Need more reasons to plant a tree this Friday? Check out the below video, the link for which I found on the Wisconsin DNR Arbor Day 2012 website.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoSUyYV3TcY
Love to hike in the forest and want to be able to give back? Plant a tree this Friday, April 27th, in celebration of Arbor Day. In my home state of Wisconsin, trees are one of the largest and most cherished resources. Trees not only add zing to the scenery, but are valuable wildlife habitats and soil erosion protectors. Trees also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, produce oxygen, and can be planted in ways to not only protect your home from damaging winds, but can also reduce your cooling and heating costs.
Need more reasons to plant a tree this Friday? Check out the below video, the link for which I found on the Wisconsin DNR Arbor Day 2012 website. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoSUyYV3TcY
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This Sunday is Earth Day, which comes with opportunities aplenty for us to give back to Mother Earth through a wide variety of organized and individual activities. As a hiker (I’m assuming that by visiting my site you are a hiker, or intend to become one), these activities are not only a great way to give back to nature, but also a way to learn more about what goes into maintaining our beautiful areas and to meet great people with which you already share a common bond.
There are far too many activities to list here, so I will present a few more focused options. First, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has a number of state park and recreation area cleanup and repair activities on Saturday, as well as a handful of presentations and shows on both Friday and Saturday. There are not any planned activities on Sunday, however. I am planning on participating in the DNR’s activities on Saturday, attending the “Work*Play*Earth Day” events at either Harrington Beach or Kohler-Andrae State Parks. For a complete list of this weekends, and any other events for that matter, that the DNR is sponsoring, check out this link: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/getoutdoors/events.html. If you are in the Milwaukee area there are options all over the place. The Urban Ecology Center has a great, all day lineup of events. The mornings consist of cleaning out invasive species along the Milwaukee River shoreline, both on foot and by canoe (for those hard to reach places). A guided walk from the Milwaukee River to Lake Michigan in the morning is a treat, and the afternoon festivities and lunch make this a great event for the entire family. For more details, visit http://www.urbanecologycenter.org/events.html. Another great Milwaukee event is at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (http://www.schlitzauduboncenter.com/). This is a great facility to visit for Earth Day, and really any day. I have volunteered here in the past, and can say that these are some of the nicest, most devout groups in the metro Milwaukee area. Those of you in the Madison area, be sure to check out Habitat ReStore, which is known for its diversion of building materials from landfills to be reused in building projects (http://host.madison.com/places/offers/earth-day-celebration-at-habitat-restore/article_a3e2e8b4-6ec1-11e1-a5a2-001871e3ce6c.html). Want to know what goes into building the trails you stride on? Head off to the Aldo Leopold Foundation (http://www.aldoleopold.org/Visit/calendar.shtml#LCevents) and lend a hand in building some new trails for the 2012 hiking season. Last but not least, the UW-Madison Arboretum will have a full day of Earth Day activities on Sunday. (http://uwarboretum.org/events/) A few other events throughout the state are listed below. If you are not sure of what is going on in your area, check with your local civic centers, chambers of commerce, and educational institutions to find out the happenings in your area. Green Bay: Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. (http://www.baybeachwildlife.com/events/special-events/), ReStore-Green Bay (http://www.restoregb.org/earth_day) La Crosse: Green La Crosse (http://www.greenlacrosse.com/earth-week.asp), Myrick Hixon EcoPark (http://www.mhecopark.org/play/playscapes/farm-play) Wausau: Green + Clean (http://www.ghidorzigreenandclean.com/registration/) Sixty degrees, sunny, light wind. The bugs have not yet awakened from their winter nap, but the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and the trees are all showing signs of green. These all make up spring hiking at its perfection. With Easter in the rear view mirror, and with the list of garden and yard chores beginning to grow, make sure not to miss this perfect opportunity to hit the trails.
Most of the trails out there will be in pretty good shape…fairly dry and without much debris, thanks to a winter was short on snow and a spring that to date has been short on rain. With most of the biting insects still asleep, you can enjoy a great stroll through some very beautiful trail areas without the Wisconsin state song buzzing in your ear. I cannot think of a better time to take a hike, and watch nature waking up all around us. |
AuthorMore of a journal than a blog, follow me around as I explore the off beaten paths of the world on foot. Archives
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