- Trails are open 24/7 at no charge. Enjoy a Winnie-the-Pooh themed TRAIL TALES Storybook Walk.
What’s Happening: Learning from Leopold
Although Aldo Leopold Day is a state observance in Wisconsin, it’s not the kind of holiday when schools and businesses close and staff receive holiday pay. Here at Crossroads, however, Aldo Leopold Day feels far more meaningful than a day off. Our mission has always been grounded in the land ethic of Aldo Leopold — the idea that humans are part of a larger ecological community and have a responsibility to care for all its members.
Beginning on Leopold Day, March 7, our Science Saturday program will move to Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. The family-focused program will be aptly titled “Learning from Aldo” and will conclude with an optional self-guided hike.
It is fitting that during this week Leopold is remembered not only for his near-poetic — and, in my case, life-changing — essays, but also as a founder of modern wildlife management. In 1933 he published Game Management, a foundational text that helped establish wildlife management as a science-based profession. In it, Leopold argued that regulations and management plans should be guided by careful research and stewardship of the entire biotic community, not short-term interests or single-species management.
That legacy inspired the creation of the Fish Tales Lecture Series — Presenting the Science of Great Lakes Fisheries. The series highlights how rigorous research and thoughtful management reflect the ethical framework Leopold championed nearly a century ago: understanding populations, habitats, and ecological relationships leads to better stewardship.
On Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m., Dr. Dan Isermann, Unit Leader of the U.S. Geological Survey–Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, will present “Movements and Mixing of Smallmouth Bass Spawning Groups in Green Bay.” His work exemplifies the kind of long-term research Leopold envisioned — science in service to the health of the whole community. Understanding smallmouth bass behavior during spawning is critical to achieving appropriate stewardship of the fishery in Green Bay.
Using acoustic tagging technology, Dr. Isermann and his graduate students have studied smallmouth bass implanted with transmitters while actively spawning on beds at one location. Their research reveals how these fish behave after relocation to distant release sites in Green Bay, offering valuable insight into movement patterns, spawning-site fidelity, and the mixing of spawning groups.
We invite the community to spend a bit of time hiking or simply pondering the words of Aldo Leopold. Our trails are open all day, every day, free of charge. We welcome you to visit Crossroads now and throughout the year and reflect on Leopold’s enduring words: “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
– 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 all day every day, 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) organization committed to inspiring stewardship of the environment through education, research, and outdoor experiences. We welcome your support.
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