Wisconsin Bat Festival 2014 in Milwaukee Was a Success!

By Licia Johnson, NLDC Staff Naturalist

“Every year, the Wisconsin Bat Program hosts a Wisconsin Bat Festival in conjunction with partners. The Festival is a globally relevant, engaging and important event to promote conservation of bats and ultimately, our environment. Bats are critical to ecosystems around the world and locally. Because these animals are often misunderstood and because multiple species are now threatened with extinction people should be encouraged to protect them. Through this message, citizens learn about the importance of being good stewards of the earth while inspiring children to become the next generation of researchers and biologists necessary to preserve the balance of our environment.”  ~ 

Wisconsin Bat Program

Photo 1-  Over 800 people came to the Urban Ecology Center on October 3^rd for the annual Wisconsin Bat Festival.

Photo 2- One of my jobs at the festival was educating folks in the live bat room.  Here I am with Leon, one of the Discovery Center’s education bats- he was echo-locating, and we were able to hear it with the Anabat detector. 

The 2014 WI Bat Festival reached over 1300 attendees over three days.  It was hosted by the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee Wisconsin starting on October 3, 2014.  This year, the Festival included not only the same great educational programs and activities as last year, but also a bat science symposium and a screening and discussion panel of the video Battle for Bats- Surviving white-nose syndrome.

Leon, Fritz (our two new male educational Big Brown Bats) and I attended and worked in the live education bat area-educating folks on big browns, fruit bats, and Jamaican leaf nosed bats.  Over 100 individuals make this Festival happen each year.   Presenters shared their stories and expertise, research and monitoring results with others.  Science presentations this year covered a wide range of topics including rabies, white nose syndrome, acoustic monitoring, bats of Cuba and caves.  We had great attendance in the Science Symposium!  There were also activities including guano dissection, “what does a bat eat” activity, craft cave, and more.  Attendees also had a chance to explore the blow up cave and learn to be a bat biologist with other fun activities.  I was fortunate enough to take a turn being the mascot- “Stella Luna” (of the kids bat book) and met the first girl in the world to survive full-on rabies, Jeanna along with attending her interview with WPR’s Judith Siers-Poisson- discussing her journey with the disease.  It was a great weekend filled with bat education and celebration! 

Photo 3- Me as Stella Luna and Jeanna.

Photo 4- I had a little fun with the “green screen” activity at the Festival- here I am as a hibernating Eastern Pipistrelle. J 

Photo 5- One of the bats in the live bat display, the Jamaican Leaf Nosed Bat.

Celebrate bats during National Bat Week October 26-November 1!

Photo 6- Celebrate bats!

500 Hours

by: Leah Dittberner

Upon graduating the University of Wisconsin this spring, I was filled with a variety of emotions. Of course there was the excitement, pride, and relief that I had made it out alive. However, closing out my time studying natural resources and ecology also left me with a sense of sadness, anxiety, and even despair upon learning how much humans have devastated our environment. We have lost so many species of flora and fauna, and will continue to endure such losses. A nature lover who grew up watching The Lion King, this concept is painful to ponder. However, my time at the Discovery Center has helped to restore a sense of hope by serving as a shining example of how humans can come together to heal the wounds we have inflicted on this planet we call home. The center’s committed individuals treat not only the people, but also the plants and animals that reside in the Northwoods as family, as integral parts of a complex and interconnected community. This, to me, is stewardship.

One idea that is discussed profusely in the classrooms of universities around the country (including my alma mater) is that of a sense of place. After sitting for 500 hours at boat landings this summer conducting Clean Boats, Clean Waters surveys, I understand exactly why this topic is so prevalent in the curricula of environmental educators, scientists, historians, and ethnographers alike. I have learned to love these boat landings, these seemingly insignificant places, by simply observing the wildlife, the silent magic in the transitions from irises to asters, gaywings to goldenrod, throughout the course of the growing season. I have heard the wind in the pines, the call of the loon, and the sound of the waves washing the shore. I have felt the joy of watching warblers forage in their treetop kingdom. I have witnessed a dragonfly emerge from its nymph form, sun itself, and take flight for the first time. I have seen the excitement on the faces of adults and children alike as they describe their catch out on one of the many beautiful lakes in Vilas County. I have learned about the edible and non-edible plants, lichen, mushrooms, and mosses. I have had the privilege to help protect these waters for future generations to enjoy, and I couldn’t be more grateful for this summer’s 500 hours of “weed patrol.”

I strongly believe that a highly internalized sense of place, of knowing not only the people and economics of an area, but familiarizing oneself with the complex ecology as well, is essential for the health of the planet as a whole. Sitting at boat landings for 500 hours has taught me patience, has revealed nature’s many avenues for exploration, and has instilled in me a deep sense of respect, not only for the land, but for the people who love this place and call it home. It has even helped to cure my wanderlust. Of course I would love to take off and hike mountains, learn to surf, or soak in a hot spring in some far-off land. However, the enchanting beauty, biodiversity, and serenity of the Northwoods have assured me that learning about the wonders of my homeland is something that must be shared in order to help individuals, families, and communities grow sustainably.

I will end this reflection on my time at the NLDC with the words of that one wise song from The Lion King:

 “There is far too much to take in here, more to find than can ever be found.”

Abundant thanks to the North Lakeland Discovery Center for reminding me of this and helping restore in me a sense of childlike curiosity about the world around me.

Hear ‘em Sing… Again!

Contributed by: Discovery Center Bird Club

A reported 9000 Americans are turning 60 each and every day. Add to that the 4-6 million combat veterans from a variety of wars fought over the past 5-6 decades and it translates into a few age and noise-related hearing disabilities. More people than ever before are suffering from some form of hearing loss. Along with the day-to-day challenges, are recreational limitations particularly given rapid growth in birding across the country. The high frequency songs produced by many birds cannot be heard by those who face auditory limitations.

Recently, Discovery Center and Bird Club member Duanne Swift, a Viet Nam veteran with a 70% high frequency hearing loss, participated in the Master Naturalist program. The program requires completion of a “Capstone” project whereby participants select a longer term project that will benefit the environmental education needs of the communities they live in. Swift selected a project he called “Hear ‘em Sing” whereby he would raise enough money for the North Lakeland Discovery Center to purchase Song Finder units to be available to loan to birders with high frequency hearing loss.

This electronic high frequency sound reduction unit is the brainchild of Lang Elliot of Cornell NY, an active birder who lost his ability to hear many birds as a child. Song Finder, fits on your shirt pocket and includes a headset. The unit divides high frequency bird songs (above 4000 Hz) into notes that most people with hearing in the 2000 Hz range can hear easily.

The Northwoods is a hotspot for many wood warblers, as well as other species, and when the leaves appear each spring birders rely heavily on being able to identify the songs of birds in order to determine their presence in the area. Swift hopes to raise enough money to purchase several Song Finder (www.hearbirdsagain.com) this fall. The units will then be available for loan at the Discovery Center in Manitowish Waters. Those wishing to contribute should send checks to North Lakeland Discovery Center, PO Box 237, Manitowish Waters, WI 54545 Attention: Hear ‘em Sing project.

Looking for Bats

By: Licia Johnson

The Bat Crew with the WI Department of Natural Resources down in Madison have been working hard this summer trying to locate the Northern Long-Eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis).  It is one of the four bats listed in WI as threatened, due to the fact that they hibernate in caves and mines and therefore are susceptible to White Nose Syndrome.  For more on WNS please visit www.whitenosesyndrome.org.  This is a bat not very common in Wisconsin, and has been recently looked at to be placed on the federally endangered species list.  Bat biologists have spent most of the summer traveling around the state in search of this elusive bat.  Visiting different sites, they go out at night and attempt to mist net the bats as they fly through the forest.  These are small nets that will catch the bats, allowing the biologists to remove, weigh, measure and examine the bat. The goal is to locate the Northern Long-Eared bat (specifically lactating females), put a small transmitter on their back, and later locate them using radio telemetry equipment at their roosting sites.  These females roost alone or with a few other females under tree bark and in crevices, and rarely in man-made structures.  We were lucky enough here at the Discovery Center to host a group of biologists who were studying these animals at nearby sites in the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest.  I was further lucky enough to join them one evening in June on one of their excursions…

We broke into three teams, each in a different location.  We set up the mist nets and then waited.  Throughout the night we caught many bats, at my station they were all Little Brown Bats.  They were removed from the nets, weighed, measured, checked for signs of wing membrane deterioration and then released.  We had a few males, one lactating female and one very pregnant female, which was interesting this late in the season.  

  

Caption: All captured bats were measured (forewing), weighed in a pill container and checked for wing membrane deterioration.  (photos by Licia Johnson)

 One group did manage to catch a Northern Long-Eared Bat and put a transmitter on her.   

Caption: Each bat gets tagged with a transmitter that is less than 5% its body weight. The tag is attached using non-toxic surgical glue that comes off after a couple weeks.  The transmitter batteries last 5-10 days. (WDNR PHOTO)

  (moth photo by Licia Johnson, squirrel photo WDNR)

There were a few critters that managed to get caught in the nets during the night, including Prometheus Moths and Flying Squirrels- all released without harm!

The Wisconsin Bat Crew finished up their studies earlier this month.  More information to come on what they found.  For more information on the federal listing of the Northern Long-Eared Bat please visit: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/nlba/

NLDC Bird Club’s Chimney Swift Project

by: Jim Krakowski

The Chimney Swift (CHSW) population has been on the decline since the mid-sixties.  The population has dropped more than 65%.  Ninety-nine percent of the breeding occurs in the US, the other 1% in southern Canada. They winter in northwestern South America.  Loss of roosting/nesting sites is believed to be the cause in this decline.  Loss of old-growth trees (hollowed out snags); plugging and destruction of large, brick chimneys; change to narrow, metal-lined chimneys (CHSW can’t cling on them); and the transition to heating with electric and gas have all contributed to this bird’s decline.

Chimney Swifts are unique little birds. They cannot perch or stand, instead they must cling to a vertical surface to rest. Chimney Swifts are active flyers all day long.  Even the twigs they gather for nest material are broken from branches on the fly!  Their nest is a half cup of twigs glued from the bird’s saliva to the inside of a vertical shaft;  Swifts feed exclusively on flying insects and a single CHSW will eat more than 1,000 mosquito-sized insects each day.  We certainly need more of these birds in northern Wisconsin!  

The National Audubon Society, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, and Bird City Wisconsin are all requesting people to do what they can to help this species.  The North Lakeland Discovery Center Bird Club stepped up to the plate in 2014.  The Bird Club initiated a project to help the CHSW as part of its 2014 Manitowish Waters - Bird City Wisconsin project proposal.  The project has earned a Bird City Wisconsin "High Flyer" rating for the Town of Manitowish Waters.  The project: construct a 12' wooden tower to serve as a roosting and nesting site for the CHSW. The Club followed the design guidelines of the Paul and Georgean Kyle book “Chimney Swift Towers – A Construction Guide”.  This book explains how to build such a tower and people all over the country are building them.  There are only 11 towers at present in WI; our tower will be the furthest north.  There are more than 100 towers in Minnesota.  The NLDC Chimney Swift tower will serve as a model for others in the Northwoods, who want to help this unique, little bird.

Many Bird Club members were involved in the construction.  Jim Krakowski acquired the materials and did some initial construction.  Isabella Weiss designed the artwork for the outer tower skin with help from Cynthia Krakowski.

Figure 1.  Cynthia Krakowski (left) and Isabella Weiss painting swift silohuettes.

Figure 2.  Bird Club President John  Randolph and Board member Carne Andrews mixing.  Three wheelbarrows were used to mix 21 bags of sacrete.

The concrete foundation work was accomplished on Wednesday, 7/9/14, and required most of the muscle.  But Club members showed up in force and this portion was completed in the morning.  After waiting two days for the concrete to harden, the Club members met again on Saturday, 7/12/14, and completed the project.

Figure 3.  Crew for the foundation work

igure 4.  Ladder-work was required for the 12' tower.

Many thanks to the NLDC’s Ryan Wahlgren: he was a major player in construction on both days.
The Bird Club is aware this year’s nesting season is for the most part over, but swifts may discover the tower and use it for roosting later this summer.   However, there are not that many swifts in the area.  There are definitely Chimney Swifts living in Minocqua and Ashland;  and the Bird Club saw a single bird fly over the Presque Isle ponds on a June field trip.   Even if we are not successful at immediate occupancy, the tower will still serve as an education tool and model for others that are interested in building a tower or curious about the life history of this bird.  For those who would like more information about the Chimney Swift or how to build a Chimney Swift Tower contact the North Lakeland Discovery Center (877-543-2085) or  www.discoverycenter.net.

Figure 5.  Completed CHSW Tower.  Bring on the swifts!!

 

Discovering and Exploring the Northwoods

By: Mike Schretenthaler, Environmental Education Intern

There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he looked upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of
the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years…

~Walt Whitman

Mike Schretenhaler with Eco-Discoverers group 

            This poem by Walt Whitman is a great reminder to adults just how curious and excited children are about nature.  Working here at the North Lakeland Discovery Center as the Environmental Education Intern, I have been able to see the powerful curiosity that these children hold for nature and all things wild.  For the last few weeks the NLDC has been hosting children’s programs, the Eco-Series, to rev up kids access to nature and their abilities to learn about what surrounds them.  Every week I am lucky enough to meet new Discoverers, ages 4-7, and Explorers, ages 7-10.  Being the intern, it is my job to learn from my experiences here, and it goes without saying that these kids teach me every day.  The most rewarding part of the Eco-Series is seeing the kid’s eyes light up when they get to pet out resident snake Maize, or when they are able to catch a tadpole, or just even running through the field.  My own childhood was spent running through the woods, climbing trees, and swimming in lakes, and to be able to show kids that spending time outside can be much more rewarding than sitting in front of a T.V. brings me joy. The Eco-Series strives to create lasting impacts for children, so that they never lose their sense of wonder and adventure.  I highly encourage all parents to take their kids outside and explore with them, what you will find is more than just some really interesting nature and a much more beautiful view than the T.V. can offer, you will give your children an eternal love for exploring and the ambition to always keep learning. As the great Wisconsinite John Muir had said, “in every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

            To learn more about our weekly programs for children, or to register, visit http://www.discoverycenter.net/ or pick up a 2014 summer program guide at the nearest distributor. 

Dinosaurs beneath your canoe

By Drew Lockwood

You are paddling a canoe in a shallow river when you see what looks like a large log. As you get closer the log darts away like a torpedo. This was no ordinary log, in fact you saw a sturgeon!

Photo by: American Fisheries Society – UWSP Student Subunit

Last week, I paddled in my kayak with the Center for Conservation Leadership group of high school students from the Chicago area as they canoed the Manitowish River. Like Captain Ahab, suddenly Peter, one of the counselors, yelled STURGEON!! We had come across a Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), holding onto the bottom in shallow flowing water. I paddled as fast as I could to catch up and see it for myself but just barely got a glimpse of the elusive beast darting away.

Sturgeon are incredibly interesting fish. They are living fossils that first appeared nearly 150 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth! With a heterocercal caudal fin (the backbone extends past the base of the tail), and sharp plate like “scutes” on their sides, sturgeon resemble a prehistoric shark. However, sturgeon are classified in the class Actinopterygii (boney fishes), which is the same as common game fish are today. Incredible!
Sturgeon do not spawn every year like typical fish. Females spawn once every 3-6 years and do not reach sexual maturity until they are between 24-26 years old! Males spawn more often, about every 1-2 years and reach maturity around 14-16 years old. Sturgeon are bottom feeders that eat mostly bugs, snails, crayfish, and other invertebrates on the bottom of streams and lakes.  Catching them is much like catfishing, by just casting out a hook with a glob, worm, cheese, or chunk of meat on the bottom. I, personally, have never caught one. However, if I am ever lucky to, it will be a day I will never forget.
So grab a rod and reel, wet a line, and patiently wait, because if a sturgeon finds its way to your hook, you are in for the fight of a lifetime! 

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

by Leah Dittberner

As warmer temperatures confirm the promise of summer, I have been riding my bike to nearby boat landings where I conduct Clean Boats, Clean Waters surveys. The phenomenal new bike path has allowed me get out of the mundane routine of driving. Upon slowing down, I am able to smell the fragrant pines, spy wildflowers off the bike path, and hear birds singing from their far off perches. While I am absolutely delighted to be able to experience this along my commute, I am becoming increasingly aware of one of the tragedies of modern times. As we carry out our fast-paced lives, our impacts on the environment simultaneously occur at a rapid pace.  While we continue to lose plant and animal species across all biomes due to habitat fragmentation, water diversion, climate change, etc, my concern here is for one particularly slow-moving group. Turtles are known to take their time, making roads a dangerous place for our little shelled friends.

Relatives of turtles have been on the planet since the late Triassic Period of the Mesozoic era. Continents have shifted, mountains have formed, and the turtle has witnessed it all. They are remarkable creatures; regulating their own body temperature as cold-blooded creatures do, fully adapted to life within a shell. These are but a few of the reasons that I am troubled upon seeing so many turtles reduced to rubble on the roadside. Turtles have been here far longer than modern man and his automobile, yet we run over these relics of ancient history, these clues to the evolution of life on earth, without thinking twice about that which we are destroying.

Of course, these turtle strikes are unintentional, a product of our fast-paced world dependent on automobiles for transportation.  Regardless, I encourage everyone to remember the message of the popular children’s story. Slow and steady wins the race, and Turtle’s millions of years of life on this planet suggest there might be truth to this fable.

Who knows, cautious driving might even be rewarded with a glimpse like the one pictured below, a reminder of the miracle of life.

A female painted turtle lays her eggs along County Highway K

Did you Know about Mosquitoes?

by,  Anne Kretschmann, North Lakeland Discovery Center

First published in the “Turtle Rock Rag”, Turtle Lakes Chain Association Spring 2014 newsletter

Wisconsin has 56 species of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are in the order Diptera, members of which have 4-stages of development: egg, larvae, pupae, and adults. It takes mosquitoes 10-14 days to go from eggs to adults, so you can expect 1-2 weeks after a rain to get inundated!

Mosquitoes are as diverse as any family with great variability in food preferences, habitat preferences, and breeding areas. There are many species of mosquitoes that never bite people, preferring birds or amphibians instead (believe it or not!)  Only females bite, as they need the proteins in blood to lay their eggs successfully. Male mosquitoes are harmless, sustaining themselves on only nectar, and are distinguished from females by large fuzzy antennas (similar to a male bird’s fancy plumage.) 

Tree-hole Mosquito by Azael Meza

The first three stages of mosquito development are in water. There are some species that are cavity breeders, laying their eggs in the nooks and crannies that hold water in trees. Other species prefer containers such as old tires or boggy areas as breeding sites. Temporary water sources that fill with rain water are generally the source of most mosquitoes with rainfall often triggering a hatch. In some species of mosquitoes, eggs can lay dormant ‘high and dry’ for years, only hatching when water comes. Researchers determined that this dry dormancy is one way that West Nile Virus moved so quickly across the United States, with mosquito eggs hitching rides on the inside of tractor trailer tires! Waters containing fish or higher flows of water are not usually good mosquito breeding areas as the larvae are eaten by minnows, dragonflies, and damselfly nymphs. Other mosquito-eating predators include crane flies (very large 1-2 inch mosquito-look-alike insect) and bats.

Adult mosquitoes are not active when wind speeds exceed 10mph, at temperatures below 55 degrees, or during mid-day (with a few exceptions.) Adults rest during the day in sheltered, shady areas with lush vegetation. Unfortunately for us in the Northwoods, they often rest in tall grass and other low vegetation, becoming active during low light, especially on warm humid nights with calm winds. They do not breed in this tall grass, but simply rest in a protected area. 

Tree-hole Mosquito by Azael Meza

There are many old-wives methods for keeping mosquitoes at bay. Female mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide given off during cellular respiration as well as through breathing. Things that mask the ‘scent’ of carbon dioxide are the source of many home-remedies such as eating garlic and rubbing orange peels or cedar on your skin. You should avoid flowery and fruity perfumes and detergents, opt for eucalyptus or lemon-scented instead. To deter mosquitoes, you can plant highly aromatic plants around your porch, such as rosemary, mint, lemongrass, marigolds, and citronella. They also prefer cooler skin temperatures and are visually attracted to dark-colored clothing, so warm yourself up and wear white!

Tree-hole Mosquito by Azael Meza

The best thing that you can do to decrease mosquito populations is to make sure that you don’t have any standing water in containers around your home such as tires, rain gutters clogged with leaves, boats, buckets, barrels, tarps, garbage cans, wading pools, wheel barrows, and flower pot planter dishes. You should be especially vigilant about containers holding decaying organic material such as leaves or grass clippings as the common northern house mosquito seeks these breeding areas out. Mosquito larvae eat algae and microorganisms, so you should keep clean water (flush twice a week) in bird baths and outdoor dog dishes to discourage mosquito young’ins. Mosquitoes will travel up to 10-20 miles from their breeding site to find a human meal, so spread the word to your neighbors and beyond! 

Paddling on Statehouse Lake

 by Brent Moore

It is another wonderful season to get outdoors and enjoy the limitless gifts that the north woods offers us.  A couple of my favorite outdoor silent sport activities are canoeing and kayaking. The Statehouse Lake that the North Lakeland Discovery Center rests on provides an exquisite setting to experience the beauty of nature by water.  By placing on a life-jacket and pushing off the shore in a canoe or kayak, one has just initiated the beginning of a rewarding adventure. 

Paddling on Statehouse Lake allows one to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature.  Traveling by canoe or kayak makes it possible to see unique habitats and animal activity that may not be accessible by foot.  The tranquility surrounding the lake makes it easy to hear the sounds of birds that call North Lakeland Discovery Center their home.  Bull head pond lily pads are beginning to appear and add to the already immaculate aesthetics of the lake.

In addition to connecting with nature, canoeing and kayaking are fun and physically active ways to spend time with family and friends.  The placid water of Statehouse Lake makes it a great place to learn the basics of paddling or to improve existing skills. Better yet, visitors do not need to bring anything because North Lakeland Discovery Center has canoes, kayaks, and all the equipment needed for a safe and enjoyable paddle.  Going for a paddle elicits positive feelings towards the gifts from nature and our place within it.  A fitting quote is by Brent Kelly that reads, “to canoe is to be moved”, and being moved is precisely what it does. 

Listening-It’s for the birds!

by Leah Dittberner

The most valuable wilderness skill that I have picked up in the last six months, is that of listening, specifically from my time spent birding. The ability to hear and place the melodic calls of birds has opened an entire world to me, and has given me a greater appreciation for all living things. Listening to the birds has helped me to realize that everything in nature has a place, has a home, and a unique set of behaviors that make it special and significant. This skill is especially important at this time of year when the trees are beginning to leaf out, making wood warblers hard to spot!

In my brief time at area boat landings conducting Clean Boats, Clean Waters surveys, my ears have helped me observe where the Baltimore Orioles like to hang out at Van Vliet Lake, where the Brown Thrasher at the Big Lake landing likes to forage in the brush, and has even allowed me to catch a few snippets of the Brown Creeper’s tinkling song when I am lucky.

In our fast paced, motor-run world that often drowns out the sounds of nature, it is easy to forget about the rest of the creatures, plants, and organisms that also call this planet home. However, delighting in the mysterious language of birds can help remind us that we are but one species in a vast sea of biodiversity on this planet.

Chestnut-sided Warbler in the Maples by Leah Dittberner 5/30/2014

Spring Biking in Wisconsin’s Northwoods

by Executive Director, Sarah Johnson

Spring is a time of renewal which at work means lots of planning for summer and fall. Feeling at times mired in meetings and busy with to do lists can feel a bit overwhelming... until that awesome spring riding time arrives.

Just prior to leaf out (which up here is late May/early June), there is a time when the days are longer, the sun shines brighter, the bugs are yet to hatch, and where the warm and cool air fluctuate dramatically with ever so slight elevation and terrain changes. There is a time when the ephemeral ponds are full, the birds start to sing - really sing, and wildlife starts to move - really move.  Porcupine are frequently sighted; and albino deer too.  Baby turtles have hatched and are finding their way to the water’s edge. The hawks, heron and cranes rise out of forest openings and along the river’s edge.

It reminds us we are “small” and that the planning and meetings are fleeting...

The sense of being is felt when the sun hits and warms you, when the Hermit Thrush sings its ethereal song, when the warm and then cool breeze hits your face at 20mph, when your legs and butt ache but you want to continue on to see more and to stretch your body more because it feels so good!  And, the smells... sometimes brackish, sometimes so fresh with ferns and soils and more that it’s indescribable.  It’s a time to slow down and replay your children’s giggling in your head and to laugh about the crazy-weird thing they said that morning.  That thing that didn’t seem quite as funny at the time because you were rushed, or the phone was ringing, or the indoor cat was desperately trying to get outdoors.

Spring bike riding means:

Nature-rich roads with literally no cars to pass by in over a 20 mile ride.

Open views of forests and waters, and lavender sunset skies.

Hearing the sounds outside & inside our heads more clearly.

Playing (and singing loudly) a little headphone music at the ride’s end, it sounds better.

Fresh air and exercise with beautiful pit stops along crystal clear lakes.
Stopping for a ice cream, coffee, beer or iced tea - what's your pleasure.

It all means more when we take the time to do it, and to do it often -- so get out and ride!  It allows us to sense, think and feel in a more meaningful, bigger and connected way... something we all need.

Find a trail for whatever moves you at NorthwoodsTrails.com

a project of the North Lakeland Discovery Center

New Experiences in Environmental Education

by Licia Johnson, Naturalist

In the past few weeks, I was able to be a part of two unique environmental education experiences involving WI youth; both of which were completely new for me.  On April 17^th (yes, the day we received 20 inches of snow!), I worked as a Group Leader for the 2014 WI Envirothon competition, and on April 29^th I presented at the UWSP STEM Conference, both held at Treehaven Campus in Tomahawk, WI.    

I had heard of the Envirothon competition before, but have never been to one, so I was really excited to be a part of Wisconsin's ultimate high school and middle school environmental science challenge. Teachers around the state use Envirothon learning objectives throughout the school year to enhance their environmental science curriculum. They form a team that is then enrolled as part of the Wisconsin Envirothon for a day of field challenges, team presentations. There are chances for the winning teams to advance on to a national competition.  As a group leader, I was in charge of three teams of five high school students, escorting them to the four different hands-on field challenges and a team presentation challenge where each year they prepare and present on a rotating current issue.  The four field challenge areas covered aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, and wildlife.  Professionals from around the state put together the exams for each station (no two years have the same questions) and were there to present them.  The exams were true and false, multiple choice, and each one had some kind of a hands-on station, whether it be identifying animal tracks and scat (YES!!) or working outside with forestry tools. 

 This was not only a great opportunity to networks with state professionals in these fields, but I also had a chance to go through the exams and test my own knowledge.  Let’s just say, I may be spending more time this summer studying soils and land use… J  It was also a great opportunity to work with and bond with high school students, an age group I rarely work with.  We were together all day, each of them working in their own school teams for the challenges.  What was really fascinating was to see the different group dynamics from each school- you could see natural leaders step up and direct the group.  The schools I worked with were from the Madison and Appleton area.  One team was very serious about the entire challenge, getting right to work, everyone had their area and task set to complete the challenge- and some groups had a more casual approach to the exam, laughing and having a good time. 

My favorite challenge was the group presentation.  I went in not knowing what to expect.  The 2014 issue was Sustainable Local Agriculture/Locally Grown Foods.  A month before the Envirothon, schools were given a scenario related to the issue and were asked to present, with visuals, on the topic, becoming ‘experts.’  The topic dealt with two adjacent farms, both with different types of crops, animals, forests, on the land- the challenge was to combine the two to make a profitable business in today’s economy.  It was so neat to see which direction each group went, how they worked the land, dealt with erosion problems, and how they planned to sell and market their goods.  A panel of professionals in the Ag business asked questions and judged their presentations.  It was not only a really fun day, but I learned a lot and was so gratifying to see young students become so involved in environmental education through this great competition!  Wisconsin Envirothon is a program of the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association (WLWCA), and a member of the North American Envirothon.

The STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) conference I presented at was for middle school students around the area.  The day was filled with different workshops put on by professionals that were career related to STEM.  They were trying to celebrate women in the field, and asked me to present something on being an environmental educator.  The topic I chose to speak on was using live animals as ambassadors for communicating educational messages.   I discussed how and why we use live animals-the major benefit being to increase affective learning and attitudinal change.  We discussed where all our animals came from- discarded pets, injured non-releasable wild animals, and healthy non-releasable wild animals.  Each animal has a story and a lesson to be learned.  I discussed how we use these animals to teach respect for and conservation of the native animals in our area and that these animals cannot be released into the wild for various reasons, so they serve a greater purpose educating the public.  All three sessions I presented were full, and the students really enjoyed meeting and learning about the Discovery Center education animals.  It was also a special treat to run into Mrs. B, or as some of you may remember, Emily Sage, who was an intern with us during the summer of 2011.  She is now married and is a science teacher at Tomahawk middle and high school.  Always so fun to see where past Center interns end up!

These were both great experiences for me, not only as an educator, but as a person passionate about our natural world.  Both were new experiences for me, ones that I hope to be a part of in the future! 

A Picture Post is Worth Thousands of Pictures

By Heather Lumpkin, Research and Monitoring Coordinator

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, but did you know that a Picture Post is worth thousands of pictures? Picture posts are 8-sided platforms for taking repeat photographs of a landscape. They create a 360° time-lapse photo series that documents plant growth and other environmental changes for years to come.  On April 26, 2014 the Discovery Center hosted a Picture Post Workshop to draw awareness to this exciting citizen science project.  This workshop was attended by 16 people! 

During the workshop participants learned about the picture post network (http://picturepost.unh.edu/) through a live webinar with Dr. Annette Schloss, coordinator of the Picture Post project and research scientist at the University of New Hampshire.  The Picture Post Network started in 2005 with just 5 posts, but has grown to a nationwide network of over 140 posts!  Picture Posts have been used to monitor canopy cover, water and snow levels, phenology (seasonal events such as bloom time), and even tree growth. 

Workshop participants enjoyed several hands-on activities.  They painted Picture Post platforms to take home for use in their own backyard and used purple filter paper to identify stressed and unhealthy vegetation.  A healthy plant appears green to our eyes because it absorbs red and blue light, reflecting the green.  Unhealthy plants do not use red and blue light as effectively and reflect more of these colors.  When held up to the eye, purple filter paper blocks green light, allowing you to detect the lighter colored, stressed plants.  At this time of the year the entire lawn looked stressed! 

  

The Picture Post workshop was a success!  Right now the 9 Picture Posts scattered around the Discovery Center Trails are the only ones registered in Wisconsin with the Picture Post Network. We hope to see several new posts popping up nearby as workshop participants install their newly painted Picture Post platforms. On a survey of workshop participants, over 75% indicated that they hope to tell someone else about the Picture Post project and over 80% indicated that they plan to install and maintain one or more new Picture Posts. 

Everyone is invited to contribute photographs at the Discovery Center Picture Posts.  To find the locations of Discovery Center posts visit (http://picturepost.unh.edu/) and zoom in on the Discovery Center on the map.  The Discovery Center has developed signs, like the one below.  These signs will be mounted on the Discovery Center’s 9 Picture Posts providing instructions for anyone who is interested in helping provide photographs.  Vegetation will be changing rapidly as spring progresses.  We hope that you will contribute photographs to help us document these changes!

Perfect Timing for a Unique School Project

This past week Wisconsin received some news that we have been dreading for years; White Nose Syndrome (WNS) was confirmed in a single bat hibernacula in Grand County in the southwest part of the state.  As you may already know, White Nose Syndrome is a disease affecting hibernating bats. Named for the white fungus that appears on the muzzle and other body parts of hibernating bats, WNS has killed more than 5.7 million bats in eastern North America.  Bats infected with WNS exhibit uncharacteristic behavior during cold winter months, which include waking up out of hibernation and flying around outside during the day, using up all their reserved energy before winter ends.  For several years the Discovery Center has been a regional coordinator for the state-wide Acoustic Monitoring Program, training local citizens to conduct surveys with acoustic equipment.  This is just one of the many efforts our state has taken to learn more about Wisconsin’s bat population.

I don’t think it was coincidence that the news of WNS appearing in Wisconsin for the first time came on the same day that North Lakeland School 7^th grade students presented the “Bat Expo Night” at their local school.  “Bat Expo Night” was an evening where the students had a chance to show off bat related projects and activities they have been working on for the past few months.  As part of the Bat Education Project, a project generously funded by Xcel Energy, students each became an “expert” on a topic related to bats.  With the guidance of Mr. Williams, NLS science teacher and Dean of Students, each student started their project with a thesis, giving explanations and contributing factors that ended with an essay and was turned into an exhibit for the expo night.  Not only were students able to be creative with what they presented and the activities that went along with some of the exhibits, but the project also addressed several College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing in the Seventh Grade. 

Topics presented included each of the WI bat species, threats to bats, benefits of bats, bats around the world, what you can do to help bats, and more.  Students researched their topics, created a display and were on-hand as the public came out on April 10^th to view their exhibits.  Along with education displays, bat themed crafts, coloring sheets, bat artifacts to look at, we also had some yummies to share: “Nocturnal Nectar”, fruit juices made with food of fruit bats, “Bat Snack”, which contained all things we wouldn’t have if bats didn’t pollinate certain plants and trees (did you eat a banana today?  Thank a bat!), and bat shaped cookies to decorate and eat.  There were also fun activities for all ages that included dressing up in a bat-adaptation costume, measuring your bat wingspan, bat memory game, bat flyer activity, compare your wingspan to bats around the world and even a demonstration on how to safely remove a bat from your home.  Fun was had by all, and visitors found it a very educational experience.  Some of the comments we received:

• “Very well done- seems to be well researched- very educational and interesting.  
• "Fun activities!  
• "Nice variety of “stations.”  
• "A great deal of work and lots of time and energy went into this “Bat Expo”! “
• “Very informative and GREAT for the kids!  Thanks!”
• “I liked all the art.  And making cookeys [sic].  And playing games.”  

Throughout the two hours the exhibit went on, we had over 60 people come through.  As we were setting up the exhibits one of the 7^th grade students came up to me and said “I can’t believe how much more I know about bats after doing this project!” 

Now, more than ever, we need to educate ourselves and take action to protect this amazing mammal!  

Multitasking Cooper's Hawks!

Guy David, an active birder and Discovery Center Bird Club member, was recently hiking in Honeybee Canyon, Arizona.  He shared a few photos from his hike – highlighting some Cooper’s Hawk activity.  He knows I'm a fan of raptors and specifically Cooper's Hawks, as my 7-year old happens to be named after one!

 

Cooper’s Hawks are a bird we see in Wisconsin in the spring, summer and fall; but is one we seldom see in the winter.  They migrate south and their winter range is from southern Wisconsin to Central America.  As Guy said in his email to me, “I’ll leave it to you to draw your own conclusions about what these birds were up to.”

 

After I asked Guy for permission to post the pictures, he shared a bit more…
 

We first saw the male when it flushed ahead of us and circled behind us and landed in a tree.  So we backtracked to get a better look at the male when we saw the female.  She was busy tearing flesh from some prey that looked to us like part of the hindquarters of a rabbit.  The male moved around in close proximity to her and mounted her… while she just tried to keep on eating!  After he dismounted, they looked at us as if to say “Did you see that?”  Eventually the male flew off while the female kept on working on the prey.

 

 

All photos credited to Guy David

 

Article compiled by Discovery Center Executive Director, Sarah Johnson