BAILEYS HARBOR, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The three-day celebration called Festival of Nature is underway across Door County.
The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor is playing host.
The three-day celebration called Festival of Nature is underway across Door County. (WLUK)
At a place called Jim’s spot, sights and sounds of the season are all around.
“We’re welcoming everybody back to The Ridges and celebrating the natural beauty of the peninsula with everyone. That’s why people come to Door County. There’s so many incredibly-protected spaces up here, and rare species, and we love to highlight that,” said Anna Foster, The Ridges Sanctuary Director of Programming.
Foster says it’s a part of the annual Festival of Nature.
“We have 77 field trips all throughout the weekend. These are hikes, kayak trips. boat trips. Anything you can think of, related to nature, there’s a trip for it,” she said.
On Friday morning, dozens of people checked out the wooden boardwalk and trails at the sanctuary. Jon Cowan and his wife Karen Cowan, are from La Crosse.
“We love wildflowers, and we love to hike. And it’s a very special environment for the plants here. And that’s why we’re here,” said Jon.
“Jon’s a naturalist. And he taught me about the ridges and swale. We spent time at the beach. We’ve been on these paths before there were boardwalk aids. So it’s just a really great place to be,” said Karen.
One stop along the boardwalk includes a rare plant, the dwarf lake iris.
“It’s a beautiful little purple iris flower. And that’s endemic to the Great Lakes. So it’s a threatened species. It only grows in a few places in North America. I think they were probably about a week early. All the plants are a little bit early this year,” said Foster.
Foster says the flowers should be in bloom throughout the festival, motivating people along the way.
“It’s also a great opportunity for people to learn. We always encourage learning more about your environment and bring that back to your community, inspiring stewardship. And I think this festival is a good example of that,” she said.
The 22nd Festival of Nature officially wraps up on Sunday, but conservation programs at The Ridges Sanctuary continue throughout the summer.
Comments