Learn About Fireflies and Beetles

When is a bug not a bug?  What message does a firefly send to other fireflies with its blinking light?  What is the Lost Ladybug Project?  Join naturalist Colleen Feist to learn the answers to all these questions and try your hand at blinking like a firefly.  Maybe you'll catch one!  This program is packed with educational activities for adults and children.  Come out, share the night, and enter the fabulous world of fireflies and other beetles!  Please reserve your spot by contactng Colleen (below). 

Time and Place: 8:00 to 9:30 pm.  Orchid Heights Park Shelter, 4198 Park Trail, Middleton

Contact: To reserve your spot or to ask questions about this event, please contact Colleen at 608-767-2394 or education@pheasantbranch.org

UW Madison Center for Limnology Hasler Lab Open House

Take a "behind the scenes" tour of the study of lakes, rivers and streams.  This open house will offer visitors a chance to spend a half hour or the whole afternoon talking with scientists about their work and the history of limnology in Wisconsin.  Visitors will be able to board our research vessel, the Limnos for a ride out onto Lake Mendota to try their hand at using various lake research tools. (limited seating, first come, first served).  But even if you miss a seat on the boat there will be plenty to do.

Time and Place: 2:00 to 6:00 pm, UW Center for Limnology's Hasler Lab, 680 North Park Street, Madison

Contact: Adam Hinterthuer, 608-262-3014 hinterthuer@wisc.edu

Celebrate EnAct's 10th Birthday

Help celebrate the 10th year of EnAct: Steps to Greener Living.  Enjoy birthday party games, bike riding and more at Brittingham Park.  Attendees will also enjoy 30% off Brittingham Boat Rentals.  Festivities start at 11:00 am, with an official cake cutting at 12:30.  Bring your own picnic lunch and stay all day, or stop by and join us for a quick hello.  RSVP's appreciated but not required to enact@madisonenvironmental.com  Please invite guests along to share the fun.

Time and Place: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Brittingham Park, 401 South Brittingham Place, Madison

Contact: Visit www.enactwi.org to learn more.  email enact@madisonenvironmental.com to RSVP or with questions or comments.

Upper Sugar River Canoe Exploration

An exclusive opportunity!  Paddle a scenic section of the Upper Sugar River to see first-hand what's being done to protect this waterway so close to suburbia.  Memorable moments: Pass an old stagecoach stop & Indian mound, transverse the meandering river & observe a variety of wildlife.  Canoes provided.  This trip is a fundraiser for conservation work by the Upper Sugar River Endowment Fund. 

Sponsored by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.  Cost is $55 per person (tax deductible).  Also, membership in the Natural Resources Foundation is required.  ($15 if you use the passcode: Join NRF)  Enrollment is limited.  Check the website to make sure the trip has slots available before paying the NRF membership fee.

Time and Place: 9AM to 12PM, Paoli, WI

Contact: Learn about the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, their field trips, and how to join at http://www.wisconservation.org/field-trips/  If questions contact Christine Tanzer (866) 264-4096, fieldtrips@wisconservation.org

Paddle for the Polar Bears

Help Paddleboard Specialists and Wingra Boats make waves and raise funds on Lake Wingra.  Sign up for introductory stand up paddleboarding (SUP) lessons, with 50% of all proceeds benefitting Henry Vilas Zoo's state-of-the-art Arctic Passage Exhibit, a home for polar bears and seals.

SUP is all about having a good time while engaging in a fast-growing, simple-to-learn sport.  This one-hour course will teach you:  Finding the sweet spot for balance and comfort, paddling technique, and basic turning technique. 

To ensure your spot we recommend that you pre-register.  Minuimum age for kids is 11 years old.  Younger kids may be able to ride on the front of a board with our staff or with their parents after mom and/or dad learn.  Cost is $30, with 50% going to Henry Vilas Zoo's Arctic Passage.

Time and Place: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Wingra Park, 824 Knickerbocker Street, Madison

Contact: http://www.paddleboardspecialists.com/Paddle-4-the-Polar-Bears/productinfo/PBPC/