2024 through the eyes of a Naturalist
2024, a year we won’t forget at the Reserve. It always amazing to me how much six individuals can do in one year. I can honestly say that I work with some of the most passionate people who care greatly about this Reserve.
Emma and Andrea at a Water Quality Training
Water quality has been one of our main topics this year. How does the wetland help with water quality in the Fox Valley? That is a question to be answered in a blog later this year. But to give you that answer, Emma along with the education team worked hard to educate themselves by attending trainings. They also created a wetland water quality curriculum with water testing procedures that could be done with both youth and adults. The goal is to create a report on the water quality of the Reserve and have it published each year.
Andrea holding a rescued owlet
Owlets in their replacement nest!
No one could forget our Great Horned owlet rescue of 2024. When a very windy snowstorm knocked over a tree that housed a Great Horned Owl nest. The two surviving owlets were placed in a replacement nest. The adult Great Horned continued to care for them in the replacement nest until they fledged. You can read more about this story here: Owl Rescue Story It was amazing to see how a community coming together can make a difference.
Long-eared owl in the wetland!
Another fun owl experience at the Reserve was when Luke spotted a Long-eared Owl sitting on a log in the wetland. He was busy giving a tour to a group of adults who got to share in the wonder of seeing a rare owl in the Reserve. It stayed in the wetland resting and hunting for 24 hours before continuing on its migration journey. It is a good reminder of how important our habitat is to migrating birds. The wetland is a great stopping point for those going over or coming from the other side of the lake.
Goats eating Buckthorn!
Speaking of habitat management, you can’t forget the goats. This was our first year using goats to manage buckthorn. Goats have powerful stomachs that kill the seeds from these plants which stops them from regenerating and spreading. It is a great management technique for invasive plants. In 2024, the goats ate about 4 acres of buckthorn. Not bad for our first year.
I absolutely adored the goats, they all had unique personalities. I also loved watching people from all over come to watch the goats. Emma made a great goat wrangler too. She did an excellent job with this project and with developing a partnership with Glorious Goat Ranch. I can’t wait for the goats to come in 2025.
Heather was busy booking a lot of school field trips this year. If you ever want to meet the most organized person on this staff… it is Heather, she keeps us on schedule. In 2024, we taught over 10,000 people in public programs, school programs, scouting programs, and in summer camps.
In addition to teaching, Maddie and I worked on making sure our curriculum met all state standards as well as met the needs of our schools. We also discovered the wonders of the Wit and Wisdom curriculum. Creature Features have been muttered a lot in the education office this year. Ha! We are so thankful for partnerships like Banta, Fox Valley Virtual, Lake Edge Learning, and Foster. It has been an honor working and educating their students. We also rewrote some of our lessons to incorporate the new teaching area in the prairie. It has been awesome to teach a seeds or prairie class under the Coneflower pavilion.
The Coneflower Pavilion was a huge part of 2024. We finished this beautiful pavilion with an 8-foot monarch butterfly sculpture in August. This pavilion will serve as a new outdoor classroom, a public program venue, a destination on our snowshoe trail, and a place for families to explore and learn about our prairie. Kelsey worked hard with his volunteers to make this project happen. We are also very thankful for the donors who helped support this dream. It turned out beautifully. It was super fun teaching classes under the pavilion this school year. One of my favorite parts is the metamorphosis mosaic done by the Menasha School District art students. They created clay tiles of the butterfly life cycle. If you haven’t seen the Coneflower Pavilion, I suggest you come visit soon.
Menasha School District’s students created these tiles
Butterfly welded by Stilettos and Steeltoes Welding & Fabrication
Another new adventure this year was the Heckrodt Honey Blond Ale. Lion’s Tail Brewing Co. created this yummy beer with honey from our honeybee hives. For each pint purchased a portion of the proceeds went to help the habitat. It was fun to watch them brew this beer. The cans turned out beautifully too. The cans were all the buzz! We can’t wait to work with them again in the future.
Rick and Sue volunteer each week at Heckrodt!
My mom does acting during our Creepy Crawlies event!
Heckrodt cannot do what we do without its volunteers. They put in hours of their time and talent for the Reserve. Whether it be our daily volunteers who help keep the place beautiful, volunteers who help us with large events, or the large volunteer groups who help with larger projects and invasive species. They make a difference at the Reserve and in the community.
Luke has done a fantastic job encouraging his team to work together, drawing on each other’s strengths, and making the Reserve a better place for the community. Thanks for your leadership, Luke!
I am extremely proud of the work we all do and the passion each one of my coworkers put into. 2024 was a year we will never forget! We are so excited to share new adventures in 2025. You never know what the year might bring.
Written by: Andrea Bierbrauer
HWR Naturalist Educator /Early Childhood Program Manager
