By Anna Foster and Jackie Rath The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources refers to the large population of white-tailed deer as an iconic and important part of the Wisconsin landscape and culture. And depending on your point of view, deer can be either a wonderful or troublesome part of living in Wisconsin. Growing up in [..Read more]
By Sheryl Honig, PhD, Environmental Educator You may not think of The Ridges’ boreal forest as a destination for viewing fall color. The sandy ridges are home to conifers like hemlock, spruce, balsam fir, and cedar. These conifers are evergreen and don’t explode with color in the fall. But there is one conifer that puts [..Read more]
By Anna Foster As a child, I vividly remember spending summer evenings at Welcker’s Point in Peninsula State Park, waiting patiently for the sun to go down. Children would gather about ten feet from the large bat nursery, hung on the side of the old shelter, with parents gathered behind them. As the sun grew [..Read more]
This summer, the Ridges welcomed Summer Naturalists Anna Gossard, Ben Epley and Sydney Rushing to assist with children’s Backpack Adventure Camps, lead nature hikes and other projects in operations and research. We were happy to talk with these three talented individuals as they wrapped up their internships about their experiences and what’s next: How did [..Read more]
By Anna Foster The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) symbolizes summertime, appearing year after year in meadows, gardens, and front yards of houses. As of July 21st, this once abundant butterfly is now listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as an endangered species. Populations across the United States have been in [..Read more]
By Jackie Rath, Visitor Engagement and Education Assistant The Ridges is celebrating National Pollinator Week 2022! Protecting pollinators is a necessary part of protecting The Ridges’ native habitat. In 2017, we planted pollinator gardens in front of our Nature Center. These gardens provide a food source and habitat for pollinator species in our ecosystem, [..Read more]
by Sam Hoffman As those familiar with The Ridges may know, the aging Range Light boardwalk is currently being replaced by some of our amazing volunteers. With the recent announcement of the purchase of The Ridges Inn and the start of the master planning process with SmithGroup, a Madison-based design group, this is a great [..Read more]
By Jackie Rath The Sanctuary has looked a little different over the last few weeks than if you visited this past winter. A delightfully slow spring thaw is taking place, and we are seeing signs of it everywhere we turn. Hidden Brook is rushing, birds are returning and calling, frogs are croaking, and the garter [..Read more]
By Anna Foster It may not feel like it outside this week, but last Sunday marked the Vernal Equinox, or the first official day of spring! Of course, spring has many faces in Door County. From snowstorms, like the dump of wet slush we had last week, to sunny, 45-degree days, watching the calendar isn’t [..Read more]
By Jackie Rath For the last few weeks, I have been serenaded to sleep by the hoots of a Great Horned owl sitting on a branch by my window. It’s nesting season here for the owls, and they are hooting with a whole new set of calls that I love to try and figure out [..Read more]
