Composting is a rich and fertile topic, and there is always something more to learn. I got my most recent lesson at a presentation on Sheet Mulching by Kate Heiber-Cobb, a Permaculture Designer and founder of the Madison Area Permaculture Guild. The beauty of compost! Heiber-Cobb says that sheet mulching […]
Tiffany Wildlife Area at the heart of the Lower Chippewa River Basin is a natural wonderland where sloughs and old river meanders create a soggy maze of ephemeral ponds and wetlands along the river. From soaring riverside bluffs where eagles nest to swampy deeps that harbor night herons, bitterns and […]
Though I think that the expanses of turf that constitute most lawns have all the classy appeal of Astroturf, and are an generally an environmental travesty, there are some things to be said for this stuff: Prevents erosion Slows down runoff Filters water Is better than a non-permeable surface So, […]
This spring we purchased an officially sanctioned bluebird house to support the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin (BRAW), and we placed it according to their directions. As with all real estate, location is key. A pair of bluebirds are looking for 1-3 acres of predominantly open land to call home. […]
I have come upon fawns lying still as statues in a stand of grass on our land. Their survival strategy seems to be to freeze, allowing me to walk right up and study their perfect ears, finely chiseled hooves and delicately dappled camo patterns. Baby animals always bring out our […]
We call it The Pond, but that term probably evokes a much grander water body than it actually is. The previous owner built a little dam across the end of a ravine and lined the basin with clay from the neighboring field. He never actually found the spring he expected, […]
Let’s here it for Volunteer Environmental Monitoring! Volunteers are our eyes and ears into what is happening in the natural world. With dramatic cuts in government-funded monitoring programs, volunteers have stepped up to the plate. Grassroots environmental groups continue the monitoring that would have to be abandoned if it depended […]
The snow has receded to tiny patches on northern hill slopes. The plates of ice are floating on the mostly-open surface of the pond, and that has freed the Western Chorus Frogs, who began singing three days ago. These are tiny little frogs no bigger than the tip of a […]
When we first bought our 44 acres, our friends asked when we would build a house on it. They were surprised to here us say at least 5 years. It’s now going on 7, and we are planning to build in 2012. This time frame is being a great chance […]
Food comes from the soil, but where does soil come from? That’s what I’m learning in my first reading assignment of the Training Program for Master Gardener Volunteers. (The University of Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener Program provides extensive, free horticultural training to people,who in turnshare their training for gardening-related projects […]
Digging in the Driftless 