Community Event

Kicking off the Boulder Junction Woods & Water Series, join the Discovery Center for a two-part presentation with Discovery Center’s Woods & Water Director Jamie VandenLangenberg and Manitowish Waters Historical Society Historian Jim Bokern at Peeple’s Park on Main Street. Begin the evening with a social and aquatic plant demonstration from 4:30-5:00pm. Enjoy charcuterie and refreshments…

Explore with Manitowish Waters Historical Society guide Jim Bokern and a NLDC naturalist one of the most robust CCC camps in the Northwoods, while walking on the newest NHAL hiking trail! 23 interpretive signs, cleared archaeological features and years of research will be discussed while traveling along the Manitowish River. Discover a variety of Northwoods…

Join Naturalist Aidan on an interpretive pontoon cruise on Rest Lake! Participants will get the opportunity to learn about lake ecology and the Manitowish Chain of Lakes while indulging in wine and cheese and cruising toward the sunset.  An email will be sent to registered participants with directions to the launch site and items to…

Join our Woods and Water team for a paddling endeavor down the Manitowish River. We will learn about freshwater ecology and the importance of a vibrant and healthy freshwater ecosystem. We will share our knowledge about the ecological importance of the Manitowish River and stop several times to snorkel and explore the river bottom for…

For the second segment in our Boulder Junction Woods & Water series, join the Discovery Center team out on the trails at Northern Highland-American Legion’s Lumberjack Trail. Participants will embark on an interpretive hike with the Discovery Center’s naturalist team exploring forest ecology. Participants will discover ways to identify plants prevalent in the forests around…

Little Rock Lake, just 1/8 mile off Hwy. 51, and all of 39 acres, seems an unlikely waterbody to be internationally significant. But it was, and still is. Rock Lake was the site of a 1983 study on acid rain that tested the vulnerability of our Midwest lakes to acid rain. The study continued for…

Putting tiny stickers on the late summer migrating generation provides incredible citizen science data about their population and migration habits.  Join Naturalist Hannah for this fun hybrid program.  Prior to this in-person tagging and garden exploration program, Hannah will email you a link to a virtual program where she describes the incredible life cycle, adaptations,…

Join us for an evening paddle on beautiful Van Vliet Lake.  Join naturalists Hannah and Licia as we explore the natural shoreline along the Van Vliet Hemlocks State Natural Area as we head over to Averill Lake.  This will be a slow moving, easy paddle (unless we have some wind), so some paddling experience is…

One winter night, guide and moonshiner, Mr. Powers, was killed.  Was it murder?  Was it self-defense?  Join Kay Krans, retired history teacher and Manitowish Waters Historical Society (MWHS) member along with a Discovery Center Naturalist as we tour by pontoon, the important sites of this story.Limited space available. Registration is required by 8/18/24. $60/Non-Member and…

This program will introduce children to some of the interesting characteristics of small and furry mammals that live all around us. Mice, voles, moles, shrews, squirrels and chipmunks, oh my! We'll learn to identify different species by their appearance, and we'll learn how scientists collect data through live trapping procedures! NLDC Naturalists will go step-by-step…