Environmental Education
Earth Day Celebration Trivia Night is family friendly
Do you know what the monarch butterfly’s host plant is? What about the 10 essentials for hiking? Put your outdoor knowledge to the test during the Earth Day Celebration Trivia Night 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 20, at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji. “Through the years, we’ve celebrated Earth Day week in a lot…
Read MoreGetting distracted: Sue Boettcher’s love of nature shows in photography exhibit
On her hikes through the Kettleson Hogsback Complex north of Spirit Lake, photographer Sue Boettcher often gets distracted. “I go to Kettleson Hogsback a lot on hikes, and it’s a whole lot more about picture-taking than it is hiking,” the Spirit Lake resident said. “MapMyWalk talks to you, and I’ve had it say, ‘One mile,…
Read MoreCheck waterfowl off your birding list during migration
Honks and quacks are filling the air as waterfowl begin to migrate through the Iowa Great Lakes area. Hooded mergansers, white-fronted geese, trumpeter swans — see how many species you can check off your list during the next Birdwatchers Anonymous birding trek 9 a.m. Saturday, March 31. (Seven waterfowl to look for during migration.) Meet…
Read MoreButterflies and beyond: Planting for pollinators
When we think about pollinators, we typically think of the 1,200 species of butterflies in Iowa, the 2,500 species of moths or the 200 species of bees. However, we then overlook important pollinators such as hummingbirds, ants, flower beetles, hover flies, midges and even mosquitoes. During the next Pollinator Education Series program 5:30 p.m. Thursday,…
Read MoreCamp registration is filling fast
Get ready to dig into adventure at the Dickinson County Nature Center this summer. Online registration is now open for youth summer camps at the nature center in Okoboji, and there is plenty of fun in store for kids who participate. “We like to provide summer camps because we think it teaches kids different ways…
Read MoreSt. Patty’s PJ Party features all things green
St. Patrick’s Day is all about the green. Although environmental education coordinator Bryanna Kuhlman might have a different spin on it than most during the St. Patty’s Pajama Party 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 16, at the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji. Wear your favorite pajamas — Kuhlman said she is still searching for some…
Read MoreSpring photography contest opens
The moon slowly moved across the daytime sky, blocking out more and more of the sun until it finally covered it completely, just for a moment before the sun started to peek through again. That was the moment, with fuzzy cloud coverage, Alex Miles clicked the camera shutter, stilling in time this majestic solar eclipse…
Read MoreEnjoy the outdoors with Hike the Wild
If you have hay fever after what seems like a long winter and are just itching to get outside, the Dickinson County Conservation Board has the answer. Its monthly Hike the Wild program restarts for 2018 on Tuesday, Feb. 27, with a special snowshoe hike at Elinor Bedell State Park. “Snowshoeing is always weather dependent,…
Read MoreLearn about the butterflies and moths found in Dickinson County
Five families of butterflies call Dickinson County home, including 70 different species. But how much do you know about them? Naturalist Ashley Hansen will teach people about the native butterflies and moths of the Iowa Great Lakes area during the first program in the new Pollinator Education series 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, at the…
Read MoreAre frogs actually alive during the winter? Learn about this and more during the Winter Survival Hike
When we think about winter survival, we think about it in human terms — what to do if your car gets stuck in a snowy ditch, how to react if you fall through the ice, what kind of clothes do you need to wear to protect yourself from the cold? But humans aren’t the only…
Read More