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Hi and welcome to the third edition of Discover-E News, our
E-newsletter. I hope you find it informative - and a quick read. You can
help us spread the word about all the great things going on here at the
Center - simply take advantage of the "forward email" link, and encourage
your friends, family and associates to subscribe.
Statehouse Salutations
As winter draws to a close there is a lot going on here on the shores
of Statehouse Lake. Summer supplies are being ordered; winter equipment is
being stowed; summer equipment is coming out of mothballs; and our summer
program guide is almost complete (thank-you Sarah) and will be distributed
soon.
With the back-roads, driveways and parking lots throughout our area
looking more like a giant contiguous inland sea than terra firma, our
thoughts inevitably turn to spring and spring-cleaning. We recently
confirmed that a group of AmeriCorp volunteers will soon be descending
upon the Center to help us with some "pre-season" construction projects.
The group will arrive on Earth Day, Friday April 22 and stay through
Sunday, April 24. We have a fairly substantial to-do list including screen
and bunk repairs, electrical wiring, installation of pathway lights and a
whole bunch more - we might even tackle insulating another sleeping cabin.
Our responsibility to the group (other than creating an appropriate
task list) is to feed and house them for the weekend. If you would like to
help us get a jump-start on preparing for the forthcoming summer, we
invite you to join us on that work weekend. You can bring some tools and
your work clothes, or if you would rather, you might like to help us feed
the group. Contributions of salads, fruit or desert bars will be a great
help.
If you would like to learn more about how you can help, simply give me
(Bruce) a call or drop me an email, using the link below.
send
Bruce an email
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Lipp Lines |
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Greetings to all,
Very interesting
times we live in - as of March 1, I joined the staff of the
Discovery Center as the Executive Director through a management
agreement with Camp Jorn YMCA. I have been the director of Camp Jorn
for the last 15 years and continue to enjoy my work and the quality
of life in the Northwoods very much. I have pledged to do my best to
provide support to both organizations at this point in hopes that it
will allow both to put more money into program development and less
into administration. This will be a tricky balancing act and I
appreciate the support and friendship of members and volunteers.
Both Camp Jorn and the Discovery Center share the vision of
creating educational and rewarding programs for kids, adults and
families. Both also require the support of many people and
benefactors if we are going to reach our goals. I look forward to
working with all of you who are called to make meaningful
contributions to our continuing success.
Please call upon me if I can be of help or
service.
Cheers,
Dennis Lipp
Executive Director
Send
an email to Dennis... »
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Birding Festival |
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 Make a note of the
following date - Saturday 21 May 2005. That's the date of our
inaugural - Birding Festival and Celebration hosted by the Discovery
Center Bird Club.
Explore the wonders of birding in
Wisconsin's North woods during peak spring migration. Great Lakes
area birding experts will lead field trips and offer presentations
and workshops aimed at improving general birding knowledge, bird
identification skills, and habitat conservation and improvement.
Keynote speaker is Laura Erickson who will be sponsored by
Birder's World Magazine. Other confirmed presenters are wildlife
photographer Jeff Richter, WDNR Wildlife Educator Christian Cold and
Bird Bander Dr. Charles Kemper. These are just a few of the featured
speakers and field trip leaders. Many presentations will include
live raptors and birds in the hand.
The festival hours are 6:00am - 5:00pm. Please call 715.543.2085
for details and to register. We still have a few details to confirm
- once that's done we will post a full schedule of the day's
activities on the Special Events page on our website. In the
meantime you can get more information by clicking on the link below.
More
information on the Birding Festival »
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Support Our Kids! |
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 Ever wondered just
what the students involved in our Woods & Waters program get up
to during their time out in the woods? Here's your chance to learn
more about this very important research project and at the same time
show support for "our" students.
All Discovery Center members are invited to attend the annual
High School Radio Telemetry Conference, to be held on Monday April
18, 2005. The conference will be held at the Northern Great Lakes
Visitor Center, located on Hwy 2 in Ashland (just west of the
Bayfield turn- off). The conference starts at 10 am and will end
around 2:30 pm.
In addition to our students from Mercer
& Hurley discussing fisher research, other schools will present
information on their radio-telemetry research involving bear; wolf;
coyote and elk.
Show your support for our school programs - be there on April
18th to show the students we value their efforts.
To register, or for more information, please contact Zach Wilson.
Use the email link below.
Contact
Zach... »
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Snack, Sip, Socialize (& Shop) |
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| Mark your calendars now - our annual Member
Social & Silent Auction will be held on Sunday May 29, 2005 from
4:00 pm - 6:30 pm.
As in previous years, sumptuous hors d'oeuvres will be provided
by Pine Baron's and wine tasting will be hosted by Dennis Kohl from
Trig's Cellar 70.
Among the items to be auctioned are: Gourmet baskets; jewelry;
weekend getaway packages; fine wines; woodcarvings; designer
housesehold items; sporting equipment; floral baskets; show tickets;
and much much more.
All members will receive a written invitation and ticket order
form around the beginning of May, so watch for it in your mail box.
In the meantime, if you have an item you would like to donate to the
Silent Auction, please call event organizer, Marilyn Gabert at
543-8224, or send her an email using the link below.
See you
there!
Marilyn,
I want to donate something for the auction! »
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Help Us Adopt-a-Wolf Pack |
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| As you have already read in the article above
about the High School Students' radio-telemetry conference, here at
the Discovery Center we are actively involved in continuing research
to monitor local fauna populations. In so doing, we believe we are
providing a service and function that sets us apart from other
community- based entities such as ours. While we are particularly
proud of the continuing contribution our Woods & Waters project
is making to the accumulated body of knowledge about fishers and
loons, we would like to expand our efforts into other fauna
populations. And that, dear member and friend, is where you come in!
Some of you may be aware of the Wisconsin DNR's Adopt-A-Wolf
program. For the cost of a radio collar, schools, community groups
and individuals can, as the program name suggests, adopt a wolf.
Typically, those who adopt a wolf do not get actively involved in
the research end of things - they simply provide the means by which
DNR personnel can collar more critters. Sponsors are given the right
to name their adoptee and receive periodic reports from the DNR
about "their" wolf. Obviously, if we were to get involved, we would
want to participate more actively.
We recently discussed the possibility of getting involved in the
program and DNR representatives have assured us we could collar a
wolf or two in the Murray's Landing pack - the closest known wolf
population to The Center. And since we already have a tracking
antennae and signal receiver box, we could actually engage in the
research effort - maybe build some of that research into our
community programs. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to offer adults
and children from our local community the opportunity to participate
in a manner similar to our high school students?
The purchase price of each radio collar is $283.00. By the time
you add shipping, handling and radio frequency set up, the cost per
unit is $300.00. This opportunity came along after our budget was
prepared, so we do not have the funds to allocate to the purchase.
So here's the pitch: if you would like to help us adopt a wolf or
two, please consider an additional, purpose- specific gift. Send
your check made out to the Discovery Center and be sure to write
"adopt a wolf" in the memo section. Depending on how much we
collect, we will adopt one, two or more wolves. As a little extra
incentive, anybody who makes a gift of the entire $300 will get to
name "our" wolf. |
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Welcome Sarah! |
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 I am fortunate to join
the North Lakeland Discovery Center, and to share and learn from all
that the Center, its employees, volunteers, and members, and the
beautiful region and outdoor setting, have to offer. My hope of
starting as an intern and ending up as a year- round staffmember
have developed and turned out wonderfully for me. Recently moving to
the area in May, getting engaged in November and married this coming
June, and accepting my job here this March, have led to many
exciting changes for which I am thankful and appreciative everyday.
I am thankful not only for my work and involvement here at the
Center, but am just as appreciative of the welcoming hand and
openness community members have afforded me.
My work here involves coordination of environmental education
programs, offered to school children, community members and friends,
and the visiting public. My efforts aim to set up opportunities to
explore and make personal connections with one's natural
environment. I look forward to my future work and learning
experiences here at the Center, and to my new life "Up North."
Next time you are visiting the Center, please stop by - I'd love
the chance to introduce myself and to meet the many giving folks who
have supported and utilized the Discovery Center in a positive way
over the years.
Photo:Birding Specialist, Educator, and newest Discovery Center
Staff member Sarah Donahue holds a Northern Hawk Owl
Send
an Email to Sarah »
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A Great Place to Work |
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A number of emplyment opportunities are
currrently (or soon will be) available at the Center, including:
Summer Naturalists (x2) Internships
Part-time Administrative
Assistant/Bookkeeper
Part-time Building & Grounds
person
Part-time Cleaning Contractor
For a job description and other information about each position
go to the Employment page on our website. You can use the Quick link
under the "Discover More" heading at the bottom of this newsletter
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TrivEa Time |
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 Put the old thinking cap on - it is
time for a little Discovery Center TrivEa. Be the first to call or
e-mail with the correct answer and an exciting Discovery Center gift
pack will be yours.
A few people did call the Center with suggested answers to our
last TrivEa question, but alas, none were correct. So we get to keep
the Tshirt, pencil and note-cards till next issue.
Our last question: A fortuitous incident resulted in the
construction of one of the Statehouse YCC camp buildings. What was
the incident, and which building resulted?
The incident: a motor
vehicle accident
The building: The Log Sauna.
It seems a
cement mixer rolled over in the middle of the night, not too far
from the YCC camp entrance. "Reveille" was blasted over the camp's
loudspeaker sytem, and all the campers and counsellors dragged
themselves from their bunks. Using pick-up trucks, wheelbarrows and
a good old fashioned bucket brigade, the spilled cement was scraped
from the roadway and deposited near the beach where a foundation
form was hastily constructed and the slab poured. Once the concrete
"cured" the building that became the sauna was constructed.
Now, for this month's TrivEa Question
Sticking with our
sauna theme - what structure (an item later to become very popular
in Plover, Wisconsin Dells, and various recreational areas around
the country) used to be adjacent to the sauna?
The answer and
the complete story will be in the next issue of Discover E News.
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| Discover More - use these links to find lots more
information |
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