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Happening
at the Crossroads:
May 31,
2010
by Coggin
Heeringa
We
call them the Beach Team or the Beach People, but it is more accurate
to celebrate that the research team from the UW-Oshkosh will again be
using the laboratory in the Collins Learning Center from now until
Labor Day.
Each year, a group of students, carefully selected as
having both strong backgrounds in microbiology and good people skills,
are assigned to study Door County beaches. The team visits each public
beach in Door County to collect water samples. They return their many
little bottles to the lab, where they seal the water in plastic
“bubbles” and incubate the samples.
Once the microbes have
reproduced under specific conditions, the researchers carry out tests
using chemicals and an ultraviolet light. If the samples fail to
meet federal standards, the students post the beaches, putting up signs
which warn the public of potential health hazards..
When this
program was first started, some thought that the testing and posting of
the beaches would discourage swimming and impact tourism. As it turned
out, almost everyone has been grateful for the testing and the
confidence it inspires. And it doesn’t hurt that Door County beaches
seem to be among the cleanest in the Great Lakes region.
This
year, the beaches at Ellison Bay, Egg Harbor and Sunset Park (in
Sturgeon Bay) have been rehabilitated. The researchers will do
intense studies of these three beaches, particularly studying the
bacteria counts following rain events, to determine if these
remediation efforts have improved the water quality at these beaches.
The
researchers from UW-Oshkosh also are involved in a project under the
auspices of the United States Geological Survey in which they will be
comparing a near pristine, seldom- used beach in Clay Banks to those in
heavily populated areas such as Milwaukee and Racine.
School
children who visit Crossroads and meet the researchers always ask,
“What are you going to find out?” We explain that this is not like the
science experiments which have answers and explanations at the book.
The UW-Oshkosh students are searching for answers yet unknown.
And we are delighted to host this quest for knowledge at Crossroads.
This
Sunday is Graduation Day, and we wish to congratulate all of the Door
County graduates who have visited Crossroads throughout their academic
careers. A special thank to Tom Thornton, who, for two year, has been
our “high school service worker” here at Crossroads. Thanks Tom and
good luck.
The Historical Village at the Crossroads will be
open from 1:30-3:30 every Sunday afternoon during the summer and
fall This week, the special program will be “The History of Penny
Candy.” Free admission, free samples… and visitors will be able to see
the interiors of the village buildings.
Crossroads at Big Creek
is a donor supported educational preserve welcoming learners of all
ages to programs in science, history and the environment. Summer hours
for the Collins Learning Center are 1:30-3:30 and during
scheduled events. For more information, visit
www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org
Tuesday, June 1, 7:00
Lecture: ”Stardust”
The
Door Peninsula Astronomical Society holds in June general meeting,
which includes a very short meeting, a quiz and Dr. John Beck will
present an illustrated lecture on “Stardust.” Visitors are encouraged.
Meet a the Stonecipher Astronomy Center. Please use the Utah Street
Entrance.
Saturday, June 5:
Family Program: Insects in Big Creek
Thanks
to a grant from the Lakeshore Natural Resource partnership, we
have enough aquatic nets for kids of all ages and sizes to explore the
amazing world under, in and on the surface of Big Creek. Free. Meet at
the Collins Learning Center.
Sunday, June 6, 1:30-3:30
Sunday at the Historical Village at The Crossroads
Costumed
members of the Door County Historical Society will help visitors
explore the Village. At 2:00 and 3:00, a short program on the
history of Penny Candy will be presented in the Greene General Store.
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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