Sharp-shinned hawks and broad winged hawks have started their migration over Wolf Ridge! Several were documented near the observation deck behind the science center. A notable difference between the two is the flight behavior. A sharp-shinned hawk will flap much more than the broad winged hawk, who glides smoothly through the air. These hawks […]
Read Full PostOn Saturday, June 3, 2017 we gathered to celebrate the culmination of two important milestones in the Making Waves $9.4 million capital campaign – completion of the Lakeview Staff House and Maintenance Buildings, and kicking off Phase 2, the Margaret A. Cargill Lodge and Lake Superior classroom access. These milestones would not be possible without YOU! Here’s […]
Read Full PostI’ve often thought of the West Dorm as a “home away from home.” School kids move in on Mondays ready to make the place their own. They haul their sleeping bags and clothes off the bus and up into their rooms, thrilled to be on this grand adventure north. Summer campers gather around the […]
Read Full PostMay is the optimal time to engage in a wildflower hike. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensi), a flower with 8-10 white petals, can be found in the lower valleys of Wolf Ridge. The name bloodroot comes from red juice that emerges from a broken stem. This juice is poisonous, but can be used as a natural dye. […]
Read Full PostOne of the many birds migrating back to Wolf Ridge this spring is the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). These birds that let out a loud, rattling call are primarily fish eaters, which means that their homes can be found near a body of water. A male Belted Kingfisher will obtain a territory that may include […]
Read Full PostThis time of the year in northern Minnesota we are witnessing some interesting behavior from the birds. Though seemingly unusual, these visuals and sounds are all typical of mating behaviors. All birds have their own unique songs and actions, but some highlights around this area include that from Common Ravens, Bald Eagles, Pileated Woodpeckers, and […]
Read Full PostIt’s that time of year when the maple sap is running! Wolf Ridge happens to be right in the middle of a sugar bush, a section of forest dominated by sugar maple trees. We waited to begin tapping until the right time – when the temperature is below freezing at night and above freezing during […]
Read Full PostEarlier this week, Maria and I were enjoying a steaming hot cup of cedar tea. Cedar tea is not only tasty, but nutritious! The northern white cedar (thuja occidentalis) was called ‘arbor vitae’, or ‘tree of life’ in Latin by early European explorers because its high vitamin C content prevented diseases like scurvy. As we […]
Read Full PostBy Lori Walewski and Shannon Walz Living Building Challenge believes that beauty inspires caring for communities and the environment. The Beauty Petal challenges LBC projects to recalibrate what people accept for the built environment. The purpose is to create joy and inspiration. There are two imperatives – 1) Beauty and Spirit and 2) Inspiration and […]
Read Full PostBy Lori Walewski and Shannon Walz Freshwater is a precious resource. Access to freshwater is becoming a serious issue around the world due to climate change, pollution and our current water habits around water use. The Water Petal’s intent is to rethink our water usage and what happens with wastewater so that buildings, campuses and […]
Read Full PostBy Lori Walewski and Shannon Walz Living Building Challenge has been mentioned many times in this blog. Living Building Certification consists of three steps. Registration – Wolf Ridge registered the West Dorm remodel to the LBC version 2.1 in September 2014. Documentation and Operation – We are currently in this phase which includes constructions and […]
Read Full PostWith 2016 behind us, we are looking forward to wrapping up work on some of the pieces of a house that people don’t often think about – the electric wiring, heating, plumbing, and more. In the case of the Naturalist House, this also includes special wiring that will transmit information to the graduate student naturalists who will live there. The […]
Read Full PostOver the holiday weekend, Wolf Ridge got a fresh covering of snow. It is a quiet week here from a programming standpoint – besides staff on campus the only others onsite are our furry and feathered friends; however, this is not a quiet week for our builders as construction presses on with the Maintenance Building […]
Read Full PostOn December 13th, 2016, as we traveled down the hill towards Highway 61 with Wolf Ridge resident citizen scientist, Peter Harris, we noticed strange cloud formations over Lake Superior. There was a great mass of “sea smoke” rising off of the waters of the lake and, from that, columns of the “smoke” rising to meet the clouds […]
Read Full PostPost By John Chandler, Wolf Ridge Development Director If you walked on site this week, you would see some major transformations in our Maintenance building. It actually looks like a building! The windows are in and the siding is on. The much welcomed “warm-up” is speeding along the interior work in the Staff House as […]
Read Full PostI recently had a great conversation with Curtis Martinson, our on-site construction foreman. He loves waking up in the woods with a fresh cup of coffee, photography, and he can wax poetic about the promise of new technologies in building design and construction. While most of our updates are about things like boards, rafters and concrete, today we’ll do something […]
Read Full PostOn a hike for the Superior View Hike class, one may notice a large number of birch trees that all lean in the same direction. What caused these trees to do such a thing? We had the same question! Upon consulting human encyclopedia and Wolf Ridge naturalist Peter Harris, we discovered that there was a […]
Read Full PostOn a blustery winter walk on Wolf Ridge campus, naturalist Hannah Edstrom heard something rather unusual. Coming from a nearby tree, a flock of chickadees began emitting a loud “fee-bee” call. Not having heard that sound in the winter before, Hannah ran to Wolf Ridge’s resident bird expert Nathan Cross. When Hannah told Nathan about […]
Read Full PostDuring their Animals Signs class, Jeffers Pond students headed off trail to explore. Lucky for them, they spotted a Ruffed Grouse! The students were thereafter very excited to look for more signs of the “forest chicken” – a nickname given due to their shape and similar movement. Ruffed Grouse have a short, triangular crest and a […]
Read Full PostBy John Chandler, Wolf Ridge Development Director We’ve had some exciting rainy, snowy, icy weather the last few days but our construction teams are hard at work. The windows have been installed in the Naturalist House and they are working on getting the metal roof on when they can. With the windows installed the construction […]
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