Crossroads is excited to welcome Tim Dahl and Jason Miller from Door County Soil & Water and the Door County Invasive Species Team (DCIST) on Thursday, August 8, at 5:30 pm to discuss resources available to all as part of the Resources for Landowners Series.
The first European settlers at Crossroads, the Hans and Bertha Hanson family, were from Norway, and apparently, many of the men who lived in the boarding house on what now is our Ida Bay Preserve were Scandinavian immigrants.
We celebrate our pioneer heritage. But we also must acknowledge that when people from other lands came to Door County, the land was forever changed.
My friend Eric Hemenway, a member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, explained, "the Native People of the Great Lakes adapt our lives to fit the environment. The settlers adapted the environment to fit their lives.”
From the time of European settlement until the present, humans have altered the land and water. Many of those efforts, often done with the best intentions, degraded the environment. People from other lands have, over the centuries, introduced non-native plants.
Crossroads and other environmental organizations, aware of humans' role on the landscape, have learned from past blunders, including the introduction of non-native plants and their impact on the environment. Tim and Jason will be helping to connect resources for current residents to help address these non-native plants and reestablish native species.
Agricultural plants made it possible for us to feed humans and domestic animals. We need to have agriculture, but according to writer/professor Dr. Douglas Tallamy, "If you were to add up the amount of land in various types of built landscapes that is not dedicated to agriculture—suburban developments, urban parks, golf courses, mine reclamation sites, and so forth—it would total 603 million acres, a full 33% of our lower 48 states. We have not targeted these places for conservation in the past, but that was back when our conservation model was based on the notion that humans and their tailings were here and nature was someplace else."Door County has open land that could be restored, and there are landowners willing to attempt this significant ecological work. The Crossroads Resources for Landowners lecture series will introduce the Door County Soil and Water and DCIST programs.
The speakers will discuss how they can help landowners with the inevitable problem of invasive species. The program is free and open to the public, but it will be recorded and, after processing, will be posted on the Crossroads website.
Monday, August 5
Summer Nature Programs – Finding Fossils
Our summer naturalist will present a hands-on program on finding fossils appropriate for all ages. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center. Crossroads, 2041 Michigan.
Tuesday, August 6
10:00 Summer Nature Program
Join our summer naturalist for a program about butterflies. Nets will be provided. All ages are welcome. Free Meet at the Collins Learning Center, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay
Wednesday, August 7
10:00 am Summer Nature Program: Fantastic Flyers
Join one of our naturalists for free family-oriented activities featuring flying migrating creatures. Meet in the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads,2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay
Thursday, August 8
5:30 pm Resources for Landowners Series: DCIST and Door County Soil & Water
This summer, Crossroads is hosting the Resources for Landowners lecture series, a speaker series aimed at connecting Door County landowners with the tools and resources available for restoring and managing the natural resources found on their land. Tim Dahl and Jason Miller speak on Door County Soil & Water and the Door County Invasive Species Team, their programs, and the resources they offer landowners.
