The Wilderness Preserve will be hosting its 28th Annual Spring Meeting this coming Memorial Day weekend, Saturday May 23rd, at the Madeline Island Museum. The event will be an evening reception with an informal buffet of elegant and hearty hors d’oeuvres, choice wine service, and coffee/tea and assorted desserts. This year's evening fare will again be provided by the highly acclaimed Ashland Baking Company. A social gathering and food service begins at 7:00 pm, with the program beginning at 8:00 pm.

This year’s program features Wisconsin Northwoods Naturalist

JOHN BATES

“A Spring Phenology: Celebrating the Beauty, Science, and Spirit of the Northwoods”

THERE’S NO MORE EXCITING SEASON IN THE NORTHWOODS THAN SPRING. THE SNOW AND MUD ARE GONE; THE SUN IS FINALLY WARMING; IT’S THE “GREENING-UP” OF MILLIONS OF LEAVES; BIRDS ARE MATING/NESTING/HATCHING OR STILL MIGRATING; WILDFLOWERS ARE BLOOMING; MAMMALS ARE BIRTHING AND GROWING; BUTTERFLIES AND DRAGONFLIES ARE HATCHING – IT’S ALL OF LIFE COMING INTO FULL FLOWER.

John Bates is the author of seven books and a contributor to seven others, all of which focus on the natural history of the Northwoods. He’s worked as a naturalist in Wisconsin’s Northwoods for 26 years, leading an array of trips all designed to help people further understand the remarkable diversity and beauty of nature, and our place within it.

He’s a former member of the Board of Trustees for the Wisconsin Nature Conservancy and the Wisconsin Humanities Council. John won the 2006 Ellis/Henderson Outdoor Writing Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers for his book Graced by the Seasons: Spring and Summer in the Northwoods.

The price of the Spring Reception is $30 per person.
Venue: Madeline Island Museum

RSVP: Steve Mueller