- Trails are open 24/7 at no charge. Enjoy a Winnie-the-Pooh themed TRAIL TALES Storybook Walk.
What’s Happening: Letting the Creek Run Free
With Big Creek and The Cove Estuary both ecologically and symbolically at the heart of Crossroads at Big Creek, and with a water research lab currently located in the Collins Learning Center, it should be little wonder that “Water” was selected as this week’s theme for our Summer at Crossroads Series.
Each Monday we start with a Tale. On Monday, June 22 at 2:00 PM, Door County Librarian Beth Lokken will read the storybook Creekfinding, A True Story” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. This tale is set in the driftless region of Iowa, but it seems, somehow, so familiar.
It starts by asking: How does a creek get lost? Especially “a creek that burbled out of the ground.”
Well, according to the storybook, “the creek did not lose itself. A farmer used a bulldozer to stuff the creek with dirt so he would have more space to grow corn. No water—no water bugs, no frogs, no birds…”
And that is why the tale felt so familiar. Back when our first 60 acres were purchased to create a school forest, Big Creek wasn’t big and was not teeming with wildlife. It was essentially a muddy, ruler-straight ditch running through a Norway spruce plantation.
Neighbors tell us that during the Depression era, CCC crews straightened Big Creek as part of an “agricultural improvement” project. Their new channel ran through a ditch, which they stabilized by planting reed canary grass.
Many folks remember that at one time the land was planted in apple orchards and also was a Christmas tree farm. Then, the former wetland was used as a plantation for non-native evergreens.
At the time of purchase, Crossroads was a weedy orchard with dead or nearly dead trees and a stand of non-native evergreens. Re-meandering Big Creek was the first restoration effort at Crossroads.
In 1995, using grant money from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sturgeon Bay Education Foundation had the ditch filled. Before the work was done, however, a team of surveyors came in and, using old maps and obvious topography, determined the original creek bed, which they marked with pink flags.
And we waited for snowmelt.
The water knew where it needed to go. It was as if the creek was using those pink flags as trail markers. Now, the main channel and surrounding wetlands really do teem with wildlife.
The storybook has a happy ending, and so did Crossroads.
This week, folks will enjoy the Trail Tales Storybook Walk starting at the West Trailhead. But we also encourage fold to take time to visit our North Bridge and experience the ongoing recovery of the Big Creek Wetlands.
On Tuesday at 1:00 PM, during Journeys with Joan, join naturalist Joan Wilkie for free family-oriented activities exploring nature. Wisconsin has an amazing gift—our freshwater Great Lakes. This journey will explore how glacial ice transformed our landscapes.
Our weekly Wandering Wednesday, a gentle naturalist-led hike, will certainly visit various water features.
We are really excited about the Talk on Thursday at 2:00 PM. Amanda Surfus of Door County Soil & Water will present “Water in a Karst System.” In this talk, Amanda will explore how karst landscapes—formed from fractured dolostone—shape the way water moves through Door County. The presentation will combine science, stories from the field, and examples specific to Door County’s landscape.
The week’s activities end early this Friday—at 5:00 AM! Volunteers are invited to join Crossroads’ bio inventory efforts to document bird species at our Ida Bay Preserve as part of our restoration work. Participants should dress for the weather and have the Merlin Bird ID app downloaded on their phone. We will meet in the parking lot at 1195 Canal Road, then participants will be staged throughout the preserve, recording birds they see and birds they “hear” using their phones. Reservations are not required.
We care about water. And this week, we would love to share these water-themed programs with the community. If you can’t attend, know that all trails (and bridges) at Crossroads and the Ida Bay Preserve are open all day, every day, free of charge.
– by Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist
For more information, please check out our Crossroads calendar or stop by the Collins Learning Center and pick up a printed calendar. Programs are free and our trails are open 24/7, free of charge, thanks to donors like you!
Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve is located at 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay. Crossroads is a 501(c)(3) non-profit NGO supported by the community and committed to inspiring stewardship of the environment through education, research, and outdoor experiences. We welcome your support.
Upcoming Activities
