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Happening
at the Crossroads
November 9,
2009
by Coggin
Heeringa
At
Crossroads at Big Creek this time of year, a variety of trail-users
from runners and dog walkers to school children on field trips, seem to
mention that they are hungry. Is it the cooler weather? The shorter
days? Perhaps our cravings can be traced to some primitive survival
urge.
We eat because of hunger, but food does more than fill our
stomachs. It is the source of energy for body heat. Food promotes
growth and it also provides vitamins and minerals.
Primitive
humans, in order to survive and reproduce, must have selected a diet of
foods which met their nutritional needs. Certainly, food-gatherers knew
nothing of nutrition... but they craved sweets and fats. And these
cravings - dare we call them instincts?- induced humans to favor fruits
(which are high in carbohydrates and vitamins) and nuts (the richest
sources of minerals and B-complex vitamins).
Scientists
speculate that primitive humans who crave sweets - especially right
before the onset of winter - survived long enough to produce children
who also craved sweets. Certainly wild creatures crave sweets. Think of
bears and honey, deer and apples, red squirrels and maple sap. Think of
the birds that are gulping wild grapes and berries in order to build up
body fats that provide insulation and energy to survive the winter.
While
wildlife really does need to build up fats this time of year, we humans
live in heated homes and we certainly lead a more sedentary life than
our hunter/gatherer ancestors. Instead of worrying about starvation,
most of us are more concerned about obesity and diabetes.
Those with
concerns about diabetes will want to attend an upcoming November
Diabetes Update. Professional diabetes counselors from Door County
Memorial Hospital/Ministry Health Care will be offering this annual
community event in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center on
Saturday, November 14 from 10 am - noon.
This year’s featured
speaker is Bernadette Conroy, ANP-BC, CWCN, the wound care specialist
at DCMH. Her message will include the importance of maintaining healthy
skin to avoid skin complications due to diabetes. She will also share
information on her wound care treatments. Her message of prevention is
vital for anyone living with diabetes. The program is free and open to
the public.
Speaking of hikers (hungry or otherwise) using our
trails, we want to thank Door County Memorial Hospital/ Ministry Health
Care for providing funds to support trail maintenance in 2009. Thanks
to their generous grant, we have been able to motivate the people of
Door County to improve their health and well-being through exercise.
Join
the Crossroads naturalist on Sunday at 1 pm for a brisk walk around the
perimeter of the nature preserve. You may discover a few new trails to
better health.
Crossroads is a donor-supported learning preserve
welcoming life-long learners of all ages to programs in science,
history and the environment. The Collins Learning Center , open daily 2
- 5 pm, is located at 2041 Michigan in Sturgeon Bay .
Wednesday, November 11, 1:30 - 3:30
Cross-Generational Class-Great Lakes Ecosystems
Designed
so one adult and one youth (age 7-13) can learn together, this class
will focus on Lake Michigan and the creatures which live in its waters.
Hands-on demonstrations and activities are free, but pre-registration
required. Call 746-5895
Saturday, November 14, 10 am - noon
November Diabetes Update.
The
Diabetes Services professionals from Door County Memorial
Hospital/Ministry Health will offer their annual diabetes update. This
year’s featured speaker is Bernadette Conroy, ANP-BC, CWCN, the wound
care specialist at DCMH. Her message will include the importance of
maintaining healthy skin to avoid skin complications due to diabetes.
She will also share information on her wound care treatments. Her
message of prevention is vital for anyone living with diabetes. The
program is at no charge and is open to the public.
Sunday, November15, 1 pm
Nature Hike-Around the Preserve
Join the naturalist in walking the perimeter trails of the Moderate hiking. About an hour. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.
Saturday, November 21, 2 pm
Lecture: Estimating Forest Structure Using Satellite Data
Insects
and disease affect large areas of forest in the U.S. and Canada. Door
County native, Dr. Peter Wolter from the Department of Forest and
Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will explain
why understanding the ecosystem impacts of such disturbances requires
knowledge of host species distribution patterns on the landscape. Dr.
Wolter has studied forest in Minnesota using Landsat sensor data to
estimate and map the distribution and abundance of host tree species
for the two dominant forest insects: spruce budworm and forest tent
caterpillar. Collins Learning Center. Free and open to the public.
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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