Make winter birdwatching your next cold weather hobby
Fly solo or grab your flock and a field guide for your first lesson in winter birdwatching.
February 11, 2021 7:00 AM Sam Jones
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A Snowy Owl eyes birdwatchers against a gray winter sky.
If you’re still braving the outdoors this winter season but you’ve run out of ideas, you might try winter birdwatching. Carolyn Byers, director of education at Madison Audubon, has had her eyes to the skies (and sometimes the ground) for years. Byers specializes in nesting ecology, chick development, foraging and other aspects of avian behavior but she says no experience is necessary to enjoy our feathery friends. She loves birding and all it entails, including the simple pleasure of a wintertime walk. While note taking is the most traditional way to track your flying finds, like most things these days, there’s an app for that. So snag your smartphone or notepad, grab a pair of binoculars and bundle up
UW-Madison Arboretum designated as National Historic Landmark
February 2, 2021 11:18 AM Jaymes Langrehr
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MADISON, Wis. UW-Madison says its Arboretum is now being recognized as a National Historic Landmark.
UW-Madison says the Arboretum earned the designation for a “period of national significance” that stretches from the 1930s to the 1960s in which the first forest plantings were made and experiments were conducted to study the ecosystem.
Getting recognized as a National Historic Landmark involves a long nomination process before the nomination is evaluated by the National Park Service’s National Historic Landmark Survey and reviewed by the National Park System Advisory Board. A recommendation is then sent to the Secretary of the Interior, who eventually makes the final decision.
UWâMadison Arboretum designated a National Historic Landmark For news media
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Curtis Prairie, seen from the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden, is regarded as the oldest restored prairie in the world. UWâMadison Arboretum
The University of WisconsinâMadison Arboretum has been designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. The designation is based on the Arboretumâs pioneering work in restoration ecology, its place in the history of conservation, and its commitment to Aldo Leopoldâs land ethic.
The UWâMadison Arboretum was established in the 1930s as an outdoor laboratory to study how to repair damaged and degraded landscapes. Its function, according to Leopold in his 1934 dedication speech, was to be âa reconstructed sample of old Wisconsin, to serve as a benchmark, a starting point, in the long and laborious job of building a permanent and mutually beneficial relationshipâ between people and the