Nature Net News

Calendar of Events

June 2006
Exploration

"We must go beyond textbooks, 
go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness
and travel and explore and 
tell the world the glories of our journey."
John Hope Franklin

What to Do This Month:
Pick up your copy of Nature Net's FREE Nature Passport and start your own exploring!

Explore our local waterways during Yahara Lakes Week

Check out family events at area Nature Net sites!

Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Ready, Set, Explore.....
Being prepared for your Nature Passport journey will make your explorations go more smoothly.  For some sites, you'll want sunscreen and insect repellent.  Check the Nature Net website to learn more about the specific features of the site you're headed to – will your explorers need sturdy shoes, can they splash in water, should you bring a camera?  And don’t forget to check for special hours or directions.

Instant Outdoor Expert:
Famous Explorers
One of the most famous exploration expedition to take place in the US is that of Lewis and Clark and the "Corps of Discovery".  In 1804 33 men set out from St. Louis to see, map and discover all that lay west of the Mississippi River - in search of passage to the Pacific Ocean.  At the time, not much was known about the western portion of the United States and Lewis and Clark would, over the course of the next two years, experience the grandest views, highest mountains, most intense waterways and most extraordinary challenges nature could muster. What is now a 30 hour controlled cruise (or 4-hour airplane voyage) took Meriwether Lewis and William Clark 554 days of paddling and navigation.
Though Lewis and Clark did not trek through Wisconsin, the documentation and mapping they kept influences much of our travel today.  From the maps of their expedition - with additions from western travelers throughout the later half of the 1800's - came a rough path for cross-country federal highways to parallel as they were constructed in the 1920's. 
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Corps' grand expedition, many documentaries, commemorative events and websites have been created. Here's a few to check out: 

• PBS's Interactive Map of the Lewis and Clark trail

• University of Nebraska's Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

• Discovering Lewis and Clark: an interactive website covering many aspects of Lewis and Clark's travels

Eco-Exercise:
Mapping in Motion
Early explorers made maps identifying nature landmarks so that others could follow.  Find your own special place and take a crack at creating your own map, drawing pictures of natural landmarks and surroundings.  With a friend, walk the trail and discuss the items.  Then, turn around and repeat the trail in reverse.  Now that you're familiar with the route, time it as your friend runs the trail.  Who can go the fastest?

Featured Nature Net Site

Nature Craft

Nature Passport
Ringo Raccoon is at it again!  Get your paws on this year’s Nature Passport for a Summer Discovery Mission.   Visit participating Nature Net sites to stamp your Passport and encounter the many amazing things happening in the great outdoors.  From monarchs to maple seeds, and t-storms to tomatoes, you and your family will learn and adventure all summer long!

This year, Ringo Raccoon is teamed up with Earth Alive’s Nature Nut to keep you in tune with seasonal events and offer a fun website to share and compare your discoveries. 

Pick up your free Nature Passport at participating sites, Memorial Day through Labor Day.  Or, visit the Nature Net website to order Passports on-line and get the scoop all the Nature Passport sites.  Don’t forget your friends and neighbors – grab a copy for everyone!

We are especially grateful to the Madison Rotary Foundation, the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation and American Girls Fund for Children helping make Nature Passport possible.

Exploration Memory Jar

With a few recycled jars and some souvenirs from your day of adventuring, these Memory Jars will keep your explorations fresh in your mind and provide a constant reminder of your great discoveries.  Here's how:

Collect one or several clear jars. Fill them with non-living items collected from the places you've visited.  (Remember not to pick were it's not allowed and stay on the trails.)  Now draw or develop pictures from your adventure and use them as a backdrop inside your jar. 
If you are using a small neck jar, bent wire can be used to raise or lower items in the jar.

Here are some suggested items to place in your jar:

• slips of paper with words that remind you of your discoveries

• color samples from the paint store to match some of the unique hues you found (like the color of the sky that day or plants you saw but didn't pick)

• pressed plants or flowers (see April 2005's Nature Craft)

• nuts, sticks and rocks

Label your jar with the date and location and keep your memories close at hand!

(adapted from www.marthastewart.com)

Learn about other Nature Net sites

Nature Craft Archives

Find Family events on the Nature Net Calendar of Events

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