Green and Gold in nature, hiking in the forests and fields of Crossroads for about an hour. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

Monday, October 24, 8:30
Buckthorn Party
Unless hard frost has ended the growing season, volunteers will be out in the forest pulling, cutting and treating these invasive species. Meet at the Collins Learning Center. Wear long sleeves, long pants and work gloves.

Wildcat Joe Marden and the 2nd Annual Running Green for Crossroads, a Rain or Shine walk/run June 25

Coggin Heeringa — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:34:51 +0000

“Running Green for Crossroads” on Saturday, June 25 headlines the events here at Crossroads at Big Creek this week and with three days of rain, the course should be “interesting.”

The second annual presentation of Door County’s only eco-friendly trail walk/run is scheduled to start at 9 am. To learn more about the event, go to CrossroadsRun.com. We hope the run participants will take time to explore the exhibits in the Collins Learning Center.

Among other things, they will see a mounted bobcat in the Wisconsin wildlife exhibit. Folks often ask if we have bobcats in Door County. According to the distribution maps, bobcats aren’t found here. But many reasonable and sober people tell me they have seen wildcats on the peninsula and even right here in Sturgeon Bay. It’s possible.

There certainly was at least one bobcat in Sturgeon Bay in the early days. According to legend, a man named Wildcat Joe Marden, who lived at the outlet of Shivering Sands Creek, brought a wildcat on a leash to a grocery store in Sturgeon Bay to get rid of the mice.

Eldor Kaiser will assume the role of C.V. Mashek on Sunday June 26, at 1:30, at Crossroads’ Historical Village open house, telling the story of Wildcat Joe, one of Door County’s most colorful historical characters. Beside this first-person interpretation, other costumed members of the Door County Historical Society will be happy to show visitors through The Village. Admission is free.

But back to the bobcats. If they used to be here, what happened?

Bobcats prefer coniferous forests. With the arrival of European settlers the evergreens stands were diminished significantly by logging and agriculture. Now, most bobcats are found in the forested, northern third of Wisconsin.

Habitat destruction would have been problem enough. But on top of that, for more than 100 years, the state of Wisconsin offered a bounty on bobcats. In 1867, the bounty was $10 per animal which was an enormous sum back then.

Even if they were around, bobcats are elusive, hunting in the dim light of dawn and dusk. They lurk on rocks or braches to pounce on prey – hares and rabbits, squirrels, porcupines and sometimes even deer. In recent years, they’ve added turkeys to their menu – plenty of them in Wisconsin.

Elusive animals are easy to observe in the wildlife exhibit, and if you haven’t seen our new Escarpment Display and Great Lakes Exhibit, the Collins Learning Center and the Historical Village are open daily from 1:30-3:30. Families will want to participate in free nature and history programs taking place on Monday through Thursday. Each Sunday, the Door County Historical Society hosts a special event at The Historical Village. Every program will be different – and offered rain or shine.

Friday June 24, 5:00 to 7:00 pm
Check in and Registration for Running Green for Crossroads

Saturday June 25, 7:30 am
Check in and Registration for Running Green for Crossroads

9:00 am
The Second Annual Running Green for Crossroads

Go to CrossroadsRun.com for full details.

Sunday, Jun 26, 1:30-
Wildcat Joe Marden at the Historical Village

Eldor Kaiser will assume the role of C.V. Mashek to tell the story of Wildcat Joe, one of Door County’s most colorful characters. Beside this first person interpretation, other costumed members of the Door County Historical Society will be happy to show visitors through The Village. Admission is free.

Monday, June 27, 1:30
Family Program: Insects Everywhere

Search out the amazing insects of summer. We might find leaf hoppers, preying mantis, butterflies, caterpillars and more. Free. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

Tuesday, June 28, 1:30
Family Program: A Country Store

Visit the Greene General Store and learn about the storekeepers circa 1900. You can also examine the goods for sale. Free. Meet at the Greene General Store in the Historical Village at The Crossroads.

This week at Door County’s Crossroads: White Suckers and DCIST

Coggin Heeringa — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:43:55 +0000

The fish already have started up Big Creek and any day now, these suckers will be spawning in earnest here at Crossroads.

While we may be impatient for the sucker run, our excitement can’t compare to that of the early loggers in Door County.

In 1881, a newspaper editor, Charles I. Martin, wrote a book called A Brief History of Door County. It indeed is brief, written so long ago, but it’s fascinating because it contains letters from area citizens. A Jesse Kimber wrote of the life of logger/mill worker in Sturgeon Bay, “I have known the time when we had to make out on a meal of potatoes and salt. We used to spear suckers in the creeks in the spring, and then we lived high again.

“I once heard Bradley (of the Crandall & Bradley Sawmill in Sturgeon Bayonce located at the present site of Sunset Park) remark he had not a man about him that could get his shirt off, and when asked the reason, he said: ‘They had eaten suckers so long that the bones stuck through their skin, and their shirts were fast.’”

That may be one of those lumberjack tall tales, but all week, I have been hearing about folks eating suckers. Smoked suckers… Suckers, pressure-canned and put up in mason jars… I’ve even been offered a sample of pickled sucker, which apparently is a local delicacy.

According to Wisconsin Sea Grant: “Though the meat is firm and good tasting, white sucker seldom appears on a restaurant menu – perhaps because the name lacks market appeal. As a result, white sucker is processed in a variety of ways for the market, often under the name ‘mullet.’ They are good either fresh or smoked and can be prepared in fish sticks or soups and chowders.”

When the fish swim from the lake into the creek, we again realize how connected our water bodies truly are.

That is why we are so excited about the Door County Invasive Species Team (DCIST) meeting scheduled for Monday April 18 at 2:00. The meeting will focus on issues facing the 300 miles of our celebrated shoreline. Dr. Val Klump with the Milwaukee School of Freshwater Science will give a brief overview of the large scale ecological impacts to the Great Lakes that can be witnessed at our beaches.

DNR Water Management Specialist Carrie Webb will present on beach grooming regulations and answer questions on what shoreline owners can do about invasive species created problems. Finally, DCIST will kick off a fascinating citizen science programwith USGS – researching beach conditions and wildlife health.

Coordinator Jenny Chipault will discuss how you can take part inAMBLE (Avian Monitoring for Botulism Lakeshore Events), part of a Lake Michigan-wide program. Shoreline landowners are encouraged to attend, but everyone is invited to learn with us and discuss these topics over provided snacks!

Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor supported learning preserve located at 2041 Michigan just east of Sturgeon Bay. The Collins Learning Center is open daily 2:00-5:00 and during scheduled events. For more information, see www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org.

Tuesday, April 12, 7:00
Lecture: “Wings Over Door County”

The Door County Master Gardeners Association is pleased to sponsor “Wings Over Door County”, an illustrated lecture by Roy and Charlotte Lukes, Stunning photographs of birds and butterflies will make you feel like spring has arrived. Free and open to the public. Lecture Hall of the Collins Learning Center.

Sunday, April 17, 1:00
Big Creek Observation Hike

Join the naturalist in a citizen science effort to determine what conditions trigger the annual sucker run. After a short slide show, the group will hike to Big Creek for observations. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

Monday, April 18, 2;00
Meeting of DCIST (Door County Invasive Species Team)

This meeting will focus on issues facing the 300 miles of our celebrated shoreline. Dr. Val Klump with the Milwaukee School of Freshwater Science will give a brief overview of the large scale ecological impacts to the Great Lakes that can be witnessed at our beaches. DNR Water Management Specialist Carrie Webb will present on beach grooming regulations and answer questions on what shoreline owners can do about invasive species created problems. Finally, DCIST will kick off a fascinating citizen science programwith USGS – researching beach conditions and wildlife health. Coordinator Jenny Chipault will discuss how you can take part inAMBLE (Avian Monitoring for Botulism Lakeshore Events), part of a Lake Michigan-wide program. Shoreline landowners are encouraged to attend, but everyone is invited to learn with us and discuss these topics over provided snacks. Lecture Hall of the Collins Learning Center.

Tuesday, April 18 , 1:00
Big Creek Observation Hike

This Week at Door County’s Crossroads: Water, Big Creek Observation Hikes, Master Gardener’s on Grasses

Coggin Heeringa — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:01:55 +0000

P.T. Barnum never said, “There’s a sucker born every minute,” but if he had said it – rather than one of his bitter rivals – Barnum would not have been talking about the fish. Here at Crossroads, fish swim up Big Creek to spawn and these suckers are only born only in the spring.

Our neighbor to the south, Illinois, has been called the Sucker State for almost two hundred years, not because its citizens were easily bamboozled, but rather, because of fish. It seems in the early 1800s, young men would spend the winters in southern Illinois or Missouri, but every spring, they would travel upstream to work in the lead mines at Galena. Because they migrated like the fish, they were called suckers.

The “sucker run” in Big Creek has been a celebrated event since early settlers were saved from starvation (or at least the tedium of a steady diet salt and potatoes) when these fish came upstream to breed. Even before European settlement, native people surely visited Big Creek each spring, as have generations of Door County residents ever since.

When will the fish get here? How do these fish decide that it is time to return to the stream of their birth to mate and lay eggs? Inquiring minds want to know.

According to Evan S. Childress, a PhD student from the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin, “Volunteers from all over eastern Wisconsin are helping UW-Madison researchers to identify what cues suckers to migrate. Possibilities include water temperature, day length, and floods.”

In Door County, volunteers at Crossroads and also The Ridges Sanctuary, will make daily observations to determine the arrival dates of various species of suckers. At Crossroads, we would like to include the schools groups and the general public in the research.

We really don’t anticipate finding suckers this early (though northern pike could show up any time now) but we will begin creek observations hikes three times a week starting this Wednesday at 1:00. We will start with a twelve-minute indoor presentation to review the protocol and a brief slide show about suckers. The hikes will begin at 1:15 with the actual observation at 1:30.

Back to our friends from the Sucker State. Lots of folk from Illinois now travel all the way to Door County during the season and we are glad to have them, because they provide a significant influx of money into our economy. In fact, we rather depend on this income each year.

Similarly, when the suckers swim into the streams of Door County, they provide a significant influx of nutrients into the stream community.

Childress explains, “A single female can lay 20,000-50,000 eggs but about only 1% of eggs survive to be baby fish.”

The eggs that don’t hatch turn out to be an important source of food for insects and other invertebrates. Sucker carcasses are food for birds, bears, turtles, insects and other fish. In a very real way, the health of Big Creek is dependent on the sucker run.

We will be taking water samples as a part of the research project in an attempt to find out just how much of an impact the suckers make on the nutrient load of Big Creek.

On April Fool’s Day, we invite families to “Fool Around with Water” at 10:30. Kids and their adult companions will fool around with eggs and needles and paper boats. Kids can stay dry with tee-shirts (in youth size medium only) that they can take home after the program.

The Door County Master Gardeners Association will offer the lecture “Ornamental Grasses in the Garden” on Tuesday, April 5, for those who would like to learn more about using ornamental grasses in the garden. DD Knutson, a local grasses enthusiast and Door County Master Gardener Volunteer, will present a program showcasing the advantages of adding grasses to your garden. In addition to sharing beautiful photos and her knowledge of ornamental grasses, she will provide a very useful handout listing botanic and common names, descriptions and growing requirements of these grasses. This free program will be in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center.

Also Tuesday night, the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society at will hold their month meeting at 7:00 PM at the Stonecipher Astronomy Center. Tom Mininan will offer the cultural astronomy mini-lecture, Burke Minahan and Zach Meredith will describe their recent astronomy project. The feature program will be a hands-on Binocular Instruction and Viewing. Refreshments will be served.

Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor supported learning preserve located at 2041 Michigan in Sturgeon Bay. The Collins Learning Center is open daily 2:00-5:00 and during scheduled events.

Wednesday, March 30, 1:00
Big Creek Observation Hike

Friday, April 1, 10:30
Family Program: Fooling Around with Water

Water is precious, and it’s also a very strange substance. Families are invited to food around with water in the Crossroads lab. Free tee-shirts (Youth size medium only) to those who want to keep their clothes dry. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, April 2, 1:00
Big Creek Observation Hike

Sunday, April 3, 1:00
Big Creek Observation Hike

Monday, April 4, 6:30
Friends of Crossroads Meeting

The Friends of Crossroads will meet at the Stonecipher Astronomy Center (please use Utah Street Entrance) this month. There, they will discuss spring and summer volunteer activities and plan for the dedication of the new exhibit at Crossroads. Visitors are welcome.

Tuesday, April 5, 7:00
Master Gardener Lecture: Ornamental Grasses in the Garden

Would you like to know more about using ornamental grasses in your garden? Grasses provide low maintenance, year-round color and interest, and come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. With spring underway, now is the time to think about the advantages of ornamental grass. DD Knutson, a local grasses enthusiast and Door County Master Gardener Volunteer, will present a program showcasing the advantages of adding grasses to your garden. In addition to sharing beautiful photos and her knowledge of ornamental grasses, she will provide a very useful handout listing botanic and common names, descriptions, and growing requirements of these grasses – in the Collins Learning Center.

7:00
General Meeting of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society

After a short meeting, the Cultural Astronomy of the Month will focus on Vela X Supernova ,a brief presentation by Tom Minahan, Burke Minahan and Zach Meredith on recent astronomy project and/or report from 217th AAS meeting. The featured program will be on “Binocular Instruction and Viewing.” Refreshments will be served – at the Stonecipher Astronomy Center. Please use the Utah Street Entrance.

This Week at Door County’s Crossroads: Phil Pellitteri Lecture, Overwintering, Garden Workshops

Coggin Heeringa — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:50:03 +0000

Spring is a wonderful time at Crossroads at Big Creek and it officially began on Sunday, March 20… someone please tell Mother Nature.

There is no guarantee that Door County weather will henceforth be springlike, but Spring Break is underway in several area school districts. On several recent occasions, I’ve commented that it almost feels like spring. One Crossroads visitor replied apparently delighted, “No it doesn’t. No bugs!”

Actually, there are insects at Crossroads… everywhere! It’s true that millions of individual insects died at the beginning of winter. But before the killing frost, they mated and produced millions and billions of eggs. The parent insects may be gone, but their offspring will be very evident as soon as conditions are right.

More remarkable, countless insects survived winter in their juvenile and adult forms. Most references call this a “resting stage,” but this is not “rest” as we use the term. This is a profound slow down aptly called “overwintering.”

The first step of overwintering is migration. Some insects (monarch and painted lady butterflies come to mind) actual fly south, but most insects “migrate” to a protected place. Some insects burrow into the ground, crawl under rocks or the bark of trees, or into cracks in the house (or Learning Center) Others snuggle up under a blanket of fallen leaves. Many insects tunnel into stems and leaves of living plants.

Aquatic insects swim from shallow water to the places in the creek below the level where ice will form. Other aquatics spin a cocoon or build a nest. Honeybees, safe in their hives, continue to eat and move around and even reproduce, but they do everything slowly. It’s sort of a semi-dormancy. Living, but in slow motion.

Most overwintering insects truly hibernate. They are not dead, but they stop doing all of the things living things are supposed to do like eater and moving and growing. It’s life on hold. Whenever true spring come, they will be come active.

But before that happens, you can learn about insects when the Door County Master Gardener Association brings Phil Pellitteri, Distinguished Faculty Associate at UW Madison and frequent Wisconsin Public Radio guest to present “Insects, Your Garden and You” on Tuesday, March 29, at 7 pm, in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center. (Note: I am so excited! Dr. Phil Pelliteri at Crossroads! A nature wonk’s dream!)

Pelliteri runs the insect diagnostic lab in Madison, identifies insects and recommends controls, and teaches in the State of Wisconsin Master Gardener program. He is an expert in pest control, integrated pest management (IPM), mosquitoes in Wisconsin, and urban entomology. He will address some of the topics that other speakers in the Master Gardener series this year are emphasizing including such topics as minimizing maintenance and protecting the health of the environment with consideration of the fragile water quality and many special wild places in Door County, but from an entomologist’s viewpoint. The program is free and open to the public.

Eco-friendly control of insects in the garden is just one of the topics which be presented during the four-session Garden Workshops for Families, scheduled from 6 – 7:30 pm on April 22, 23 and May 9, 26. During the classes, families will plant and grow vegetables in the Crossroads Greenhouse and learn how to make good garden soil, how to keep weeds under control, and how to prepare vegetables.

The Garden Workshop for Families is collaborative project of Crossroads, Master Gardeners, and Community’s Garden. A $10/family fee covers the cost of plants and planting supplies but each family will go home with well over $50 worth of plants. Greenhouse space is limited so pre-registration is required. Call 746-5895 for more information or stop by Crossroads to pick up a registration form.

Pre-Registration is also required for the two Cross-generational Class scheduled for Spring Break Monday and Tuesday.“About Birds” and “Fish of the Great Lakes” are as a part of the Crossroads Cross-generational Program. These classes are designed for one adult and one youth to learn together. Thanks to a grant from the Door County Community Foundation, the programs and materials are free, but pre-registration is required. Call 746-5895.

Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor-supported learning preserve focused offering experience-based programs in science, history and the environment. The Collins Learning Center, located at 2041 Michigan , just east of Sturgeon Bay, is open daily 2:00-5:00 and during scheduled activities. See www.crossroadsatbig creek.org for information and a map.

Monday, March 28, 10:00-11:30
Cross-generational Program: “Fish of the Great Lakes “

This activity based education program is designed for one adult and one youth (age 7-12) to learn together. Free but pre-registration is required. Collins Learning Center . Call 746-5895.Classes limited to 8 pairs of learners.

Tuesday, March 29, 10:00-11:30
Cross-Generational Program: “About Birds”

7:00
Master Gardener Lecture: “Insects, Your Garden, and You”

Phil Pellitteri, Distinguished Faculty Associate at UW Madison and frequent Wisconsin Public Radio guest, will present the lecture featuring gardening, but from a entomologist’s point of view. Free and open to the public. Collins Learning Center.

Upcoming at Door County’s Crossroads: The Color Green from Gardening Workshops to Watercress and Sports Medicine with Dr. Arnold

Coggin Heeringa — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:51:53 +0000

At Crossroads at Big Creek, we are wearing, growing and living green in honor of natural science and St. Patrick.

Certainly the holiday is meaningful to the Irish, but I think that part of the popularity of St. Patrick’s Day may just reflect our deep craving for the color ”green.” Often when teaching nature classes about sunlight and the spectrum, I ask children to tell me what they think is the most important color in nature. With little hesitation, they invariably answer, “green!”

Green is the color of the environmental movement. Green is the color of plants. Green is beautiful. But it is not exactly the most important color in the spectrum.

Wait a minute! you say. Photosynthesis, the energy of the sun turned to food, the essense of life. Green!

In third grade most of us probably learned that sunlight is made up of the colors of the rainbow. So, when the the sun shines on a green plant, what happens? It turns out that the plants absorb the red and the blue light which they use for photosynthesis, but they reflect green light. That’s why most plants appear to be green. It’s the light color the plant doesn’t use.

Consequently, in summer, green light is not all that important. Around St. Patrick’s Day, it is.

Researchers have good evidence that sunlight can penetrate snow well enough for plant growth to occur. But green and blue light seems to pass through snow better than red light. So, if a plant begins to grow under the snow, it benefits from absorbing green light instead of red light. That’s often what happens. In early spring, many tender young plants… rosettes of winter annuals, floliage of tulips and hepatica, maple seedlings… reflect red because the green light is absorbed and used for photosynthesis.

A few plants are already green in March. Here at Crossroads, the seeps and tiny tributaries of Big Creek are choked with emerald green watercress. Colonists brought watercress from Europe because they knew it prevented scurvy. American Indians and pioneers then planted it in streams everywhere they settled. They valued watercress as a spring tonic and maybe more importantly, it was green in late winter when they were desperate for fresh greens. Yes. It is an invasive speciesand yes, it is undesirable in aquatic habitats, but watercress is rich in vitamins C, A, B2, D and E. Pioneers knew to eat their greens.

So do the Nutrition Educators from UW-Extension. This winter, they have been using the Crossroads Greenhouse to grow greens which they use for their nutrition programs for learners of all ages. Greens are packed with vitamins, nutrients and fiber but the very best greens are the ones picked fresh from our own gardens.

Again this year, Crossroads will host a Garden Workshop for Families, with Monday evening sessions beginning April 11. During the classes, families will start plants in the Crossroads Greenhouse and learn how to make good garden soil, how to keep weeds under control, and how to prepare vegetables.

Ministry Door County Medical Center will provide our lecture this week. ”Concussions: A Modern Approach” is the title of a free presentation by Dr. Phillip Arnold at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, March 22. Dr. Arnold is board-certified in both sports medicine and family medicine. He will address a wide range of topics including:

what are sports concussions,
why it is important to pay attention to them,
how are they identified, diagnosed and treated by professionals.

He will also discuss the best approach to concussion management and how best to return to academics and physical activity.

Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor-supported learning preserve focused offering experience-based programs in science, history and the environment. The Collins Learning Center, located at 2041 Michigan , just east of Sturgeon Bay, is open daily 2:00-5:00 and during scheduled activities. See crossroadsatbigcreek.org for information and a map.

Thursday, March 17, 10:30
St. Patrick’s Day Hike

Join the naturalist for a one hike in search of green places at Crossroads. You don’t have to be Irish, but wear footwear that can get wet. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

Tuesday, March 22, 6:30
Lecture: Concussions – A Modern Approach

Concussions affect approximately 3.8 million athletes annually. Parents, athletes, coaches, and educators are encouraged to attend a special presentation by a Ministry Door County Medical Center Sports Medicine Physician. Dr. Phil Arnold will disucss the best approach to concussion management and return to academics and physical activity. Sponsored by Ministry Door County Medical Center. If you have questions, plese call Tina Koen, 746-0410. Lecture Hall of the Collins Learning Center.

This Week at Door County’s Crossroads: Dr. Roger Kuhns on the Geology of Door County, Master Gardener Greg Meissner on Landscape Design and more

Coggin Heeringa — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:45:57 +0000

We haven’t yet put the snow shovels away and we don’t plan to do so any time soon, but at Crossroads at Big Creek, we are beginning to notice little glimmers of spring.

The chickadees and cardinals have been singing their spring songs, the sun is higher in the sky, the daylight lasts a little longer (which means our solar panels are making more electricity!) and the seeps are seeping into Big Creek. In the fall and winter, the name “Big Creek” is an exaggeration at best. By autumn, Big Creek has little or no current and is more like series of puddles than a stream. When the water table is low, it dries up completely. And, we all wonder how in the world there will be enough water for the annual pike and sucker runs.

As it turns out, our fractured bedrock solves that problem for us. In many parts of the world, streams are fed by runoff from melting snow and spring rains. That’s true in Door County to a point. But here, much of the melted snow percolates into the ground and enters cracks in the bedrock. Understand that some cracks are vertical and others are horizontal. Some water works its way into the horizontal cracks. Consequently, in places where the horizontal cracks intersect with the surface, water seeps out of the cracks. There are at least a dozen of these places – called seeps – on the Crossroads property. In spring, they form little pools which then empty into the creek.

Some of our seeps trickle all year, but after a heavy rain event or a warm, snow-melting spring day, the seeps burble enthusiastically and the creek fills with water.

If you want to understand more about our fractured bedrock, plan to attend the lecture “Geology of Door County” on Tuesday, Mary 15, at 7 pm when the Door County Master Gardeners bring Dr. Roger Kuhns to Crossroads. Dr. Kuhns is a geologist and environmental scientist with more than 30 years experience in natural resources, land use, geology, ecology, hydrology, geochemistry, remediation, renewable energy, strategy and planning, mineral exploration, river and coastal studies, economics, and communication. He has worked nationally and internationally on all types of resource projects, and designed sustainable practices for brownfield reuse, remediation of contaminated areas, conservation developments, and restoration of habitats. Besides all that, he’s a very entertaining speaker.

So, when do we expect the fish to be swimming up a much bigger Big Creek? How do the fish make the collective decision that “it’s time” and leave the bay and lake to return to their natal stream?

We don’t know when the fish will show up, but we hope to find out. This spring, Big Creek will be studied as a part of a research project out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Crossroads will be organizing a citizen science effort to monitor the sucker run. If you would like to watch fish or add to the body of scientific knowledge, call Coggin at 920.746.5895 for more information.

The Door County Invasive Species Team (DCIST) is also hoping conduct citizen science efforts. For a preview of the 2011 activities, attend the DCIST Community meeting on Monday, March 14, at 2 pm.

Tuesday, March 8, 7:00
Master Gardener Lecture: “Landscape Design”

This program will emphasize the principles and rules a landscape designer applies to landscape design, whether working with a small, medium or large property. It will describe and illustrate all areas of landscape design, including flower gardens, trees and shrubs, paths, water features, and use of rocks. Participants will learn how to select flowers, shrubs and trees that grow well in Door County, The speaker will be Greg Meissner, co-owner of Meissner Landscape, Inc., a firm that has been providing high-quality landscape services in Door County since 1982. The program is free and open to the public. Lecture Hall of the Collins Learning Center.

Monday,March 14 , 2:00
Community Meeting : “DCIST in 2011″

DCIST coordinator representative, Marne Kaeske will present on DCIST plans for 2011 season. Information on existing local and state-wide projects, new county focuses, and program initiation will be discussed. We are hoping to receive some public input on local weed needs and encourage volunteer efforts throughout the county. Free and open to the public. Lecture Hall, Collins Learning Center.

Tuesday, March 15, 7:00
Master Gardener Lecture, “Geology of Door County”

The Door County Master Gardeners present a free public program featuring Dr. Roger Kuhns at the Crossroads in Sturgeon Bay on Tuesday March 15^that 7:00pm. The program, “The Geology of Door County,” will examine the geological structure that supports plant and animal life in northeast Wisconsin. In particular, Dr. Kuhns will examine the variety of soil types and structures across the county. The program will feature ample time for questions and answers. Anyone interested in gardening or the geology of the county in general will find this program entertaining and enlightening.

This Week at Door County’s Crossroads: Astronomy Software, Green Fire, Landscape Design,

Coggin Heeringa — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:09:10 +0000

At Crossroads at Big Creek, we hope to change lives. If we knew the formula, we’d use it every day. But what constitutes a life-changing experience is different for every person.

A while back, a young man dropped by to see me. Turns out, he was a former student (though I remembered him as a scrawny eight- year old rather than the handsome lawyer he grew up to be.) His specialty was environmental law. Delighted to hear about his career, I asked him why he chosen to work on environmental issues.

“Because of the chickadee.”

He went on to explain that when he was enrolled one of in my nature classes, he held out a handful of sunflower seeds and a chickadee had landed on his finger. Because that chickadee had trusted him, he vowed then and there that he would spend his life earning its trust.

I hand-tame chickadees every summer. It’s not hard. I put an old work glove on a chair near a feeder. Every day, I put black oil sunflower seeds in the glove. Soon, the chickadees learn to perch on the glove for a generous treat. Once they become habituated to the glove, I sit down on the chair and slip my hand into the glove. Chickadees are wary, but hunger [or greed] is greater than fear. They fly to the glove. Before long, the perky birds come to my ungloved hand. Once hand- trained, chickadees are tame enough to light on the outstretched hands of my students. For one young man, feeding a chickadee was life-changing.

What experiences are life-changing? Wading with the suckers in Big Creek? Viewing the rings of Saturn through a telescope? Shaping a piece of metal in our blacksmith shop?

In the American Southwest during the early part of the last century, the life-changing moment for a young graduate of the Yale Forestry School occurred when he gazed into the eyes of a dying wolf and saw “the fierce green fire” fade. That young man went on to accomplish many things, among them writing a small book called A Sand County Almanac.

Back when I was in grad school visiting a teacher/mentor, a winter outing we had planned had to be scrapped due to freezing rain. Jack threw a couple logs on the fire and handed me a mug of coffee and a dogeared copy of that small book—A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. Reading that book that afternoon was life- changing for me. I’m not alone. Countless others have been inspired by the man who saw the green fire and developed the concept of “a land ethic.”

Green Fire is now a film, a joint production of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the US Forest Service, and the Center for Humans and Nature. According to the publicity, “It explores the life and legacy of famed conservationist Aldo Leopold, and the many ways his land ethic philosophy lives on in the work of people and organizations all over the country today. The film shares highlights from Leopold’s life and extraordinary career, explaining how he shaped conservation and the modern environmental movement”

Traditionally, Crossroads has celebrated the Aldo Leopold Day on the first weekend of March. So we are thrilled that for this year’s commemoration, we will be partnering with the Door County Library to screen Green Fire on Saturday, March 5. at 10:00 AM. Ray Osinski, a trained interpreter for the Aldo Leopold Foundation, will be our host. Friends of Crossroads will provide refreshments following th film.

To learn about GreenFire and to see the trailer, go to the Door County Library Website doorcountylibrary.org. And while you are there, take advantage of the Green Resources the library provides or explore the Aldo Leopold Archives.

Aldo Leopold planted trees… thousands of trees… long before scientists had realized the profound contributions trees make to the environment. Even in an urban setting, trees help conserve energy, retard soil erosion and water pollution, remove carbon dioxide from the air and increase property value. Obviously, property is more valuable if its landscaping is attractive and functional.

Landscaping is the topic for the next program offered by Master Gardeners of Door County. Guest speaker Greg Meissner of Meissner Landscape, Inc.will discuss“Landscape Design.” The program will emphasize the principles and rules a landscape designer applies to landscape design. It will describe and illustrate all areas of landscape design, including flower gardens, trees and shrubs, paths, water features, and use of rocks. Participants will learn how to select flowers, shrubs and trees that grow well in Door County, This program is free and open to the public.

Crossroads is a donor-supported learning preserve focused offering experience-based programs in science, history and the environment. The Collins Learning Center, located at 2041 Michigan , just east of Sturgeon Bay, is open daily 2:00-5:00 and during scheduled activities. See www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org for information and a map.

Tuesday, March 1, 7:00
March Meeting of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society
Program: “Astronomy Software”

The public is invited to join the members of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society for a short meeting, quiz. The feature will be Culture Astronomy of New Zealandpresented by John J. Beck.Program: The main program is “Astronomy Software” by John J. Beck, David Udell and Greg Cupal.Refreshments will be served. Stonecipher Astronomy Center. Please use the Utah Street Entrance (at the Cove Road stop sign) to Crossroads.

Saturday, March 5, 10:00
Film: “Green Fire”

In celebration of Aldo Leopold Day, Crossroads and the Door County Library will present the Door County Premiere of GreenFire in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center. Green Fire is more than a documentary about the great conservationist Aldo Leopold.It portrays how Leopold’s vision of a community that cares about both people and land—his call for a land ethic—ties all a multitude of modern conservation stories together and offers inspiration and insight for the future.Friends of Crossroads will provide refreshments. Free and open to the public. Lecture Hall of the Collins Learning Center.

Sunday, March 6, 1:00-3:00
Community Ski (trail conditions permitting)

Friends of Crossroads invite the community to get in touch with nature by using our skis or snowshoes. Anyone can borrow equipment between 1:00-3:00. Skis are to be returned by dusk. There is no charge for this program. Collins Learning Center.

Monday, March 7, 6:30
Friends of Crossroads

Friends of Crossroads is a group of volunteers who give time, talen, energy and financial support to the work of Crossroads. They welcome new members to their monthly meetings at which they plan their various activities. Collins Learing Center.

Tuesday, March 8, 7:00
Master Gardener Lecture: Landscape Design

This program will emphasize the principles and rules a landscape designer applies to landscape design, whether working with a small, medium or large property. It will describe and illustrate all areas of landscape design, including flower gardens, trees and shrubs, paths, water features, and use of rocks. Participants will learn how to select flowers, shrubs and trees that grow well in Door County, The speaker will be Greg Meissner, Co-Owner of Meissner Landscape, Inc., a firm that has been providing high-quality landscape services in Door County since 1982. The program is free and open to the public. Lecture Hall of the Collins Learning Center.

New Documentary on Aldo Leopold Screenng at Crossroads at Big Creek, Mar 5

Coggin Heeringa — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:26:37 +0000

Green Fire, a documentary film that connects legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold with modern environmental projects will be screened on March 5 at 10 am at Crossroads at Big Creek presented by the Door County Libraries.

The new film is the first full-length feature ever made about legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold. The host at Crossroads will be Ray Osinski, a trained interpreter from of the Aldo Leopold Foundation. The film explores Aldo Leopold’s life in the early part of the twentieth century and the many ways his land ethic idea continues to be applied all over the world today.

Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time is a production of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the US Forest Service, and the Center for Humans and Nature. The film shares highlights from Leopold’s life and extraordinary career, explaining how he shaped conservation in the twentieth century and still inspires people today. Although probably best known as the author of the conservation classic A Sand County Almanac, Leopold is also renowned for his work as an educator, philosopher, forester, ecologist, and wilderness advocate.

The film is being shown in community screening venues like this one throughout 2011. It will then be released on public television in early 2012.

“Aldo Leopold’s legacy lives on today in the work of people and organizations across the nation and around the world,” says Aldo Leopold Foundation Executive Director Buddy Huffaker. “What is exciting about Green Fire is that it is more than just a documentary about Aldo Leopold; it also explores the influence his ideas have had in shaping the conservation movement as we know it today by highlighting some really inspiring people and organizations doing great work to connect people and the natural world in ways that even Leopold might not have imagined.”

Green Fire illustrates Leopold’s continuing influence by exploring current projects that connect people and land at the local level. Viewers will meet urban children in Chicago learning about local foods and ecological restoration. They’ll learn about ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico who maintain healthy landscapes by working on their own properties and with their neighbors, in cooperative community conservation efforts. They’ll meet wildlife biologists who are bringing back threatened and endangered species, from cranes to Mexican wolves, to the landscapes where they once thrived. The Green Fire film portrays how Leopold’s vision of a community that cares about both people and land—his call for a land ethic—ties all of these modern conservation stories together and offers inspiration and insight for the future.

“The making of Green Fire has been a process of discovery,” says Curt Meine, the film’s on screen guide.

Meine’s doctoral dissertation was a biography of Aldo Leopold, published as Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work (University of Wisconsin Press, 1988). To give the film its modern perspective of Leopold’s influence in the conservation movement today, Meine was charged with conducting hundreds of interviews with people practicing conservation all over the country.

“Meeting all those people has really yielded new connections between Leopold and nearly every facet of the environmental movement, including ocean conservation, urban gardening, and climate change—issues that Leopold never directly considered in his lifetime but has nonetheless affected as his ideas are carried on by others,” says Meine.

“Aldo Leopold is one of our nation’s most beloved nature writers,” says environmental historian Susan Flader. “His A Sand County Almanac, published posthumously in 1949, has become a catalyst for our evolving ecological awareness and a classic in American literature.”

Leopold is regarded by many as one of the most influential conservation thinkers of the twentieth century, and the film highlights the ways his legacy continues to encourage us to see the natural world “as a community to which we belong.”

The Aldo Leopold Foundation is distributing the film to community screeners, and is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization based in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The foundation’s mission is to inspire an ethical relationship between people and land through the legacy of Aldo Leopold. Leopold regarded a land ethic as a product of social evolution. “Nothing so important as an ethic is ever ‘written,’” he explained. “It evolves ‘in the minds of a thinking community.’”

Learn more about the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the Green Fire at the Door County Library Website: http://doorcountylibrary.org

This Week at Door County Crossroads: The Science Behind the Zodiac

Coggin Heeringa — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:13:23 +0000

The January thaw came in February this year, but at Crossroads at Big Creek, we are confident that it will get cold again and those cold, clear nights are often the best for stargazing.

When the members of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society hold their viewing nights or when school groups enjoy our planetarium shows, participants are often eager to find the constellations which make up their zodiac signs. We were aware that most people know their zodiac sign, but we were blindsided by the media circus which erupted when it was widely announced that the dates of the astrological signs and the constellations were “out of sync.”

Reports revealed that the Earth’s axis had wobbled.

Any schoolchild can recite, though perhaps not comprehend, that the tilt of the Earth gives us our seasons. By this stage of winter, I’d just as soon give the seasons back. But, if the tilt has changed in the past 2000 years – and it has - then we are no longer being born under our birth signs.

What a shock this must have been to long-married couples who learned that they were no longer compatible! Perhaps our personalities or destinies have changed. Have we been reading the wrong horoscopes?

On Friday night, Gregory Cupal will present “The Science Behind the Zodiac” at the Stonecipher Astronomy Center. His information will help you understand beliefs about the zodiac constellations and this information will help you understand the development of modern science to further appreciate the wonders of the night sky.

Until the procession of the seasons brings us balmier weather, some people may prefer to learn about astronomy using a computer. For that reason, the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society invites the public to their March meeting at 7 pm on Tuesday, March 1. In a special program entitled ”Astronomy Software” Dr. John J. Beck, David Udell , and Greg Cupal will each give a short demonstration of their favorite software. This year’s theme for the short feature “of the month” is “Cultural Astronomy.” Dr. Beck will introduce the “Astronomy of New Zealand” to launch this global adventure.

Snow and trail conditions permitting, the Friends of Crossroads will continue their efforts to get connect people and nature by loaning skis and snowshoes free of charge on Sunday afternoons from 1:00-3:00. (They would be thrilled to accept used skis and boots with Solomon bindings and poles of any size)

Crossroads is a donor-supported learning preserve focused offering experience-based programs in science, history and the environment. The Collins Learning Center , located at 2041 Michigan , just east of Sturgeon Bay, is open daily 2:00-5:00 and during scheduled activities. See www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org for information and a map.

Friday, February 25, 7:00
Lecture: “The Science Behind the Zodiac”

“If you know your zodiac sign then you may know more Astronomy than you realize. Come and listen to the Science Behind the Zodiac to understand why you may know more about the night sky than you think. Stonecipher Astronomy Center. Please use the Utah Street Entrance (at the Cove Road stop sign) to Crossroads.

Sunday, February 27, 1:00-3:00
Community Ski (trail conditions permitting)

Tuesday, March 1, 7:00
March Meeting of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society
Program: “Astronomy Software”

The public is invited to join the members of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society for a short meeting, quiz. The feature will be Culture Astronomy of New Zealand presented by John J. Beck.Program: The main program is “Astronomy Software” by John J. Beck, David Udell and Greg Cupal.Refreshments will be served. Stonecipher Astronomy Center. Please use the Utah Street Entrance (at the Cove Road stop sign) to Crossroads.