Snow!

The snowfall we've had this month around Bethel Highlands, besides being fun to ski on or slide down, is also great for providing moisture for the plants, trees, and other living creatures after such a dry summer!

Early morning plowing as the snow was beginning to fall!

Afternoon photo!

Photo Card

Joy From Us Holiday

Create custom new year's invitations at Shutterfly.com.

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Retreats, Good for You!

Bethel Highlands has always felt like a retreat to me, with it's forest and timbered entrances. Last night, I attended Spa-La-La at Bethel Highlands which is hosted by the Journeys group. It felt good to pause and reflect on our own faith journeys at the different stations set up for us, especially during the season of Advent. If you didn't come this year, I highly recommend watching for it next year!

Along these lines, I've been reading about Luther Seminary's First Third program that was held in late November titled "Why Can't My Church Be More Like Camp?" and am thankful for all of the members of Bethel who are involved in providing the retreat atmosphere at the Highlands campus. 

Below is a photo of one of the stations at Spa-La-La.

All Creatures

I was reminded of the hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King" last Thursday evening when I encountered a black bear near Bethel Highlands. I was driving to Wendy's around 8:30 PM and the bear was just starting to cross the road at the bottom of the hill. As I approached the bear (in my car) it stood up, did an about face, landed back on all fours and went back in to the woods--rather than cross the road! It happened very quickly and I only had enough time to think "Oh, a bear!" There are many stories of black bears in the Hudson area and I have taken some photos of bear tracks, but this is the closest I have been to one!

Here is a link to a story and photos of black bears that have been observed in our area.

The December 2012 issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources also has an interesting article on black bears in Wisconsin (page 19-21). Did you know that Wisconsin has a thriving black bear population estimated at more than 22,000? The article also includes a map of black bear distribution throughout the state and indicates that bear distribution has expanded further south and southwest in our state. The map is color coded to indicate four categories of bear sightings across the state: abundant, common, occasional, and rare. St. Croix County is in the common sighting category.

Wild Birds - Gobble, Gobble!

The landscape at Bethel Highlands is home to many species of birds, including a flock of wild turkeys. The preschool children know all about the turkeys! Quail have also been spotted in the adjoining neighborhood. The flock of turkeys was photographed near the retention ponds this summer (see below).

Recently, the Boy Scout publication Boy's Life (November 2012) published some interesting "Fast Facts" on turkeys which I think you will be interested in! For instance:

• a turkey's gobble can be heard from one mile away.
• female turkeys lay between four and 17 eggs at a time.
• Native Americans domesticated turkeys 1,500 years before Christopher Columbus came to America.
• the wild turkey's diet is made up of seeds, nuts, insects, fruit and salamanders; and
• turkeys can run as fast as 25 miles per hour!

I have also observed great horned owls, eagles and quail in the area. Sounds like we should start a list of birds sighted at Bethel Highlands!

It's Scandinavian Food Fest Time!

The Scandinavian Food Fest is in full swing this weekend! Stop by for a taste of Scandinavian food, shopping and entertainment! Also, we recently received our outdoor sign for the National Wildlife Schoolyard Habitat Certification and it is on display by the preschool office.

Outdoor landscape tasks are also being completed. Perennials are being cut back and two of the bioretention strips have been mowed. Many of the ornamental grasses near the church are left intact to provide winter interest in the landscape. There are many outdoor tasks remaining such as edging and mulching the garden beds near the church.

Fall Color Splash

The last of the season's roses are blooming against a backdrop of orange Amalanchier foliage in the landscape Bethel Highland's landscape. This photo was taken north of the Columbarium and Memorial Garden!

Bioswales

While visiting Madison, WI in August, I took a photo of signage used in a parking lot bioswale in Hilldale.

The parking lot at Bethel Highlands also utilizes native plants to reduce runoff. The photo below was taken in June of 2012 in the evening. It will be interesting to see what comes back next spring after the historic drought we experienced this summer.

CHILDREN'S GARDENS

The 20th Anniversary of the National Children & Youth Garden Symposium was held this year at the University of Maryland. Visit the website if you are interested in children and gardening! I attended one of the first conferences with my daughter when it was held in Washington, D.C.! She is pictured above in the Little House on the Prairie Garden, one of many inspirational children's gardens that was on display at George Washington's River Farm, headquarters for the American Horticultural Society. Next year's meeting will be in Denver, Colorado July 11-13, 2013!

I also was introduced to one of my favorite books with ideas for engaging children in gardening at this meeting. It is entitled Sunflower Houses: Garden Discoveries for Children of All Ages by Sharon Lovejoy. We also built a sunflower house similar to the one pictured above when we returned home. Interestingly (but maybe not surprisingly) the little girl pictured above is now studying biology in college!

Historic Drought

Many of the plants in the prairie retention strips at Bethel Highlands came from Prairie Nursery in Westfield, Wisconsin. Visit the Prairie Nursery blog to learn more about how the historic drought of 2012 is affecting Wisconsin prairie plantings!

Bethel Highlands is a Certified Wildlife Habitat!

Bethel Highlands Preschool has been certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. Members who work on the landscape applied for the certification which involved an assessment of critical factors which support wildlife.

You can learn more about the Wildlife Habitat certification process by visiting the National Wildlife Federation's Garden for Wildlife page.

Faith Communities and the Environment

The landscape at Bethel Downtown and Bethel Highlands in Hudson, WI  is maintained by a dedicated crew of volunteers who enjoy working outdoors.

Environmental theologian Martin Palmer spoke recently at the University of Minnesota about the role of faith communities in global environmental challenges.

Visit the link below to learn more about this important topic:

http://environment.umn.edu/momentum/eventseries/speakers/martin_palmer.html

One of the plants we are attempting to control at Highlands is crown vetch. It has been planted as a bank stabilizer by the freeway but has also crossed the road and can be found amidst the Highlands landscape. If you would like to know more about this plant, check out the following website:

http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/crown_vetch.htm

This past weekend, over 30 members of Bethel Lutheran Church installed the landscaping for the Memorial Garden around the Columbarium at Bethel Highlands. It was a warm and windy day but rainfall that evening was welcome! Click here for "before" photos!

Baptisia is blooming now in the parking lot prairie strips.

Wild phlox are blooming in the children's area above the Memorial Garden.