CHIPPEWA NATURE CENTER

DEPARTMENT OF PROGRAMS: THROUGHOUT 2024, THE PROGRAM DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN CONTINUING TO BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION WHERE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES COULD CONNECT TO NATURE IN MEANINGFUL WAYS. DROP-IN VISITORS TOTALED 31,292 WHICH IS THE HIGHEST COUNT EVER. PUBLIC PROGRAMS WELCOMED 6,511 PEOPLE TO 227 PUBLIC PROGRAMS IN 2024. MAPLE SYRUP DAY SAW A DEDICATED TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS SERVE 990 PANCAKE MEALS ALONG WITH 1,295 INDIVIDUALS WHO ATTENDED THE EVENT. FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL WELCOMED 1,153 PEOPLE WHO WERE ABLE TO SEE DEMONSTRATIONS INCLUDING APPLE BUTTER MAKING, CANDLE DIPPING, APPLE CIDER PRESSING AND ROPE MAKING. NATURE AT NIGHT WAS ATTENDED BY 965 PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED IN MANY HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES. IN ADDITION TO PUBLIC PROGRAMS, CNC SERVES SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN THROUGH NATURE PRESCHOOL (140 CHILDREN), NATURE DAY CAMPS (1,188 CHILDREN) AND ON AND OFF SITE SCHOOL PROGRAMS (24,561 CHILDREN).

LAND AND FACILITIES: AMONG THE MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS YEAR FOR LAND AND FACILITIES, TWO STAND ARE CERTAINLY NOTEWORTHY. CONSTRUCTION BEGAN ON A NEW BUILDING NAMED NATURE EDUCATION CENTER. THE BUILDING WILL PRIMARILY SERVE AS THE HOME FOR NATURE DAY CAMP, NATURE PRESCHOOL AND OTHER SCHOOL-AGED CHILDRENS PROGRAMS. THE SECOND MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS THE PURCHASE OF JUST OVER 500 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED ALONG 1 MILE OF THE CHIPPEWA RIVER JUST WEST OF CHIPPEWA NATURE CENTERS WEST PROPERTY EDGE. THE LAND IS PREDOMINATELY FORESTED WITH A DIVERSITY OF MATURE TREES. A SAND RIDGE ADDS VARIED TOPOGRAPHY, AND NUMEROUS VERNAL POOLS CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE PROPERTY. IN ADDITION TO THE TWO MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, MAPLE SYRUP SEASON YIELDED 20 GALLONS OF MAPLE SYRUP, AND THE DEER HARVEST COUNT WAS 112. THE LARGE DEER POPULATION CONTINUES TO POSE A THREAT TO VEGETATION AT CNC DUE TO HEAVY BROWSING. LAND MANAGEMENT WORK ALSO CONTINUES WITH 1900 TREES AND SHRUBS BEING PLANTED AND EITHER CAGED OR TUBED. TWENTY-ONE SPECIMEN TREES WERE ADDED TO THE GARRET ARBORETUM. NATIVE WILDFLOWERS WERE PLATED IN THE WETLANDS AREA AND AT THE RIVER POINT AREA. FINALLY, LAND MANAGEMENT CONSULTING WORK CONTINUES AS CNC COLLABORATES WITH LOCAL PARTNERS TO RESTORE PROPERTIES TO NATIVE PLANTINGS.