It’s spring at the Nature Center and all of our resident critters turn their attention to families of their own.   From the robin nesting in the entrance of the building to muskrat love, spring is the time for babies.  Let’s  learn about animal babies.  Come learn about all kinds of baby animals with matching games, life cycle puzzles, puppets, costumes, storybooks, and coloring pages. Then head out on the trail to see if you can find some animal families.  This hands on opportunity is available now through 4 PM Saturday April 7, 2012.  The Nature Center is closed Easter Sunday April 8, but trails remain open 6 AM – 9 PM.

Elk, Wisconsin’s largest native mammal, was extirpated from Wisconsin in the mid to late 1800′s due to over hunting and rapid habitat loss due to the onset of human development.  In 1995, 25 elk were reintroduced to the Chequamegon National Forest (CNF) near Clam Lake.  Today the successful herd, managed by the Wisconsin DNR, numbers 162 animals.  Come out to the Nature Center this weekend Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM – 4 PM to learn about these magnificent animals with hand-on activities.  This program is free!

In the spirit of Harry Potter (Mischief Managed) we bring your Clutter – Conquered.  We all have clutter that worms its way onto our desktops, dining room tables, kitchen counters – everywhere!  That clutter can create an unsettled feeling and plays havoc with winter comfort.  Join us this Thursday evening, February 9 at 6:30 PM for a program that will help you conquer your clutter.  We’ll meet organizer Stacy Dake and get tips about what to do with the stuff that accumulates.  We’ll also have tea/coffee and sweet treats beside the fireplace.  Program fee is $5/person.

We continue to celebrate Groundhog Day with hands-on stations about groundhogs.  Groundhogs are tidy, furry creatures who sleep all winter, except around now, when they get up to check out the ladies in nearby burrows.  Then it’s back to sleep until spring.

Our hands-on stations will help you learn about their habitat, their habits, and their holiday.  Look for some shadows and color a critter.  There are stories to read as well.

Join us 11 AM – 4 PM Saturday and Sunday in Presentation Room of the Nature Center.  FREE!

Snow would be good about now.  From a purely recreational viewpoint, snow would allow us to open our snowshoe trails and begin a season of snowshoe rentals.    From an ecological viewpoint, snow is critical.  Here in Wisconsin it WILL get cold (frigid) in January and February.  Snow provides the layer of insulation that protects hibernating animals and buffers the roots of dormant trees and plants from subfreezing temperatures.  Think of it as a warm fluffy comforter.  Without snow, many critters and plants will freeze.  A substantial snowbank built through the winter also feeds our watershed in spring, and is critical to the health of wetlands, streams, and lakes in our area.  It’s time – let it snow!

The epic storms of 2011, one in April and another in September, took their toll on the forest here at Heckrodt.  We lost over 300 trees to the wind.  Due to the efforts of HWR’s maintenance staff and countless volunteers, much of the downed wood has been cleared.  Unless you visited us regularly, by midsummer and again by midfall, it was hard to tell that much of the damage had occurred.  Every time a tree falls in our forest (whether or not someone is there to hear it – sorry, couldn’t resist), there is great potential for it to damage the boardwalk and close it to visitors for undetermined lengths of time while it is repaired.  There has been a lot of that in the last couple of years.  To be more proactive, HWR hired a forester to perform a “risk tree assessment” in late winter  2011 to identify those trees that very well might take the plunge across our boardwalks causing damage.  A total of 122 trees or tree limbs were identified at varying stages of risk.

Trees identified are dead or dying trees, are close enough to the boardwalk to fall on it, and are leaning toward the boardwalk.  Don’t get me wrong, dead trees are really important!  They provide habitat for many animals, culture food sources for birds and other critters,  add a lot to the character of our forest, and in the end their decomposition makes our good, rich soil.  But in a public access forest, we have to make sure to manage them so they do not do damage that prevents trails from being accessible.

Last Tuesday (December 13) students from Mid-States Technical College and their instructors spent several hours removing high risk trees along our trails.  This was good for us, since the work was done as a volunteer effort, and this was good for the students, since they were able to learn in a real-life setting.  I’ll admit it hurt a bit to see several of my favorite dead snags go – but I understand why they had to be removed.  There are many remaining – I just have to train my eye to look a little deeper into the forest.

This effort is more evident now that vegetation has died back and winter has set in.  We’re working on clearing the cut wood from the wetland, but it will take some time.  Please bear with us as we get it done.  What will we do with it?  It will be split by our summer volunteer crew and next fall, sold by the facecord as firewood.  All proceeds go toward maintenance operations here at the Reserve.  In the future we hope that when a tree falls in our forest, we won’t hear that is has fallen on the boardwalk………..   Tracey Koenig, Exec. Dir.

Many people feed songbirds throughout the winter months, providing much needed energy for our resident population.  Bird watching is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and attracting birds to feeders near our homes is an easy way to participate.  To make sure you have birds at your feeders regularly, be consistent about your feeding schedule.  Birds in your neighborhood become accustomed to a regular feeding schedule, and will appear in your yard right on time.  Do a little research to find which seed mixes will attract the birds you hope to see, and purchase good quality seed without filler that birds won’t eat.  A wide variety of seed mixes, suet, and fruits will attract the greatest number of birds.  Place feeders in close proximity to shrubs that provide cover – no bird likes to be exposed in the wide open expanse of a mowed yard.  Improve cover availability after Christmas by placing your Christmas tree in your bird feeding area – you can even decorate it with bird seed “ornaments” you make on cold, snowy nights.  Accept squirrels as a natural part of the urban landscape. A squirrel baffle on the pole holding your feeder will help discourage them from raiding your bird seed – we find one that is a cylinder works better than the flat ring kind.  If you hang your feeders from trees, a dome baffle installed above the feeder may help.  Providing a ground feeder for the squirrels away from your bird feeders will also give the squirrels their own buffet.

Bird feeding at  nature centers is an important part of environmental education, and our feeding area here at Heckrodt is popular with  our visitors and staff.  Many photographers visit the Solarium throughout the winter to photograph birds on our feeders, and we participate annually in Project Feederwatch, a citizen science project that counts birds on feeders throughout the United States.  You can participate on your home feeders too!

This winter season, plan to support your feathered friends by feeding regularly with good quality seed.  And this holiday, remember your local nature center with a gift card from a nearby bird feeding supply store so they can purchase the seed they need the most.

Happy birding!

This morning the frost was thick on the boardwalks, like sparkling holiday decorations.  The songbirds were busy on the feeders looking for some warming energy on this crisp day.  I saw cardinals, house finches, gold finches, doves, chickadees, nuthatches, and several species of woodpeckers winging in and out of the feeding zone.  The deer were out and about as well – Mom with her two yearling “bump bucks” in tow.  There are always squirrels – the fattest ones frequent the bird feeders.  We are busy in the Nature Center setting up for the Children’s Christmas Gift Workshop tomorrow, but not too busy to welcome a large playgroup to enjoy the Nature Center gallery.  Many other visitors have been in and out today walking the boardwalks and enjoying the sun.  We’re here all year long, so come out to enjoy the Nature Center, a walk on the boardwalk, or take in a program.  We are Your Nature Center for All Seasons.