When Crossroads visitors arrive at the Collins Learning Center, a good share of them visit the restrooms before anything else. And when they do, our regular visitors will notice some changes.
The Collins Learning Center was designed to be a school facility and so it made sense back then to install child-sized toilets. Over the years, Crossroads has become a destination for learners of all ages and some of our program participants have mobility issues.
Thanks to several individual donors and a grant from the Raibrook Foundation, we have been able to upgrade so all three restrooms rooms meet ADA specifications. New toilets are a bit higher and we added a number of grab bars…. some “pull down” to expedite wheelchair transfers. Soap and towel dispensers have been moved and we soon will be adding energy efficient lighting.
We kept the privacy stalls, and we all appreciate our cleaning crew from Sunshine House who help keep the restrooms sanitary and odor free. We humans do not appreciate the scent of our fellow humans.
How different we are from the dogs who visit Crossroads. Before they even start their walks, dogs sniff and add their scent mark to the post and rock we call our ”canine guest register.” Dog want to know what other dogs are in the preserve, how those other dogs are feeling, and if they might be a threat.
Walk with a dog and you will observe them sending and receiving “pee-mail” …..sniff, sniff and then the hind leg goes up and the dog leaves its liquid calling cards. Dogs, like their wild cousins, coyotes and wolves, are social animals and they use scents for communication. Curiously, when dogs defecate, it seems entirely random.
Red foxes are solitary creatures, but they have elaborate scent marking behaviors. They mark potential food sources that they find unacceptable and they mark food that they have cached. They also mark their territories and during their breeding season (this is it!) they leave pungent skunk-like scents.
Foxes tend to leave their feces in conspicuous, often elevated, places, and then, they generously urinate around the spot. It’s just got to be a message.
My friend, naturalist Dale Goodner tells this story, “During a nature hike some fifth graders once found a white chalky object along a trail. One girl asked what kind of cocoon it was. I picked it up and found some rabbit hair and a rabbit claw; a jawbone from a shrew; a cherry pit; and bits of a grasshopper’s exoskeleton.
“It began to dawn on the kids, this was no cocoon. It was poop, containing telltale evidence of the existential fox. Without seeing one, we discovered that foxes live there, and that their diet is diverse.
He continued, “We are a part of nature… not apart from it. We have much in common with our fellow critters. To begin to understand the fox’s place is to glimpse our own connections to this beautiful planet. To see the forest, not just the trees, is fundamental to treating our world, not as commodity, but with love and respect.
On Tuesday, February 13 at 7:00 Dale Goodner will be the speaker for the Master Gardener Lecture Series. His topic will be the Whitefish Dunes 50th Anniversary. In his illustrated presentation, he will talk about the history of the park but also “look at a few ecosystems, not merely as fortuitous juxtapositions of species but as groupings of organisms that have come together over thousands of years as synergistic communities, evolving and embodying a sort of floristic wisdom, in dealing with the vagaries of climate. These can serve as models for home landscaping.” The program is free and open to the public.
If Crossroads receives adequate snow, there will be Ski for Free. This crazy winter, though, no promises, and it is a good idea to check the Crossroads website, www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org for up-to-date trail conditions and cancellations.
Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor supported environmental preserve offering programs and outdoor experiences for all ages. The Collins Learning Center, located at 2041 Michigan, is open daily from 2:00-4:00 and during scheduled events.
Thursday, February 8
1:00-3:30 Ski for Free
Conditions permitting, ski equipment and snowshoes in a wide range of sizes will be available from our Ski Distribution Center (a.k.a .the Maintenance Building), free of charge. This program is staffed and sponsored by Friends of Crossroads and the Door County Silent Sports.
Saturday, February 10
1:00-3:30 Ski for Free
Conditions permitting, ski equipment and snowshoes in a wide range of sizes will be available from our Ski Distribution Center (a.k.a .the Maintenance Building), free of charge. This program is staffed and sponsored by Friends of Crossroads and the Door County Silent Sports.
Sunday February 11
1:00-3:30 Ski for Free
Conditions permitting, ski equipment and snowshoes in a wide range of sizes will be available from our Ski Distribution Center (a.k.a .the Maintenance Building), free of charge. This program is staffed and sponsored by Friends of Crossroads and the Door County Silent Sports.
Tuesday, February 13
7:00 Master Gardener Lecture: 50th Anniversary Whitefish Dunes
In this illustrated presentation, Naturalist Dale Goodness will share the history of Whitefish Dunes and he will discuss some of the ecosystems at the dunes so gardeners can learn landscaping lessons from the natural environment. Free and open to the public.
