Tag Archives: gottfried prairie and arboretum

Best Place to Get in Touch with Nature

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Monday Morning

There were 19 members at our Monday meeting plus one guest. Our guest speaker was Tracy McDermott.  Happy bucks came from no one. Everyone was unhappy.  Special thanks to our greeters, Marlin and Chris. Dan handled the invocation and our guest speaker, Tracy did the humor. For the second week in a row, we have a Dr. Waffle Award winner. John was the ticket winner. He drew the eight of clubs for no money. Next Monday’s 50/50 Raffle will have 42 cards in the game including the six pay cards with a pot of about $105.

Tracy McDermott, Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum

Tracy is the executive director of Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum. It is a non-profit entity with no funding from either UW Campus or Fond du Lac County. The project began in 1990 when a group of student and staff approached Dean Bradley Gottfried with an idea to establish a prairie on campus. The majority of land surrounding the campus was open lawn. In 1992, the first 20 acres of native grasses and wildflowers were planted by volunteers. Since then, the prairie has grown to an additional 22 acres. It includes a formal arboretum; interpretive hiking trails a bike trail, a shelter, two native display gardens and a wildlife pool. All projects have been funded with private donations and grants. They have added 4.5 acres representing eight types of Wisconsin forest communities. At one time, most of Fond du Lac County was covered by prairie – native grasslands that were home to bison, prairie chickens, bobolinks and other wildlife. Arboretum is named for Bradley Gottfried, former dean of UW Fond du Lac and a major force behind the project. The arboretum is a public park that is open to the public. The luminary holiday walk is Sunday December 13 from 4:30 to7:30 pm. The annual snowshoe hike is the 3rd week of January. For more information go to their web page.

Kiwanians Invited to Prairie Fest

gottfried_prairie_arboretum

Monday Morning

We had 16 members at the Retlaw Hotel on Monday morning plus our guest speaker, Tracy McDermott from the Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum.  Bonnie Baerwald circulated the sign-up sheet again for the Relay for Life Brat Fry.  Charlene Pettit again circulated a sign-up sheet to gauge the possible interest in a “Music Under the Stars” outing.  Gary Miller is working on organizing an InterClub to the Oshkosh Mid-Morning Kiwanis Club on Friday, July 25th.  Their meeting is at 8:00AM and they’re usually done by 9:00AM.  Gary will look for volunteers next Monday.  Vickie Goldapske was the winner the 50/50 Raffle drawing on Monday and she drew the Ten of Clubs, a $10 winner.  Next week’s drawing will have 17 cards with four pay cards and a pot of at least $474.  Congrats Vickie.

Tracy McDermott – Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum

Tracy McDermott has been the Executive Director of the Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum since January 1st, 2014. Tracy came to talk about the upcoming Prairie Fest that will be held on Saturday, July 26th from 10:00AM – 3:00PM. Prairie Fest is held at the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum on the UW-Fond du Lac Campus at 400 University Drive. Prairie Fest provides a day of activities for the whole family. Enjoy prairie tours, arts, demonstrations, and presentations by local experts. There will be Programs & Tours, an indoor and outdoor Prairie Playzone and Program Tents that will feature Chicken Farming, Lasagna Gardening, Beekeeping and Worm Farming.

Restored with seeds collected from plants found in the last original prairie remnants in Fond du Lac County, the 42-acre prairie located on the UW-Fond du Lac campus serves as a living snapshot of the wildlife and colorful landscape that was once common to this region. Adding a 4.5 acre formal arboretum representing eight types of Wisconsin forest communities, the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum provides a unique opportunity for education and the enjoyment of our natural heritage. The prairie is home to many species of invertebrates, birds, and small mammals, but the mission of the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum extends beyond maintaining a wildlife habitat.