- This is the peak of the "Aster Show" at Crossroads. Just how many shades of purple are there?
Volunteer Spotlights – July 2023
Crossroads has been abuzz with activity this summer and we have our volunteers to thank for it! From helping with YMCA or Boys and Girls Club summer camps and Habitat Healers to water quality monitoring, our volunteers have been pouring their energy into Crossroads’ mission. Here’s just a taste of what these amazing people have been doing.
Explore
The Water Action Volunteers have been hard at work exploring the waters of Big Creek. The WAV team measures the stream’s temperature, flow rate, dissolved oxygen, clarity, and invertebrate life. All of these measurements help better understand the current health and potential challenges of the Big Creek Watershed.
The WAV team is active from May-October each year, sampling areas of our creek once a month. If you would like to learn how to get involved with our WAV teams contact corey@crossroadsatbigcreek.org. If you have access to another creek you would like to monitor in Door County, reach out to katy.bradford@wisc.edu
Restore Our Gardens
That’s a cartload of weeds! A huge thanks to our Pollinator Pals crew. This crew helps us remove the unwanted elements and plant the wanted ones in the Birds & Butterflies Pollinator Garden at the entrance to the Collins Learning Center at Crossroads at Big Creek. It’s also a gratifying and much appreciated job.
If you’d like to lend some gardening help, give us a call or email laurel@crossroadsatbigcreek.org. You can come on your own time or join our Pollinator Pals crew on Thursday mornings from 8:30 – 11:00a.m.
A special shoutout to Katlyn Holt of Channel 26 News. Katlyn’s company allows her to volunteer on the clock for area nonprofits, to give back to the community. We were thrilled to have her help!
Restore Our Preserve
Our Habitat Healers have been hard at work restoring the landscape! No matter the task, this team is an integral part of the restoration work here at Crossroads. Recently, we welcomed the Wisconsin Lutheran College Women’s Basketball Team. They did some amazing work along Big Creek!
Habitat Healers meets almost every Saturday (check our website for exceptions) from late April through the end of September at 9:00a.m. There’s no need to register, simply show up ready to get a little sweaty or dirty. We provide the experience and equipment needed as well as camaraderie, lemonade and cookies.
If you’ve noticed that the old barn has been moved near Utah Street, then you’ve noticed the efforts of our Tuesday morning volunteer crew. This team has worked hard all spring and summer to carefully dismantle the old Hanson House Barn. Once it’s stabilized with a new foundation and roof, we will rebuild and restore it as a multi-purpose field station and three-season classroom. This Tuesday crew is also responsible for the construction of the new boardwalk off the end of the North Bridge and other miscellaneous tasks.
We appreciate their continued efforts to improve the preserve in ways that will benefit the entire community!
Learn
Our Crossroads Wetland Survey Team recently finished its spring field surveys. This wonderful team of volunteers spent hours surveying our wetlands to document the species living there. The data collected this year is a baseline to begin monitoring how restoration efforts are affecting wildlife. Over time, this data will better inform our future restoration efforts.
The CWST team is active from April-June each year, sampling multiple wetland sites each month. Want to join with our CWST teams? Contact corey@crossroadsatbigcreek.org for more information.
Inspire
Sometimes, learning means standing in a stream. There’s just something engaging about learning from natural classrooms. Volunteers Kris Smith and Alan August joined us recently to participate in a special Boys and Girls Club field trip. This program saw students spending half the day at the Door County Maritime Museum and half at Crossroads.
They led students in collecting and analyzing samples from our stream. These samples were then compared with samples collected by students at the Maritime Museum. Students learned about watersheds, water quality, and the importance of keeping our waters clean.
Want to help with educational outreach and programs? Check our upcoming volunteer opportunities or contact corey@crossroadsatbigcreek.org for more information.
Showing our Appreciation
Save the date: We invite anyone who volunteers at Crossroads to our 2nd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night on Thursday, October 19 at 5:00p.m. Watch for an invite with more details this fall.
