It promises to be an EGGciting weekend at Crossroads at Big Creek! With the annual Sucker Run underway, the final Fish Tales lecture, our traditional EGGstravaganza event, and a full lineup of Earth Day programs, we’ve hatched a series of engaging activities for learners of all ages. Each event is connected to eggs in some way and supports our mission to inspire environmental stewardship.
On Thursday, April 17, we will host the final presentation in our 2025 Fish Tales Lecture Series. Dr. Matthew Kornis, a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will present “Secrets of Lake Michigan Salmon and Trout: Survival, Movement, and Reproduction Revealed Through Mass Marking.”
Dr. Kornis will explain the mass marking process of studying salmon and trout in the Great Lakes. Millions of young fish—hatched from eggs and reared in hatcheries—are marked and released. Through fin clipping and the use of coded wire tags, scientists track their survival, growth, and migration.
Coded-wire-tags, magnetic stainless steel wires, thinner than a human hair and only a few millimeters long, are implanted into the cartilage of a fish’s snout. This high-tech system provides vital data that supports conservation and resource management across the region.
The lecture, sponsored by Healthy Water Door County, begins at 7:00 PM and is free and open to the public. It will be held in person at Crossroads, with an online viewing option available via the Door County Library Events calendar.
On Saturday, April 19, at 2:00 PM, our annual EGGstravaganza! will take place. This event is NOT an egg hunt—no chocolate bunnies or jelly beans. Instead, it is a fun, interactive, educational experience for families and curious learners of all ages. We will begin with two short films documenting the development of a chicken embryo from day one to hatching.
Afterward, participants can participate in lab demonstrations and our ever-popular egg strength challenge—squeezing, dropping, and tossing raw eggs, even from the upper level of the Collins Learning Center. Participants should dress for the weather, as parts of the program will take place outdoors.
On Monday, April 21, at 1:30 PM, we’ll commemorate Earth Day by screening Ridges and Swales, Part 2: The Flourish, a visually stunning documentary by Peninsula Filmworks. The film explores the story of environmental preservation on the Door Peninsula through compelling imagery and interviews.
On Tuesday, April 22, Earth Day programming continues with a special career opportunity program during our afterschool program, Environmental Exploration, at 3:30 PM. This session will focus on how young people can become environmental stewards. This program is geared toward elementary-aged and older students. Meet in the lab at the Collins Learning Center.
Join us at 6:30 PM that evening for “Door County Environmental Mentors,” a presentation by naturalist, educator, and writer Charlotte Lukes. Charlotte will highlight people who have shaped conservation and environmental education on the peninsula.
A mentor in her own right, she spent decades promoting stewardship alongside her late husband, Roy Lukes. The event is free and open to the public and co-sponsored by the Door County Master Gardeners and Wild Ones—Door Peninsula.
Attendees at all of our Earth Day weekend activities will receive a conifer tree, offered free of charge, as part of the Climate Change Coalition's Door County BIG PLANT.
Meanwhile, at Big Creek, the annual Sucker Run will be in full swing (we hope). Native white and longnose suckers will be migrating upstream to spawn, releasing and fertilizing millions of tiny eggs. Crossroads staff and visiting researchers will be on site to explain this vital Great Lakes phenomenon and answer visitors' questions.
We invite the community for our egg-themed celebration of science, nature, and environmental stewardship at Crossroads at Big Creek.
Thursday, April 17 – 7:00 PM
Fish Tales Lecture:
"Secrets of Lake Michigan Salmon and Trout: Survival, Movement, and Reproduction Revealed Through Mass Marking"
Dr. Matthew Kornis, Fisheries Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will offer an in-depth look at the latest findings from the Great Lakes Mass Marking Project, including insights into steelhead trout in Lake Michigan. Free and open to the public. In person at Crossroads 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay, or online via the Door County Library Events calendar. Sponsored by Healthy Water Door County.
Saturday, April 19 – 2:00 PM
Saturday Science: EGGstravaganza
This is not an Easter Egg Hunt. Instead, learners of all ages will view short films, dissect eggs in the lab and and join hands-on demonstrations—like the popular egg toss! Dress for the weather; portions of the program will be outdoors. Free conifer trees available to participants as part of the BIG PLANT initiative. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay.
Monday, April 21 – 1:30 PM
Documentary Screening: Ridges and Swales, Part 2 – The Flourish
Celebrate Earth Day weekend with a breathtaking film about Door County’s conservation history. Free conifer trees available through the BIG PLANT. Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay
Tuesday, April 22 – 3:30 PM
Environmental Exploration – Earth Day Special
An afterschool session focusing on how young people can protect the planet. Designed for elementary students and middle school aged students. Free conifer trees available through the BIG PLANT. Meet in the lab at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroads, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay.
Tuesday, April 22 – 6:30 PM
Master Gardener Lecture: Door County Environmental Mentors
Meet at the Collins Learning Center, Crossroad, 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay,
