As I am watching the snow fall, I am daydreaming about warmer days to come and the first hints of green peeking through the landscape. Although, as I am watching the snow falling here on the thirteenth of March, the peaceful moment offers time for reflection to ponder over the winter adventures at Boulder Lake ELC. The annual Sweetie Snowshoe brought a handful of folks with a variety of elaborate snowshoes. The moonlit hike was lead by John, Boulder Lake ELC’s fearless leader who set up quite a romantic setting in the Buzz Ryan historical area. The snowshoer's were lead to a secluded cedar grove, complete with a blazing bon fire, luminaries, poetry, hot chocolate, and cookies. During the day the cloud cover and gusty winds seemed to threaten the Sweetie Snowshoe “moonlight hike”. But Mother Nature works in mysterious ways, and just as the sun was setting the wind settled and the sky opened up to show off a crystal clear view of the stars. The full moon rose as if right on queue as we ventured through several feet of snow into a beautifully blanketed wetland that offered an awesome view of the Valentines night sky. Thank you to all those in attendance; it was an evening to remember.

Last Monday, Boulder ELC was buzzing with 75 seventh graders from Woodland Middle School in Duluth. Thanks to Sandy Pearson coordinating the event, John and I had an opportunity to show off Boulder’s winter wonderland. I worked with students on winter survival skills; setting up shelters and building fires with limited resources. John was off to the races on snowshoes and tracking animals. It was a pleasure to bring the ELC to life with good energy and curious young naturalists. In fact, as one of the students was working on building a fire, he was awestruck to discover he was sitting next to evidence of a beaver. He found beaver chew marks on the trunk of an aspen tree. The observant student rejoiced in amazement at his discovery. From a naturalist’s viewpoint, experiencing this moment where a student took time to notice his surroundings even though his survival group had several tasks to complete was gratifying. To stop and look at the bigger picture is much more then a lesson on basic survival but a valuable lesson in life.

Up and coming is the second annual St. Louis Watershed Teachers Workshop. Explore the St. Louis River through time in this unique two-day, free workshop offered June 20-21 or June 27-28, 2006. Topics include prehistoric landscapes and cultures, natural resource management,
hydroelectricity, glacial geology, Great Lakes shipping and lake ecology. The program was co-developed by Jay Cooke State Park (DNR), Great Lakes Aquarium, Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center and the UMD Center for Environmental Education. Registration deadline is June 5, 2006. For more information or to register, contact John Geissler at 218-721-3731, by email geiss020@d.umn.edu, or visit http://www.mnpower.com/community/workshops/watershed.htm.

Think Spring!

Adriane A. Morabito
Graduate Assistant
Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center