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Happening
at the Crossroads
April 27,
2009
by Coggin
Heeringa
April
showers brought glorious changes to Crossroads at Big Creek. The
welcome rain changed our shallow creek into a babbling brook, which,
within hours, was filled with spawning suckers. As soon as Hauser Pond
filled with water, the tiny frogs called spring peepers premiered their
spring concert series. Daffodils brighten our Heritage Garden now and
the grass is green.
So far this month, we have experienced snow
showers, gentle drizzle and driving rain. During the storms, as you
watched water cascade off your roof and carve gullies through the yard,
didn’t you wish that someone would invent a technology to reduce the
run-off and save the water until you needed it?
You don’t need
to wait for a new technology. Our pioneer ancestors invented the
solution years ago: We call it the Rain Barrel Solution. Crossroads and
Sustain Door are collaborating to sell rain barrels, simple sustainable
devises which save money, water and energy as they reduce storm water
runoff.
Admittedly, this is a fundraiser, with the $55 cost
being split between Crossroads and Sustain Door, but the primary
motivation for selling rain barrels is to prevent rain from becoming
stormwater runoff, which is the greatest remaining threat to clean
water in the United States. And we knows this because some of the
research was conducted at Crossroads during the past five summers.
Microbiology
students from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh have confirmed that
“rain events” wash microbes and fertilizers into the bays of Sturgeon
Bay and Green Bay and into Lake Michigan. Anything that slows and/or
decreases the rush of water into our storm sewers increases the quality
of our water.
Members of Sustain Door are creating the rain
barrels from recycled 55 gallon food- grade plastic drums. The barrels
are adapted to capture water directly or to be attached to a downspout.
Every time it rains, the barrels will fill with rain which can be used
at a later date to water a lawn, garden, or young trees (which by the
way, also decrease the volume of water entering storm sewers.)
The
barrels are stored at Crossroads and are available for purchase during
business hours (2-5 pm daily) or before and after programs. Crossroads
will supply instructions for the installation and care of either the
flexible elbow barrel or the free-standing barrel.
The Rain
Barrel Solution is one of many projects supported by our volunteer
organization, the Friends of Crossroads. This group meets the first
Monday of each month to plan activities. The meeting begins at 6:30 but
members and potential members are invited to arrive early (5:45 PM) for
a nature hike to Big Creek. Following the meeting, the Friends are
invited to join students from Algoma High School as they enjoy an
environmental film in our lecture hall.
On Tuesday, May 5, at
7:00 PM the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society will hold its May
General Meeting at the Stonecipher Astronomy Center (use Utah Street
Entrance to Crossroads) Professor Ray Stonecipher will present the
program on “The Sun.” Visitors are welcome and refreshments will be
served.
Our Family Gardening classes, the Project WET Educator
Workshop, and Blacksmith Training scheduled for this week are filled,
but there is still room in UW-GB Class: “Teaching The Geology of the
Southern Door Peninsula.” which will be offered May 15 and 16. A
non-credit option with a tuition of $170 is available to the general
public. A scholarship stipend and funds for substitutes are available
to Wisconsin teachers who wish to take the class for graduate credit.
Call 746-5895 for information.
Crossroads is a donor-supported
preserve, welcoming learners of all ages to programs focused on
science, history and the environment. The Collins Learning Center,
Wisconsin Wildlife and Great Lakes Ecosystem Exhibit, located at 2041
Michigan Street (County Highway TT), are open 2:00-5:00 daily. The
Astronomy campus can be reached by entering the Crossroads property
from Utah Street at the Cove Road stop sign.
Monday, May 4
5:45 PM Hike to Big Creek
Join
the naturalist for a short hike to Big Creek. While we can’t guarantee
a sucker run or marsh marigolds in bloom, the odds are good for both.
Meet at the Collins Learning Center. About 45 minutes.
6:30 PM Friends of Crossroads
Members
and interested guests are invited to attend the monthly meeting of the
volunteer organization that supports the programs of Crossroads.
Following the business meeting, participants are invited to stay and
view an environmental film.
Tuesday, May 5
7:00 Meeting of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society
Visitor
are encouraged to attend the meetings of the DPAS. The program, “The
Sun,” will be presented by Dr. Ray Stonecipher. The meeting is held in
the Stonecipher Astronomy Center. Please use the Utah Street Entrance
to Crossroads.
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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