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Happening
at the Crossroads
September 1,
2008
by Coggin
Heeringa
During
these weeks of presidential conventions, we are hearing a lot about the
wisdom of the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson is praised for many
ideas and accomplishments, one of which was singing into law the
Northwest Ordinance that required all the new territory east of the
Mississippi River to be measured and surveyed.
The area now
called Door County was surveyed between 1834-1837. The original
survey maps were then published and used as the new lands were given or
sold to the settlers who began arriving around in the 1840s. These
amazing maps are available on-line or use a search engine to find Wisconsin Public Land Survey Records.
We
at Crossroads are thrilled to know what trees grew along Big Creek
before the land was transformed for agriculture, but are not
surprised that our soil was considered "second rate."
Noteworthy
features were listed on the original maps. Swamps, trees, streams and
topographic characteristics were recorded and this information
was of great importance in determining the potential
value and desirability of a particular section.
Modern, computer-generated interactive maps are even more useful in the new millennium.
At
Crossroads on September 4 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m., Mariah Goode, Door
County Planning Department Director, Mike Serpe, Door County
Administrator, Mike Grimm, Door County Chapter of The Nature
Conservancy, and John Horwich, Trust for Public Land, will be
discussing the Door County Greenprinting Project. All interested
people and organizations are invited to this informational meeting.
Greenprinting
is an interactive mapping tool that allows users to combine local
conservation goals with scientific data, creating maps unique for each
user's purpose - while the County of Door will be the entity
contracting with Trust for Public Land, any person or organization will
have access to the tools.
The program will allow the county,
local municipalities, conservation organizations, and others to address
in an organized manner natural resource protection, which was the most
frequent concern raised at recent county and local visioning and
planning meetings.
The mapping program will enable the
county to collect, digitize, and organize data/information
regarding natural resources in Door County that have been collected by
a wide variety of local, county, regional, and state agencies. This in
turn will provide comprehensive, scientific information upon which
local officials and citizens can base decision-making regarding
development that may affect natural resources.
A nature Hike on Friday and Tours of the Historical Village round out the activities for the week.
Crossroads
at Big Creek is located at the intersection of Highway 42/57 and
Michigan in Sturgeon Bay. The trails are free and open to people and their keen-nosed pets - if the pets are on leash and
under control. The Wisconsin Wildlife Exhibit in the Collins Learning
Center is open to the public 2:00-5:00 daily.
Many of
the Past News articles may be retrieved from this directory,
indexed and named in the following manner: 080101-news.htm
where
the first two numbers are the year, the second two the month and the
last two the date.
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