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April 1999
1. Goin' Froggin' Learn to identify frogs by their chirps, gulps, and songs while exploring the Mazomanie Wildlife Area.
Enjoy a Friday evening presentation on prairie chicken behavior/ecology. Saturday pre-dawn observation of "dancing" prairie chickens, followed by breakfast and discussion.
Hike a segment of the Ice Age Trail, to view numerous pasqueflowers and spring wildflowers. Learn about restoring native remnants of oak savanna and prairie communities by visiting Kettle Moraine Oak Opening and Bald Bluff state natural areas.
Explore Wisconsin's northern waterfalls. Learn the geologic and human history of the area. Spectacular sights of the Big Manitou Falls and the quiet charm of Amnicon's trickling pools await you.
Paddle down the lower Wisconsin River from Bridgeport to the Mississippi at Wyalusing State Park in a replica of a 150-year-old, six-seat canoe and fancy yourself on an early explorer's journey back through time to the Black Hawk War years and the Military Trail. Learn about the current management of this important riverway. Cost includes canoe use.
Experience the annual spring migration of warblers at Peninsula State Park. Spend the afternoon at the unique Moonlight Bay Bedrock Beach State Natural Area learning about the natural history, plants and management of this rich and rare ecosystem.
Celebrate Wetland Protection Month by exploring one of Bong's many wetlands.
Tour four important archaeological sites ranging from a major Early Paleo-Indian campsite from 9000 B.C. to a Potawatomi village from the mid-1800s. Learn how people's adaptations to local natural resources changed throughout time.
See the "real" dells! Towering hemlocks, mossy glens, and spectacular rock formations await on this 3.5 mile hike through the Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area. The terrain on this off-trail hike is rugged and not appropriate for small children.
Visit a privately owned hardwood forest and meet DNR foresters to see and discuss practices such as tree planting, timber stand improvement, wildlife management and harvesting.
Visit an impressive restoration of a white oak woodland and oak savanna. Hear about the management techniques used for this project. Persons considering beginning a restoration project on their own will find this tour beneficial. Also, tour a nearby wetland and learn about wetland ecology.
Learn the history of the game farm. Visit the pheasant hatchery and rearing pens, the Wisconsin wildlife exhibit, buffalo, and restored prairies.
Explore the history of dams on the Baraboo River, and the facts and process leading to their removal, which will restore the free flowing river. Visit the restored site of the former Waterworks Dam and view future dam removal & river restoration projects on the river.
See the richest prairie in Wisconsin, with over 400 species identified. The shooting stars should be at their peak. Learn about prairie ecology and management techniques being used on the site.
Visit Wisconsin's coulee region trout streams and discuss programs to improve stream habitat. See the electro-shocking truth of how trout populations are estimated.
Paddle through downtown Milwaukee as we learn about water quality and visit several historic sites "buried" in the bustle of a busy city. Canoe through a dam site and the harbor where the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers empty into Lake Michigan.
Visit a trout stream and use sampling gear to measure water quality, habitat conditions, and sample aquatic insect and fish populations. Learn how land uses affect stream health.
Learn about dragonfly ecology and life history, then go into the field to capture and identify various dragonfly species at Smith Lake.
Hike the Woolen Mills dam removal project and learn about the restoration efforts to enhance both the upland and aquatic habitats. See the positive results of dam "destruction."
Explore the St. Louis River Streambank Protection Area, a 5,000-acre project managed to deter erosion and sedimentation in high quality wetlands on this river/estuary. Through a six-mile/six-hour paddle, participants will explore steep wooded shores, unique wetlands, and meandering tributary bays in this remote wilderness area. Sea kayaks and instruction will be provided by an outfitter (beginners welcome).
Tour over 60 acres of conifer and hardwood nursery beds and learn about reforestation, propagation techniques, and the history and role of the state nursery program. See over 20 species of native trees and shrubs.
Eagles, wood ducks, loons and herons await! Explore the endless maze of islands, points, bays and channels found in the Chippewa Flowage. Paddle your way through an adventure on the third largest lake in Wisconsin.
Take a scenic boat ride through the flowage and enjoy wildlife watching and a management discussion. Visit osprey nests and help wildlife biologists band fledgling birds. See an osprey nose to beak!
Visit the renowned Apostle Islands and take a boat ride to Manitou Island to visit a historic fish camp. Learn about commercial fishing past and present in Lake Superior.
See wilderness and wildlife while paddling a whitewater stretch of the Flambeau River. Learn about the history and management of this famed watershed. Medium to large rapids (class 2) will be encountered, so canoeing experience is required. Canoes and lunch provided.
Explore the mystique of the Mississippi, mixing history with ecology on this fun two-part river trip. Hands-on sampling of fish, water quality, plants, mussels and invertebrates. Learn management techniques and visit habitat restoration areas along the Trempealeau shores. Optional camping in Perrot State Park, call early to reserve a campsite (608) 534-6409.
Visit spectacular old growth forest stands. Learn about the variety of species and ecological processes connected to this increasingly rare ecosystem. Also visit a managed forest stand and compare the structure and dynamics of these two forest types.
Take a walking tour through this historic battle site. See oak savanna restoration, pre-historic mounds and site of the last battle of the Black Hawk War of 1832.
Board a pontoon boat to learn about different types of lakes, monitoring equipment, use of data to evaluate lakes, aquatic vegetation management and progress on the Lake Mendota Priority Watershed Project.
Take a 10-mile wagon ride into Navarino's prairie communities to learn about prairie ecology and identify native plants. Pass through wetlands and forests along the way.
Hike through two of John Muir's boyhood haunts. Begin at Muir Park with a walk around the lake to see wetland, prairie, and savanna communities and discuss natural areas management. Then it's off to Observatory Hill to have lunch atop a cedar glade with a spectacular view.
Learn about the ecology of clear-cut forests and managed aspen stands. Visit and compare a large blow-down area and several complex forests with small clear-cut patches, various tree age classes and considerable diversity.
Hike through Wildcat Mountain State Park searching for signs of how air pollution injures native plants. Visit an air monitoring site and learn the correlation between two important topics: clean air and plant health. Could this be the canary in the coal mine?
Visit the largest barrens in northeast Wisconsin to learn about barrens geology, ecology, management, and restoration. Hear about this successfulpartnership among government, advisory groups and private industry.
Explore the steep basalt gorge of the highest waterfall in the state. Enjoy the fall colors while learning the history and geology of Pattison State Park. Travel back through time to discover lumbering, mines and more.
Enjoy an autumn day paddling down the meandering Kickapoo River. Learn about the geology of the driftless area and get a hands-on workshop on water quality. Only six canoes available to use, other participants must bring their own. Please indicate on your registration if you will need a canoe.
Learn about the ecology of North America's largest waterfowl species, the trumpeter swan. View these magnificent birds in the wild and learn about efforts to restore trumpeter swans to Wisconsin.
After a brief lecture on the geologic history of the Baraboo Hills, hike the south bluff of Devil's Lake, then venture off to Parfey's Glen. Explore the lower narrows of the Baraboo River, a rock quarry and the seldom-visited North Range of the Baraboo Hills.
View nesting eagles and ospreys. Enjoy the fall colors while visiting this scenic flowage newly acquired for public use. Cruise the 6,400-acre flowage by luxury tour boat and hike through part of the 8,400 acres of land to behold waterfalls and forests.
History buffs unite as we explore the hotels that used to cater to visitors in the late 1800s using artifacts, photos and descriptions. Learn the human history of this geologic gem.
Make an autumn visit to Door County and learn about the ancient human history of this unique peninsula during four waves of previous pre-European human occupation. View an exposure of prehistoric artifacts along an eroded beach.
Spectacular scenery & fall color, unique geological formations, gorges, glens, and rare plants await! Trek through this gem of the Wisconsin landscape in areas not normally accessible to the public. The terrain of this three-mile hike is rugged and not appropriate for children less than 12 years old.
Visit Devil's Lake State Park during fall migration where over 300 turkey vultures come to roost in the evenings. Observe this spectacular event, look for marked individuals, and learn the natural history and results of long-term research on vultures in Wisconsin.
Paddle an eight-mile stretch of one of Wisconsin's most beautiful and cherished waterways. Enjoy a day of fall color, waterfowl and wildlife. Learn river history and find out about efforts to preserve its natural beauty.
Learn the story of glacial geology that surrounds us! The Cross Plains Reserve is one of nine units of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve in Wisconsin. View this terminal moraine and see impressive meltwater basins.
Explore (by bus) a variety of geologic features in the Southern Kettle Moraine area – impressive moraines, kettle depressions, large outwash plains, gigantic eskers and vast adjoining drumlin fields to the west.
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