Upcoming Events

Little Naturalist StoryTime

Looking for a fun time for your kids to explore the Mead Wildlife Area?

The Mead is pleased to announce the Summer Reading Program: Little Naturalist Storytime!

Bring your kids and family out for a day of fun at the Mead Wildlife Area. Each day will involve hands on activities from crafts and outside adventures to interactive story telling.

Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays 10am – 11:30

Week of August 3rd & 5th: “Birds”- Birds, Birds, everywhere! Theme for the week will be “Birds” each day will have different activities. Your Little Naturalist will learn about the variety of birds species found at the Mead. One of the days each participant will get to make their own binoculars and go on a hike to find birds that call the Mead home. On the other day they will make a craft to help protect birds at their house.

Week of August 10th & 12th : “Pond Life”: Theme for the week will be “Pond Life” each day will have different activities. Your Little Naturalist will be led to The Wildlife Scrape or Dragonfly Pond to survey the lively food sources available to waterfowl, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals that depend on our wetland habitat during part or all their life.  Enjoy the scenic view of Mead’s wetlands while we collect and identify aquatic macroinvertebrates.  Your child will discover some unique adaptations of these key species as well as life cycles of pond critters. 

Week of August 17th & 19th: “History of the Mead Wildlife Area”: Theme for the week will be “History of the Area” each day will have different activities. The history of the lands and region surrounding Mead Wildlife Area is a rich and long one.  Generally, we look at history as recent, but one must go far back to really begin to appreciate how this region has developed.

These events are Free and Open to the Public.  For more information, please call: Joan Dickrell (715) 457-6727

Storytimes will occur whether rain or shine!  This is a wonderful opportunity for all to come out and discover the wonders of Nature and still be able to take a bit of the Wild home with you!

Naturalist Guided Hikes

After a prolonged, COVID induced, hiatus our education and outreach program at the Mead Education and Visitor Center is taking flight. Starting on Monday June 21, we will be offering in-person Naturalist led programs. These are great hikes for the family; children must be accompanied by an adult.
***Advance registration is required, limited space available. See the program listing to register with a Naturalist.
These family events are held outdoors following current COVID social distancing requirements. Due to the nature of small-group programming, if it is not possible to social distance, use of masks are highly encouraged. Please do not attend if you are experiencing symptoms or believe you have been exposed to the virus. Restrooms are available near the Visitor Center. Guests should be self-sufficient.  In the event of rain, the Naturalist will lead the program under the East Kiosk. In the event of severe weather, the program will be cancelled.

July Hikes:

Wednesday: July 28th-1-3pm "Dragonflies-Amazing Sky Hunters" with Pam Resech

August Hikes:

Wednesday: August 18th-10-Noon-"American Black Bear" with Pam Resech

Saturday: August 21st-7-8:30pm-"Fireflies at Sunset" with Joan Voigt

Monday: August 23rd-4:30-6pm-"Just Ducky" with Pam Resech

Saturday: August 28th-10-Noon-"Native Prairie Plants' with Pam Resech

Monday August 30th-6-7:30-"Owls in Wisconsin" with Pam Resech

The Mead Education team can be contacted:

Pam Resech: pamela.resech@wisconsin.gov                                                  

Text Pam’s Cell Phone: 715-315-9393                                                                                                                                                              

Joan Voigt: joan.voigt@wisconsin.gov Text Joan's Cell Phone: 920-765-3317

Virtual Mondays@ Mead

The Mead Education and Visitor Center will be hosting a series of virtual presentations on Wisconsin’s amazing flora, fauna, and natural resources. Presentations are on Monday nights from 6:30-7:30pm (CST), beginning with the month of April and ending in October. Mondays @ Mead, will feature a unique topic, led by the State’s leading experts and current researchers. These once a month presentations are free and sponsored by the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society.

Advanced registration is required. See details below.

Self-guided Interpretive Walks at the Mead Wildlife Area

The Mead Wildlife Education Team is pleased to welcome families, teachers and homeschools to a series of monthly self-guided interpretive trail walks for 2021.  Groups are encouraged to get outdoors and enjoy the seasons throughout the year. While exploring the three habitats and the inter-relationships with wildlife on the Mead property groups must follow the DNR COVID rules; social distance, stay with your family pod, groups size of 10 or less, and wear a mask if interacting with others not in your group.  Trail information handouts and tools needed will be available in the brochure rack where the walk begins at the Main Entrance Front Kiosk Parking Lot. See below for list of topics and dates.

Virtual Mondays@ Mead dates and presenters:

July 26: Wisconsin Monarchs-Karen Oberhauser, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum Director, Aldo Leopold Professor of Restoration Ecology, Professor-Department of Entomology will present on the life cycle, habitat, and migration of monarch butterflies. Zoom Registration link: https://bit.ly/39FdE6r

August 23:Wild Rice in Wisconsin-Jason Fleener, WDNR Wetland Habitat Specialist, will discuss Wisconsin’s wild rice history, ecology and harvesting. Zoom Registration link: https://bit.ly/3mlyPiY

September 27: Astronomy-Sebastian Zamfir, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, UWSP - Physics and Astronomy, and Director of Blocher Planetarium & Pejsa Observatory, will discuss star gazing and constellations in the night sky. Zoom Registration link: https://bit.ly/39JboLr

SPECIAL EDITION October 11: Bats in Wisconsin-Janet Raddatz, Wisconsin Master Naturalist and WDNR bat program volunteer, will discuss the eight bat species recorded in Wisconsin, how bats have a significant role in ecosystems, bats as pollinators, how bats survive winter, and which species migrate from Wisconsin. Zoom Registration link: https://bit.ly/31QFCaS

October 25: Wisconsin Turtles-Andrew Badje, WDNR Conservation Biologist will present turtle identification, range, and ecology of Wisconsin’s 11 native turtle species. Zoom Registration link: https://bit.ly/3wnpfRc

2021 Self-Guided Interpretive Walks at The Mead Wildlife Area:

  • July -  Winged Wonders-Native Pollinators (Pollinators Week 6/21-6/27) 7/16/21 – 8/12/21
    • Bees, Bats, Birds and Butterflies
  • August – Wildlife of Native Prairies 8/13/21 – 9/9/21
  • September – Tree ID & Leaves 9/10/21 – 10/14/21
  • October - Owls in Wisconsin 10/15/21-11/11/21
  • November – Wisconsin Wildlife Safari - 11/12/21 – 12/9/21
  • December – Bald Eagles - 12/10/21 – 1/20/22

Mark Your Calendar's  

July 15 to August 12, 2021

Native Pollinator's   

Flitter, flap, fly, or buzz over to the Mead Wildlife Area to discover the many native pollinators that nature and humans depend on. National Pollinator’s Week was celebrated on 6/21-6/27. You can continue the celebration by exploring the wonders of these remarkable creatures.  Discover the benefits as well as the issues facing the survival of these amazing pollinators.  Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles and other small mammals are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of our food. 

Start your walk at the Main Entrance Parking lot east of the Front Kiosk. Traveling down the path to Turkey Foot Trail, follow to the Scrape, Geology area, and around the  Audubon Prairie Trail where you will be sure to see many native pollinators.