Passport to the Ledge

Help wanted!
Volunteers are needed to assist with Passport to the Ledge stamping days.
Contact Kathleen Stetter

Ledge Passport Stamping Dates–Assistance Needed
Fond du Lac County Audubon’s Passport to the Niagara Escarpment Program is almost a reality. Child-appealing materials have been distributed, and we are ready to start the program. Based on the community response, we are expecting good attendance on each of our special stamping dates. Volunteers are needed to set up/pack up the stamping station and materials, stamp passports, award patches and certificates, lead hikes or direct children to trails, and talk to children about the ledge. An information sheet about the Niagara Escarpment is included in the stamping kits, and each of the facilitators will have materials at the site about 20 minutes before the stamping starts. Just bring a lawn chair and a big smile to greet the children. Contact Kathleen Stetter (920-872-2250 or Stetter@Centurytel.net) if you are available to help.

Ledge Stamping Dates
May 1, 9 am–noon, Kiekhaefer Park; Facilitator: Earl & Carol Jewett
May 8, 9 am–noon, Izaak Walton; Facilitator: Kathleen & Dave Stetter
May 16, 12–2 pm, Hobbs Woods; Facilitator: Margie Winter
May 23, 2-4:30 pm, Breakneck Hill; Facilitator: Diana Beck
May 23, 1–3:30 pm, Hobbs Woods; Facilitator: Amy Haak
June 12, 9:30 am–noon, Breakneck Hill; Facilitator: Diana Beck
June 20, guided hikes start at 11 am & 12:30 pm, Belle Reynolds School; Facilitator: Liz Roy
August 1, 11 am–3 pm, Izaak Walton; Facilitator: Liz Roy
August 8, guided hikes start at 11 am & 12:30 pm, Belle Reynolds School; Facilitator: Liz Roy
September 18, 1–3:30, Hobbs Woods; Facilitator: Amy Haak
September 26, 10 am–1 pm, Hobbs Woods; Facilitator: Margie Winter
October 9, 9 am–noon, Kiekhaefer Park; Facilitators: Earl & Carol Jewett

Click here for brochure:
Passport to the Ledge brochure

Click here for passport:
Passport

Passports are available at the Fond du Lac Public Library Children's Section, at Oakfield, Horicon, Lomira, and Waupun Public Libraries, and at Calumet County Park office.
Ledge Explorer program underway
In celebration of the “Year of the Niagara Escarpment,” declared by the Wisconsin State Legislature, Fond du Lac County Audubon is sponsoring a program that promotes family visits to nine ledge sites during 2010. Participants will receive a stamp in their Passport at each site, and those visiting at least five sites will receive a patch. Participants visiting two sites will receive a certificate. The nine ledge sites include Dodge County Ledge Park, Oakfield Ledge State Natural Area (Breakneck Hill), Belle Reynolds School Forest, Hobbs Woods, Izaak Walton Property, Kiekhaefer Park, Ledge View Nature Center, Calumet County Park, and High Cliff County Park.
Participants may visit staffed ledge sites (Dodge County Ledge Park, Ledge View Nature Center, Calumet County Park, and High Cliff State Park) on any day that the facilities are open. Stamping dates for the other sites are:
• Breakneck Hill: May 23, 2-4:30 pm and June 12, 9:30 am–noon.
• Belle Reynolds School: June 20 and August 8, 11 am and 12:30 pm.
• Hobbs Woods: May 23 and September 18, 1–3:30 pm; May 16, 12–2 pm; and September 26, 10 am–1 pm.
• Izaak Walton: May 8, 9 am–noon and August 11, 11 am–3 pm.
• Kiekhaefer Park: May 1 and October 9, 9 am–noon.
Generous donations from Mid-States Aluminum and Fond du Lac Rotary Club and sponsorship from Mid-America Geographic Foundation, NERN (Niagara Escarpment Information Network), Kiwanis of Fabulous Fond du Lac, and McLean-Cowan Graphic Design, have made Fond du Lac County Audubon’s Passport to the Ledge Program a reality.
The Passports, designed by Evelyn McLean-Cowan of McLean-Cowan Graphic Design, provide a fun way to learn about exploring the ledge and include space for a stamp as each site is visited. Theresa Cowan, a graduate of FHS and a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, did the illustration for the cover and the patch.
Brochures with more details, and the Passports are available at the Fond du Lac, Oakfield, and Waupun Public Libraries, and at Calument County Park. For more information, contact Kathleen Stetter: 920-872-2250 or stetter@centurytel.net or Diana Beck: 920-922-7931 or dbeck7931@charter.net or visit www.fdlaudubon.org.

Livin’ on the Ledge Program
The Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac is offering a summer program that complements Audubon’s Passport to the Niagara Escarpment. The free program is open to 7 to 10 year olds on either Tuesdays, July 13–August 3 (9:30–10:30 am) or Saturdays, July 17–August 7 (9–10 am). Children will learn about caves, rocks, plants, and effigy mounds, as they discover the natural wonders of the Ledge and how it shaped lives of people in our community. For more information or registration contact the Children’s Museum: 920-929-0707 or www.childrensmuseumfdl.org.

The Wisconsin State Legislature proclaimed 2010 as
“Year of the Niagara Escarpment.” Consistent with
this year-long celebration, Fond du Lac County
Audubon is sponsoring a “Passport to the Ledge”
program for area children. The Niagara Escarpment,
commonly called “the Ledge,” is a unique and
important resource that is intermittently exposed in
Wisconsin from Mayville to Rock Island in Door
County. Although high ground projects prominently
above the city of Fond du Lac, many residents, especially
children, are unaware of the geologic, ecologic,
historic, and recreational resources contained in this
natural feature. One purpose of our “Passport to the
Ledge” program is to disseminate Ledge information
more widely, and thereby instill an appreciation for
the value of this distinctive land form.
In addition to promoting Ledge appreciation,
the Passport program will provide an opportunity
and reward for children’s greater connection with
nature and outdoor activities. Such recreation is
considered important for children’s emotional and
physical health. The Passport program will encourage
visitation to a variety of sites along the Ledge, and
hopefully families will return for continued enjoyment
of these areas.

If you are willing to assist with this program, contact site facilitators or Passport committee members (Kathleen Stetter; 920-872-2250 or Stetter@Centurytel.net;
Amy Haak, haakprosser@milwpc.com;
Evelyn McLean-Cowan, evelyn@mcleancowan.com)