Friends Field Trips: Fall 2024 - Winter 2025Sunday, August 25
Effigy Mounds 1:30-3:00 p.m. Join State Archaeologist Dr. Amy Rosebrough for a fascinating nature walk to see and learn about effigy mounds at the Lakeshore Preserve and other local Native American history - including the recent discovery of ancient canoes! Meet at the Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Amy Rosebrough. Sunday, September 15 Wildflower Finale 1:30-3:00 p.m. Leaves aren't the only fall colors at the Preserve this month, there are still plenty of wildflowers in bloom. Join nature writer Andrea Debbink for a free guided hike to see some stunning end-of-season wildflowers at Biocore Prairie and beyond. She’ll also share activities and mindfulness prompts from her newest book, Flower Finding. Meet at the Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Andrea Debbink. Sunday, September 22 Fascinating Fungi 1:30-3:00 p.m. Join Marie Trest, mycologist with the UW Department of Botany, for a free guided outing to look for and learn about some of the amazing variety of colorful and fascinating fungi that exist and common species that you might see along the trails. Meet at the Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Marie Trest ([email protected]). Saturday, October 19 What is a BioBlitz? 1:30-3:00 p.m. Learn why scientists do BioBlitzes to get a holistic picture of an area's biodiversity and ecosystem health. We'll scan for plants, critters & microbes, looking in the air, on the ground, in the soil, and in the water to get a feel for the variety of life living across the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. This Saturday event is part of the 2024 Wisconsin Science Festival. https://www.wisconsinsciencefest.org/bioblitz/. Meet at the Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Tom Zinnen ([email protected]). Sunday, October 27 Poetry in the Preserve 1:30-3:00 p.m. In the beauty of autumn a poem hides under every leaf and twig. Enjoy hearing poems collected from our annual It’s In Our Nature open mic event on this literary excursion. Bring your favorite nature poem or nature reading to share! We will try writing short Haikus about the beauty around us. A Haiku does not have to rhyme so anyone can do it, just put 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 syllables in the last line. Meet at the Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Paul Noeldner. Sunday, November 3 Migrating Birds on the Lake, in the Bay, in the Marsh, in the Woods, and on the Prairie 1:30-3:00 p.m. Bring your binoculars or borrow a pair from the field-trip host as we scan the skies and tune in to the calls of migrating birds passing through the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. We'll look to learn about different strategies in migrating and explore how birds on the move adjust to changes in weather, food resources, woodland cover and open water. Meet at Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: TBA. Sunday, November 24 Fun Fall Birding 1:30-3:00 p.m. Join enthused bird guide Chuck Henrikson for a free family friendly educational bird outing at the Lakeshore Nature Preserve by UW Campus on Lake Mendota! A wonderful variety of migrating birds visit the lake shore and large natural areas to feed and rest. University Bay is famous for waterfowl during Spring and Fall migration. We will look for and learn about white Tundra Swans, beautiful Buffleheads, comical Coots, tiny Grebes, diving Mergansers, and calling Loons. The UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve is also a great place to look for year-round resident birds like friendly Black-Capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, brightly colored Cardinals and Blue Jays, secretive Barred Owls peering from a low branch, and winter residents like Tree Sparrows and Juncos that come 'down south' to Wisconsin for the winter. Meet at Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Chuck Henrikson. Sunday, December 8 Indoor Field Trip: Explore the Collection of Mounts, Skins, & Skulls with the Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology 1:30-3:00 p.m. Our Lakeshore Nature Preserve Field Trips step inside for an early winter excursion through the collection of mounts, skins and skulls in the Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology. Extension Wildlife Outreach Specialist, Jamie Nack, will teach us about different vertebrates using the collection. Getting an up-close look at the collection teaches us to distinguish between similar species by differences in size, shape, coloration and patterns. This helps us learn to more quickly and accurately identify animals in the wild! Meet at Room A228 Russell Labs, 1630 Linden Drive. Parking is available in Lot 36, 1645 Observatory Drive. Note: Russell Labs is across the street from Babcock Hall Dairy Store, which is open til 4:00pm on Saturdays. Leader: Jamie Nack. Sunday, December 22 Friends Favorite Places 1:30-3:00 p.m. Join Naturalist Paul Noeldner and other Friends of UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve for a free family friendly guided walk. We will visit some of the favorite places people love at the Preserve. Dress warm and enjoy hot chocolate and smores at fire circle #2 after the walk. You may want to prepare for the walk by viewing a Virtual Tour of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve at http://FriendsLakeshorePreserve.com. Meet at the Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Paul Noeldner. Sunday, January 12 Subnivean Species 1:30-3:00 p.m. "Subnivean Species" may be a phrase new you as it was for me (Tom Zinnen), but it refers to critters that have a cool way to survive the winter by thriving under the snow. Morgan Farmer, currently holder of a Louis & Elsa Thomsen Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in the Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology, will help us uncover the ways and means that voles and mice use move and forage under the snow, and in turn, how predators such as martens, other weasels, and shrews hunt for dinner in the snowpack. Meet at the Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Morgan Farmer. Sunday, January 26 Winter Wonderland 1:30-3:00 p.m. Join Naturalist Paul Noeldner and Friends of Lakeshore Nature Preserve for a free fun family friendly walk. The trees and trails at the Lakeshore Nature Preserve are as beautiful as a picture postcard under a blanket of white snow. top to reflect on the small surprising beauty of green moss peeping out from a log or rock. Look for delicate frozen ice sculptures along the shoreline. Listen for the cheery chirping of winter birds. Watch for bird and animal tracks and try to guess what they are doing! Meet at the Picnic Point entrance kiosk, 2000 University Bay Drive. Leader: Paul Noeldner. |
Free public field trips are one of the most valuable contributions the Friends make to the Preserve. They have been organized every spring and fall for over 10 years on various topics and are all led by Friends volunteers. Many are professional naturalists and emeritus faculty and staff. The Friends also partner with other environmental organizations for field trips.
Field trip coordinator: Signe Holtz Bird and Nature Outings Free, family-friendly walks on the 4th Sunday of the month. Bring your binoculars and camera. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, Friends of Urban Nature, and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance. Meet at the Picnic Point Kiosk, across from UW Lot 130 (2004 University Bay Drive). Contact Paul Noeldner (608-698‑0104). Fall 2022 - Winter 2023 field trips
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Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve
P.O. Box 5534 Madison, WI 53705 UW-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve website Documents |
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