Are you seeking places in Wisconsin to immerse yourself in nature? With the growing recognition of nature's extraordinary benefits, finding the right place to experience this is essential. Peruse this comprehensive guide, crafted by Hoffman, a seasoned nature expert, and the Stingleys who are passionate about introducing their children to the natural world. This essential guide is designed to help nature enthusiasts of all ages and interests. The guide first identifies prime vacation spots categorized by desired experiences, making it easy to plan your ideal getaway. The second section provides a breakdown, by county, of destinations perfect for weekend adventures. Finally, the book concludes with a selection of favorite places ideal for daily activities.

A huge bravo to Hoffman and the Stingleys on presenting a naturalist's master class on how and where to go by region and county to experience nature for a few hours, a half-day, or camping out over two or three days. There are even sections on lake swimming beaches, designated snowshoe trails, and nature immersion sites identified by GPS coordinates. Then there are also nearby out-of-state areas to explore in northern Michigan and within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. And for those challenged by mobility restrictions, there's a welcome section titled Accessible Trails. This guide has it all!

-Sumner Matteson, author Afield: Portraits of Wisconsin Naturalists,

Empowering Leopold's Legacy

Cattails grow in a marsh, pitcher plants grow in a bog, jewelweed grows in a swamp, right? Do sandhill cranes live among sandy hills? Frogs live near lakes and ponds, but can they live on prairies, too? What is a pine barrens, an oak opening, a calcareous fen?
Wisconsin's Natural Communities is an invitation to discover, explore, and understand Wisconsin's richly varied natural environment, from your backyard or neighborhood park to stunning public preserves.Part 1 of the book explains thirty-three distinct types of natural communities in Wisconsin--their characteristic trees, beetles, fish, lichens, butterflies, reptiles, mammals, wildflowers--and the effects of geology, climate, and historical events on these habitats. Part 2 describes and maps fifty natural areas on public lands that are outstanding examples of these many different natural communities: Crex Meadows, Horicon Marsh, Black River Forest, Maribel Caves, Whitefish Dunes, the Blue Hills, Avoca Prairie, the Moquah Barrens and Chequamegon Bay, the Ridges Sanctuary, Cadiz Springs, Devil's Lake, and many others.
Intended for anyone who has a love for the natural world, this book is also an excellent introduction for students. And, it provides landowners, public officials, and other stewards of our environment with the knowledge to recognize natural communities and manage them for future generations.

After more than a decade of research and composition, The Bismarck-Mandan Encyclopedia is the embodiment of the historic database published on BisManCafe.com - the hyper-local website author Randy Hoffman has owned and maintained since 2007. Featured herein are the people, places, events, and things that have shaped Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota from past to present in an easy alphabetic arrangement. The Bismarck-Mandan Encyclopedia contains detailed definitions of such terms as A.W. Lucas Company, Alexander McKenzie, Arrowhead Plaza, Big Boy Restaurant, Corwin-Churchill Motors, Edmond Hughes, Fleck Motors, Fort Lincoln Interment Camp, Gold Seal Company, Governor Wild Bill Langer, Grand Pacific Hotel, King's Food Host, Kirkwood Mall, Patterson Hotel, Wheel-A-While, and hundreds more.

Recommended Companion: Dig deeper into Bismarck-Mandan history with The Complete History of Bismarck, North Dakota: Frontier to Metropolis.

Bismarck is an anomaly. It's a big city inside a small city. It stands apart with its historically big-level ideas and legends. Bismarck was put on a pedestal upon formation as Edwinton in 1872, when George Sweet first secured a townsite on behalf of Northern Pacific Railway at the point where its northern transcontinental railroad would span the mighty Missouri River. Many touted it as the next great city, and it had the components to realize that destiny. It is that ambitious hope that catapulted Bismarck's achievements and consigned it as a great city.

Bismarck owes its existence to the railroad, but it owes its importance to the many men and women who rendered it significant. Bismarck owes its prominence as a government center due to the efforts of Alexander McKenzie and Alexander Hughes lobbying for Bismarck to become capital of Dakota Territory. Had Linda Slaughter not established Bismarck's first school, the city may not have the educational magnitude it does today. Had it not been for the Benedictine Sisters establishing Saint Alexius, the first hospital in Dakota Territory, or Doctors Quain and Ramstad founding what is today part of Sanford Health, Bismarck wouldn't have among the largest concentration of healthcare providers per capita in the Midwest. George Stark first seeded agriculture, still North Dakota's backbone. Entrepreneurs that created million-dollar empires like Harold Schafer, Harley McDowell, Asa Fisher, Arthur Lucas, Edmond and Alexander Hughes, Philip Meyer, and the Wachters incubated Bismarck as an economic epicenter. Bismarck is great because of the people who made it so.

Recommended Companion: The Bismarck-Mandan Encyclopedia contains 430+ terms past and present.

Cattails grow in a marsh, pitcher plants grow in a bog, jewelweed grows in a swamp, right? Do sandhill cranes live among sandy hills? Frogs live near lakes and ponds, but can they live on prairies, too? What is a pine barrens, an oak opening, a calcareous fen?
Wisconsin's Natural Communities is an invitation to discover, explore, and understand Wisconsin's richly varied natural environment, from your backyard or neighborhood park to stunning public preserves. Part 1 of the book explains thirty-three distinct types of natural communities in Wisconsin--their characteristic trees, beetles, fish, lichens, butterflies, reptiles, mammals, wildflowers--and the effects of geology, climate, and historical events on these habitats. Part 2 describes and maps fifty natural areas on public lands that are outstanding examples of these many different natural communities: Crex Meadows, Horicon Marsh, Black River Forest, Maribel Caves, Whitefish Dunes, the Blue Hills, Avoca Prairie, the Moquah Barrens and Chequamegon Bay, the Ridges Sanctuary, Cadiz Springs, Devil's Lake, and many others.
Intended for anyone who has a love for the natural world, this book is also an excellent introduction for students. And, it provides landowners, public officials, and other stewards of our environment with the knowledge to recognize natural communities and manage them for future generations.