By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek The Crossroads Trail Run 2020 promised to be the best ever. We had generous sponsors, exciting plans, and registrations were coming in. And then, everything changed. It was clear that, for the health and safety of our volunteers and run participants, the traditional race format would not […]
How do Sandhill Cranes Know to Come Back to Door County Every Spring?
By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek While we miss the school groups coming out to Crossroads at Big Creek for their spring field trips, we are thrilled that families are using our preserve…and it has been fun to communicate with kids online. Tim from Sturgeon Bay asks: “How do the sandhill cranes know […]
The Green Hills of Earth
By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek We’ve eagerly been anticipating green at Crossroads at Big Creek. Already, mosses in the forests, buds in the garden, stems of the shrubs are showing green. And in the night sky, a green object has just passed the orbit of Mars and it’s coming our way. It’s […]
Crossroads Provides Calming “Refuge of Sanity” During Coronavirus Crisis
By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek For quite a long time, the Door County community has used Crossroads at Big Creek as a “refuge of sanity.” For now, though our buildings and restrooms are closed, we welcome people to get in touch with nature as they exercise or just de-stress. Our trails are open […]
The Importance of Native Plants
By Coggin Heeringa The seed catalogues are arriving, and at Crossroads at Big Creek, the urge to grow plants is intense. Already this year, we have been hosting a project of the USDA Potato Genebank which involves growing potatoes in the Crossroads greenhouse. You can even see the glow of the greenhouse from the Highway! Last week, the Crossroads […]
Get Out in the Cold – And Get Warm!
By Coggin Heeringa It’s January and it’s cold outside. We have our regular dog walkers each day at Crossroads, but there is a significant drop in hikers this time of year. When the trails are icy or the wind chill is severe, that probably is a good thing. But even in January, for both physical and mental health, […]
The Connections That Bring Trees Together: The Wood-Wide Web
By Coggin Heeringa Each December, the Friends of Crossroads decorate a “Fish Tree” and a “Forest Tree” in the Collins Learning Center. It really doesn’t matter if they are called Holiday Trees or Christmas Trees or Hanukah Bushes. This time of year, an evergreen tree makes most of us think of giving gifts. Until very […]
2019 Winter Solstice Arriving December 21
By Coggin Herringa Winter Solstice occurs at the exact same instant everywhere on planet earth. At Crossroads at Big Creek (and the rest of our Central time zone), that instant in 2019 will be 10:19 pm, on Saturday, December 21. Archaeologists believe that humans have been aware of the Winter Solstice since the Stone Age. […]
Scents of the Season in Door County
By Coggin Heeringa Throughout the year, people tell us that they are thankful for Crossroads. But during gun/deer hunting season, people seem especially grateful for a safe place to hike and walk their dogs. Around Thanksgiving, the forest also seems to have special scent. Theoretically, the scent should have been stronger in October when temperatures were […]
Attracting Birds to Your Door County Property
By Coggin Heeringa, Director, Crossroads at Big Creek Attracting birds is near and dear to Crossroads at Big Creek. One reason is that we have been working on a Bird and Butterfly Garden around our Collins Learning Center for the last few years. Visitors to the learning center can’t help but notice the bird feeding […]
