Join us for La Crosse’s annual celebration of Aldo Leopold and his enduring land ethic — the idea that the land is “a community to which we belong.”
This year’s program is held at The Nature Place and will explore how birds and aquatic insects serve as indicators of environmental health, reflecting both the strength and vulnerability of our ecosystems!
We have incredible speakers lined up:
-Dan Goltz, Wildlife Biologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will discuss his involvement in sampling eaglet blood to study pollutants such as PFAS and their ecosystem impacts.
-Richie Swanson, Citizen Scientist & Environmental Blogger will teach us how mayfly populations reveal pollution levels and what that means for the birds that rely on them.
-Christine Custer, Research Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey – “Using birds as indicators of contaminant exposure and effects: Perspectives from 50 years of study.”
The morning also includes FREE activities through our usual Nature Saturday’s Program, including the following activities:
-Crafts, and live animals in the Discovery Room
-Readings from A Sand County Almanac
-Additional community outreach tables in the atrium
-A guided marsh walk with Friends of the Marsh
Since 2000, communities across Wisconsin have gathered to honor Leopold’s legacy and reflect on our shared responsibility to care for nature.
Partnerships for this event include: Mississippi Valley Conservancy, Friends of the Blufflands, Viterbo University D.B. Reinhart Institute, Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh, Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, and ORA Trails.
Program Timeline:
-9:00 AM – Doors Open
-9:10 AM – Welcome & first reading from “A Sand County Almanac” from Dave Skoloda & Karen Acker
-9:30–11:30 AM – Nature Saturday’s – FREE Family activities in the Discovery Room offered by The Nature Place
-9:30–10:00 AM – Dan Goltz – “The Impacts of PFAS”
-10:05–10:35 AM – Richie Swanson – “Mayfly populations reflect pollution levels”
-10:35–10:55 AM – Break & outreach tables
-11:00–11:30 AM – Christine Custer – “Using birds as indicators of contaminant exposures”
-11:35 AM – Second reading from “A Sand County Almanac” from Pat Wilson
-Noon – Optional marsh walk with Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh
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