Fall 2014 Newsletter
Pringle Nature Center
The Oak Leaf
Fall Fun Fest and 5K Run/Hike
Pringle Board of
Directors
Barry Thomas—Chair
Warren Leisemann—ViceChair
Nick Spittlemeister—Treasurer
Al Sommer—Secretary
Richard Heinlein
Kira Immordino
Robert Pringle
Kay Wikel
Pringle Nature Center
Staff
Valerie Mann—Naturalist
It’s our favorite time of the year again - Pringle
Nature Center’s Fall Fun Fest. We will be holding
the fest on September 20 this year and our 5K
Run/Hike will be held on November 8. The Fall
Fun Fest begins at 11:00 a.m.
This year’s fest will be slightly different than in
previous years. With Kenosha County receiving
Bird City status, they are joining forces with the
City of Kenosha to have the International Migratory Bird Day celebration as a part of the Fall Fun
Fest. While the usual hayrides and pumpkin decorating, there will be some more bird focused activities as well as a falconer.
Monarch tagging will be one of the activities at this year’s
Fall Fun Fest.
With the different partnerships in planning this
Photo courtesy of Victoria Mann
years festival, there will be something new this
year. The Kenosha Public Museum will be offering shuttle rides to and from the fest from the Kenosha Public Museum. So save some gas this year and ride the bus!
If you’re a Friend of Pringle, renew your membership that day to receive five (5) free tickets for the
various Fall Fun Fest Activities. Your membership renewal will be good for the rest of 2014 and the
entire year of 2015. If you are not a Friend, join that day to receive your tickets as well and enjoy
many other benefits of being a member including discounts on public programs, free snowshoe rental (availability may vary), and other benefits.
All proceeds from this event benefit the Nature Center and will help to continue making our
environmental education programs stronger. Volunteers will be needed to make this day a success. If
you are interested in helping please contact Kay Wikel at [email protected].
On November 8th will be the 5K Run/Hike. To register to participate, fill out and return the
registration form or register online (watch for the link to come). Race day registration begins at 8:00
a.m. There will be awards to the top three participants in each age group as well as to the first place
overall male and female, with one award per finisher.
Tentative Schedule of Events (subject to change)
On-going Activities
à Hayrides
à Food
à Green Exhibitors
à Facepainting
à Falconer (by campfire stage)
Scheduled Activities
à TBD Bird Hikes
à 12:00 p.m. Shuttle bus from KPM
à 12:30 p.m. Shuttle bus to KPM
à 1:00 p.m. Monarch tagging
à 1:00 p.m. Shuttle bus from KPM
à 1:30 p.m. Shuttle bus to KPM
à 2:00 p.m. Shuttle bus from KPM
à 2:30 p.m. Shuttle bus to KPM
Page 2
T he O ak Leaf
School Programs at Pringle
Did you know that Pringle
offers programming for school
groups? If you have children or
grandchildren in Kindergarten
to fifth grade, let their teacher’s
know about the wonderful
opportunities Pringle has to
offer.
Pringle offers field trips during
the entire year. All of our programs are aligned to the state
standards as well as the Next
Generation Science Standards.
When students are here at the
center, they are immersed in
nature with hands-on, experiential learning. Field trip size is
limited to 50 students who are
then broken into trail groups
of about 10-13 students lead by
the naturalist or a teacher naturalist volunteer.
With the exception of the
Mighty Acorns program, the
cost is $4.00/student (the
Mighty Acorns program is
$100/classroom for their three
visits).
Kids benefit from being outdoors and do better in school
when exposed to nature. If you
think your child’s or grandchild’s classroom would benefit by being in nature, please
pass along this information to
their teachers and have the
teachers contact the nature
center to set up a field trip.
Prairie Farms: Our Caps Your Cause
Pringle has applied and been
accepted into the new Our
Caps Your Cause program
provided by Prairie Farms.
cents towards our cause. After
1,000 caps are entered, we receive a check from Prairie
Farms.
On Prairie Farms white or
flavored milk in gallon or half
gallon sizes, you will find a
sticker located on top of each
cap. Peel back the sticker to
find a unique code that can be
redeemed at http://ow.ly/
AxX3B. When prompted to
choose an organization, select
Pringle Nature Center. Every
cap entered will generate 5
With your help and participation
in Our Caps Your Cause, you
will be supporting our organization’s mission along with a local
business. We plan to apply the
proceeds towards our environmental education programs.
“Prairie Farms farm families and
employees take a lot of pride in
giving back to the communities
we are a part of,” Michelle Fluty,
Prairie Farms Program Coordinator, said.
With today’s economy, local
non-profit organizations are in
greater need for support. Our
Caps Your Cause is a simple
way for families to get involved and support their favorite organization, Fluty added.
Locally, Prairie Farms milk can
be bought at Woodman’s
Food Market.
Project Learning Tree
This past April, the Pringle
Naturalist headed up to Stevens Point, WI to be trained as
a facilitator in the Project
Learning Tree Curriculum
(PLT). PLT is an awardwinning environmental education program designed for
teachers and other educators,
parents, and community leaders working with youth from
preschool through grade 12.
By offering PLT workshops
here at the center, this allows
us to expand the types of programs we offer here at the center. While the PLT program
offers curriculum for all grade
levels, Pringle will be offering
the training in the PreK-8 curriculum guide.
receive your own copy of the
PLT curriculum guide. There
will be other handouts as well
to use in your classroom. Duriing the workshop we will
demonstrate some of the curriculum activities.
Teachers (or college education
majors) who are interested in
using this curriculum to integrate more environmental education into their class need to
attend a full day workshop.
The workshop is $25 and you
The first of many workshops
will be held Saturday, September 27th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. To register, please contact: Ann Lindner,
[email protected]
Students from Dimensions of Learning cut invasive species in the Mighty
Acorns program.
Wish list
Pringle Nature Center is
growing and with that, we
are looking for help. Big or
small, your donation is
greatly appreciated. Thank
you in advance!
· Children’s rain and
winter coats
· Children’s winter
boots, hats, scarves,
mittens
· Binoculars
· 2-3 Hula hoops
· 3-4 Large storage
containers
· Turtle food & tank
filters
· Votive candles for
candlelight hikes
· Copy paper
· Ink (Hp 950 and 951)
· Thermal laminating
pouches
· Postage stamps
· Bird seed
T he O ak Leaf
Page 3
Fall Calendar
To register for programs, please call the nature center or go to http://ow.ly/oq8qp to register online.
Teacher Naturalist Volunteer Training
Are you interested in nature and would love to share that curiosity with the next generation? Pringle Nature Center is offering training
sessions for the classes we offer to school groups. Come for some or all of the sessions. Check out our website for the educational programs we offer that might interest you.
Tuesday, September 16th: Kindergarten Programs 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; First Grade 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 17th: Second Grade 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.; Third Grade 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 18h: Fourth Grade 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.; Fifth Grade 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Girl Scout Brownie and Junior Badges
Juniors – Saturday, October 4th, November 1st, and December 6th, 1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Brownies – Saturday, October 18th, November 1st, November 18th, and December 20th, 9:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
October – Flowers (Juniors) and Bugs (Brownies)
November – Animal Habitats (Juniors), Letterboxer (Brownies), and Senses (Brownies)
December – Geocacher (Juniors) and Hiker (Brownies)
Pre-registration is required! Registration form and payment are due the Thursday before the program. $4.00/scout
Webelos Scout Badges
Saturday, Saturday, October 18th, November 18th, and December 20th, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
October – Forester Badge. Learn the important role that forests play in nature and in our lives.
November – Geologist Badge. Identify minerals, rocks, and the role they play in earth formation.
December – Naturalist Badge. Learn about food webs, explore the nature center and take home a project.
Pre-registration is required! Registration form and payment are due the Thursday before the program. $4.00/scout
Fall Fun Fest/International Migratory Bird Day Celebration & 5K Trail Run/Hike
Saturday, September 20th, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Fun Fest) and Saturday, November 8th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Run)
Join us for a great time for the entire family. Come and go on hayrides through our beautiful trails, see a falconer, or listen to people
speak about local efforts in conservation. Become a Friend of Pringle and get free tickets for the festival!
Fall Festival: Free admission; prices vary with activity. Entry fees for 5K Run/Hike: $15 (same day registration starts at 8:00 a.m.)
Woodlot Restoration Workshop
Saturday, September 28th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Woodlot owners, farmers, land managers, environmental groups, park workers, and other land steward volunteers are invited to participate in hands on activities with experts to learn how to manage and restore woodlots.
Registration is required as space is limited! Free
Leave No Child Inside: Halloween Night Hike
Saturday, October 18th, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Don’t let the ghouls and goblins scare you from coming out! Come dressed in your best Halloween costume for this safe alternative
Halloween hikes. We will talk about the moon, the animals associated with Halloween, and let the moon light guide us. We’ll warm up
with hot chocolate afterwards. Please leave your flashlights at home as they will spoil the experience. Pre-registration is required!
Friends: $4.50/General Public: $6.00
Haunted Halloween Night Hike
Saturday, October 25th, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Don’t let the ghouls and goblins scare you from coming out! Come dressed in your best Halloween costume for our annual Haunted
Halloween hike put on by local Boy Scouts which will be a little scary but safe for children. Come and leave when you like. Hot chocolate and snacks will be provided.
Friends: $3.00/General Public: $5.00
Beginning Geocaching
Saturday, November 8th
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Whether you’ve just started or are curious about geocaching, come on out to see if you can find our hidden cache’s. There will be a
short informational session at 1:00 and 2:30 before heading out to search for the cache’s. Bring your own GPS or check out one of ours.
Friends: $3.00/General Public: $5.00
Project Learning Tree PreK-8 Workshop
Saturday, September 27th
9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Spend a fun and activity-filled day getting handson experience with the award-winning environmental education program, Project Learning
Tree. To register, please contact: Ann Lindner,
[email protected]
$25.00/person
Leave No Child Inside: Nature Play Date
November 22nd
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Make time to explore nature. We’ll have several
stations set up to help encourage play with
natural items. By playing in nature, it will help
foster a more balanced and healthy lifestyle for
your children. Come and leave when you like.
Free
Geminids Meteor Shower
Saturday, December 13th
9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Come join us for the greatest show seen from
Earth. The Geminids is one of the best meteor
showers of the year with. Join us for an
informal talk about the night skies and then with
mugs of hot chocolate, we go out and view the
skies. Dress warmly for the weather.
Pre-registration is required!
Friends: $3.00/General Public: $5.00
Leave No Child Inside: Winter Discovery
Hike
Saturday, December 13th
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean
there’s nothing out there in the winter time! Join
us as we discover tracks, learn about camouflage, and see what animals we can spot.
Friends: $4.50/General Public: $6.00
Candlelight Night Hike & Winter Solstice
Celebration
Saturday, December 20th
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Bring the family out to celebrate the Winter
Solstice as we learn about the Solstice and burn a
Yule log. We will also go out for a hike in the
candle and moon lit snow. Later, we’ll warm up
with mugs of hot cocoa! Please leave your flashlights at home as they will spoil the experience.
Pre-registration is required!
Friends: Free/General Public: $5.00
Friends of Pringle Nature Center Membership
The Pringle Nature Center, located in the heart of Bristol
Woods County Park, is a treasure to Kenosha County. Our
programs bring nature education to area students, youth
groups, and families. Our trails are often hailed by hikers
and skiers as some of the best in the area. As someone
who appreciates nature, you know how important a place
like this is to the community.
By becoming a Friend of Pringle you support environmental
education and a unique community resource. Members
receive this newsletter seasonally as well as fee reductions
on programs.
Yes, I want to be a Friend of Pringle
Membership Levels
q Individual $20
q Family $35
q Prairie $50
q Wetland $100
q Savannah $250
q Life Time $500
q Additional Gift $
Name
Address
City/State/Zip
To become a Friend, or renew your membership, send your
donation and the attached form to Pringle Nature Center.
Email
Phone
Date
Happenings at Pringle
October 13th – PNC Board Meeting
6:00 p.m.
October 18th – Brownies Girl Scout Bugs
Badge 9:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
October 18th – Webelos Forester Badge
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
September 20th – Pringle Fall Fun Fest/
IMBD Celebration 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
October 18th – LNCI: Halloween Full
Moon Night Hike 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
September 27th – Invasive Species Workday
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
October 25th – Invasive Species Work Day
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
September 27th – Project Learning Tree
Workshop 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
October 25th – Woodlot Management
Workshop 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
December 8th – PNC Board Meeting 6:00
p.m.
November 1st – Junior Girl Scouts Animal
Homes Badge 1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
December 13th – Science Saturday: Moon
Rocks 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
November 8th – Pringle 5K Trail Run/Hike
10:00 a.m.
December 13th – LNCI: Winter Discovery
Hike 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
November 8th – Beginning Geocaching
1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
December 13th – Geminid Meteor Shower
Viewing 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
November 15th – Brownies Girl Scout
Senses Badge 9:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
December 20th – Brownie Girl Scouts Hiker
Badge 9:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
November 15th – Webelos Geologist Badge
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
December 20th – Webelos Naturalist Badge
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
November 22nd – Invasive Species Work
Day 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
December 20th – Kenosha County Christmas Bird Count All Day
November 22nd – LNCI: Nature Play Date
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
December 20th – Candlelight Night Hike &
Winter Solstice Celebration 6:30 p.m. – 8:30
p.m.
December 6th – Nature Story Time Hike:
When Winter Comes 10:00 a.m. – 11:00
a.m.
Pringle Nature Center
September 18th, Teacher Naturalist Volunteer Training: Fourth Grade, 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m./Fifth Grade, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30
p.m.
October 11th – LNCI: Autumn Photographic Scavenger Hunt 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
November 1st – Brownie Girl Scouts Letterboxer 9:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Putting People In Touch With Nature
September 17th, Teacher Naturalist Volunteer Training: Second Grade, 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m./Third Grade, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30
p.m.
October 11th – Science Saturday: Behavior
of Cockroaches 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
December 6th – Junior Girl Scouts
Geocacher Badge 1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
9800 160th Avenue
Bristol, WI 53104
September 16th, Teacher Naturalist Volunteer Training: Kindergarten, 11:00 a.m. 12:00 a.m./First Grade, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00
p.m.
October 4th – Junior Girl Scouts Flowers
Badge 1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
October 25th – Haunted Hike in the Woods
6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Phone/Fax: 262-857-8008
Email: [email protected]
www.pringlenc.org
September 13th – Youth Birding Field Trip
@ Hawthorn Hollow 9:00 a.m.
October 4th – Nature Story Time Hike:
Mushroom in the Rain 10:00 a.m. – 11:00
a.m.
Tuesday through Sunday
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
September 6th – Nature Story Time Hike: It
Could Still be a Bird 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.