New Publication: The Nature of Peninsula State Park

Friends of Peninsula State Park (FPSP) are pleased to announce the publication of The Nature of Peninsula: A Park Ecology Sampler.

The 90-page book, with color photographs, features essays by field specialists including Roy and Charlotte Lukes, Scott Craven, Tom Blackwood, and several DNR staff. After recouping printing costs, remaining proceeds will be reinvested into future Peninsula educational publications.

Topics vary from bats and white-nose syndrome, to fireflies, to wildflowers. “In recent years, several people authored books about park history,” said Kathleen Harris, Peninsula State Park Naturalist.  ”This is the first title ever to focus exclusively on Peninsula’s natural heritage. Peninsula protects Wisconsin’s largest contiguous tract of the Niagara Escarpment. It includes two state natural areas and eight miles of mostly undeveloped shore. Helping visitors and decision-makers understand that the park is irreplaceable is the purpose of this publication.”

A painting by nationally known artist Charles Peterson graces the cover. The scene – ravens at Sven’s Bluff, with a ribbon of shoreline in the distance – is easily recongized. Peterson donated use of the image, and all contributors donated their time and talent towards the project. A few essays are cutting edge, addressing DNR issues like beech bark disease and the native wasp that preys on emerald ash borer. Others are a lighter fare. Nature Center volunteer Wendy Nelson penned a piece about fireflies, and former summer naturalist Nick Meiers wrote of the 2008 discovery of an endangered snake by Gibraltar second graders.

The Nature of Peninsula is an excellent example of the way FPSP supports the educational efforts of Peninsula State Park and the DNR.

Order your copy

Mail orders are available. Please contact Naturalist Kathleen Harris by calling (920) 854-5976 or emailing kathleen.harris@wisconsin.gov.

Two packages are available for mail order:

• Order your copy of The Nature of Peninsula State Park for $10.00, including shipping and handling.
• Order The Nature of Peninsula State Park + Centennial Reader for $12.00 (including shipping and handling). You will receive The Nature of Peninsula State Park, as well as the Centennial Reader, a collection of stories from Peninsula’s 100 years. The Centennial Reader was released during the park’s 2009 Centennial and retails for $5.

The Nature of Peninsula State Park may also be purchased at Peninsula State Park Headquarters and Nature Center for $7.50.

Meet Acting Superintendent Erin Brown

Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Erin Brown, and I have been asked to fill in as the Acting Superintendent at Peninsula State Park.  Since 2006 I have worked as the Park Manager at Potawatomi State Park.  I was assigned to Peninsula in January of 2011, and expect my assignment here to last through the summer.  The vacant superintendent position at Peninsula State Park is the highest priority position for the Wisconsin State Parks Bureau to fill.  However, the process will take some time.

Managing Peninsula State Park is a big job, and I feel like I’m still getting my feet wet to some degree.  I’m starting to meet and work with the various partners, including the Friends of Peninsula State Park.  One of the major projects we’ve been working on together is the Nicolet Beach Shelter project.  The project is supported by a Stewardship Grant awarded to the Friends.  We’re still in the planning stages of the project, but I’m confident it will be completed well in advance of the June 2012 grant deadline.

I can already see that the Friends of Peninsula State Park is an active and supportive group.  I look forward to working with all of you while I am here.

Sincerely,

Erin Brown

Peninsula’s New Centennial Plaque

Next time you’re at the park, stop by Park Headquarters to see the Centennial Plaque.

The large rock, native dolostone, was secured from within the park by Landscape Specialist Dick Wilcox (not pictured).

Fishy Weekend Planned at Peninsula (6/4-6/5)

It’s Free Fishing Weekend in Wisconsin, June 4th and 5th!

DNR Fisheries Biologists will set up and stock a 600-gallon fish tank at the Peninsula State Park Nature Center. Visit from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 4 & 5, to see rock and smallmouth bass, perch and other Green Bay fish. Viewing is free and open to the public but a state park vehicle sticker is required on Saturday, June 4.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m

Drop by the Nature Center to catch reel fun. Learn to Cast with a Rod and Reel. Listen to the story of Rainbow Fish. Try Gyotaku – fish printing on a t-shirt ($3 donation for paint and t-shirts, limited sizes). Create Fish Art to hang at your campsite. See native fish in a 600-gallon tank. Loaner fishing gear is available at the Nature Center.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Bonus! It’s also State Parks Open House! No Park Sticker Required

11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m

Drop by the Nature Center for a Fish Talk. Learn to identify at least five native Wisconsin fish and discover their unique habits, too!

1:00 p.m.

Make bejeweled fish crowns with Miss Wisconsin at 1 p.m. Maybe you’ll even get her autograph! Don’t miss the 600-gallon tank stocked with native fish. And, of course, go fishing! Loaner fishing gear is available at the Nature Center.

Check out the whole week of nature programs they have planned in the Informational Flyer, [PDF, 93KB]

Sponsored by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Peninsula State Park

Contact: Peninsula State Park Nature Center, (920) 854-5976 or (920) 868-3258.

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