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Happening
at the Crossroads
January 11,
2010
by Coggin
Heeringa
This Week at Door County’s Crossroads: Cladophora on Beaches, The Big Read, Soil Lecture
Frozen but not forgotten, cladophora remains a topic of great interest at Crossroads at Big Creek.
As
we begin our year of exploring the Niagara Escarpment, it seems
appropriate to look at the green algae which grows on the rocks of Lake
Michigan along our peninsula.
The Partnership for Phosphate
Reduction Website states: “It’s green, it’s slimy, it’s ugly. When it
starts to rot, it’s smelly, It’s name, CLADOPHORA, even sounds
sinister, like a disease.”
Truth is, cladophora is a native
species… a green algae which has grown underwater on rocks and other
hard surfaces for as long as the Great Lakes have been great. When
winds are strong, wave action breaks pieces of the algae from the
lake bottom and it washes up on the shore. Always has.
But, in
recent years, copious quantities of the slimy algae has piled up in
huge, rotting mats along our shores. These mats reek like sewage and
look like… well, let’s just say that along our beaches, cladophora is
not attractive. It is so icky, in fact, that some shoreline residents
have considered moving, tourists have avoided their favorite beaches,
and boat owners have had difficulty reaching their docks. The
repulsive odor is still an intense, very intense memory.
On
Thursday, January 14, from 4:00-5:30 pm, Crossroads will host the
lecture: Cladophora on Door County Beaches; Impact on Your Beach Water
and What You Can Do. Dr. Greg Kleinheinz and Dr. Colleen McDermott,
professors from the Department of Biology and Microbiology of the
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh will offer an interactive presentation
on new research looking at how Cladophora impacts local water quality.
The
talk will highlight recent research conducted in Door County and will
discuss impacts of Cladophora in water quality. In addition, the
discussion will explore options for removal and disposal of material
including some novel approaches. The talk will be informative to all
that are interested in this issue and will provide plenty of time for
questions and answers regarding water quality and Cladophora issues.
Refreshments will be served. The program is free and open to the public.
Again
this year, Peninsula Players and the Door County Library are partnering
to present The Big Read Door County 2010, encouraging the whole
community to read and celebrate the same book. This year, our book will
be Willa Cather’s “My Antonia”. Crossroads is proud to be sharing in
the celebration.
“Pioneer Crafts for Kids” will be offered at on
January 13 at 3:00 at Crossroads by the Children’s Department of the
Sturgeon Bay Library. Participants will have hands on experiences in
doing crafts from the period of “My Antonia”. Kids will meet in
the Lab of the Collins Learning Center. This program is free.
On
Sunday, January 17, from 1:00-4:00 pm, Crossroads will host
the Kickoff of The National Semester of Service. which is sponsored by
Marshfield Clinc AmeriCorp and the Volunteer Center of Door County. The
Youth Service Project Semester is a national program to encourage youth
and young adults to commit to volunteering in their communities for
three months.
Youth from the four mainland Door County high
schools have developed ten youth service programs under the leadership
of Sue Peterson, Marshfield Clinic AmericCorps member. Students will
have the opportunity to introduce their projects to the community. The
event will feature demonstrations, displays and refreshments.
Each
Sunday, Friends of Crossroads loan cross-country ski equipment to
people who want to get in touch with nature. The recreational equipment
is loaned out between 1:00-3:00 pm and must be returned by dark.
Crossroads
at Big Creek is a learning preserve welcoming learners of all ages to
programs on science, history and the environment. The Collins Learning
Center (2041 Michingan in Sturgeon Bay) is open daily from 2:00-5:00
pm. Trails are free and open to the public.
Tuesday, January 12, 7:00
Master Gardener Lecture “Soil: The Unexplored Frontier”
Dean
Volenberg, UW-Extension Agricultural Educator, will present a lecture
explaining that soil is one of the last unexplored frontiers-mainly
because of its complicated communities of bacteria, fungi, animals,
minerals, organic matter, and water. The first step to growing
healthy nutritious plants is to understand your garden soil. The public
is invited to come learn about this unexplored frontier. Lecture
Hall of the Collins Learning Center .
Wednesday, January 13, 3:00
Pioneer Crafts for Kids
Children’s
Department of the Sturgeon Bay Library. Children will have hands-on
experiences in doing crafts from the period of “My Antonia”. Meet in
the Lab of the Collins Learning Center. This program is free.
Thursday, January 14, 4:00-5:30
Lecture:Cladophora on Door County Beaches: Impact on Your Beach Water and What You Can Do.
Dr.
Greg Kleinheinz and Dr. Colleen McDermott, professors from the
Department of Biology and Microbiology of the University of
Wisconsin-Oshkosh ,will offer an interactive presentation on new
research looking at how Cladophora impacts local water quality.
The
talk will highlight recent research conducted in Door County and will
discuss impacts of Cladophora in water quality. In addition, the
discussion will explore options for removal and disposal of material
including some novel approaches. The talk will be informative to
all that are interested in this issue and will provide plenty of time
for questions and answers regarding water quality and Cladophora issues.
Refreshments will be served. The program is free and open to the public.
Sunday, January 17 1:00-4:00
Kickoff of The National Semester of Service
The
Youth Service Project,sponsored by Marshfield Clinc AmeriCorp and the
Volunteer Center of Door County, is a national program to
encourage youth and young adults to commit to volunteering in their
communities for three months.
Youth from the four mainland Door
County high schools have developed ten youth service programs under the
leadership of Sue Peterson, Marshfield Clinic AmericCorps member.
Students will have the opportunity to introduce their projects to the
community. The event will feature demonstrations, displays and
refreshments.
Sundays from 1:00-3:00
Community Ski – Equipment Loan
Friends
of Crossroads will continue their efforts to provide healthy family
recreation by loaning skis and snowshoes to those who want to get in
touch with nature. Free. Come to the Collins Learning Center.
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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