Bonaparte Gull. |
Peninsula State Park has gone to the birds. The park teamed up with the Village of
Ephraim to earn Bird City recognition. It’s the first time a Wisconsin
state park has done so.
The Bird City status recognizes the importance of Peninsula and
Ephraim as a migration corridor, as Wisconsin Great Birding Trail
destinations, and as places attractive to eco-tourists.
"The people who fought to establish Peninsula knew it was an
irreplaceable landscape," said Peninsula Naturalist Kathleen Harris, who
worked on the Bird City application with the Ephraim Business Council's
Tourism Administrator Rachel Willems and Ephraim Trustee Steve Sauter.
"Some of those people were Ephraim residents and along the way they set
aside wonderful gems in their own village."
Bird City www.birdcitywisconsin.org
promotes avian conservation. This new Wisconsin initiative challenges
municipalities and their neighbors to protect bird habitat, manage for
invasive species that degrade nesting sites, engage citizens in
International Migratory Bird Day in May, and educate the public about
dangers posed by feral cats.
It’s the shoreline, though, at both the park and within the village
that visitors can’t get enough of and neither can the birds. It's a
cinch to spot mallards and ring-billed gulls. Until the Bay of Green Bay
freezes over, buffleheads and goldeneye ducks paddle offshore. Come
summer, Bonaparte gulls may stop over in the water. Killdeer stick
around all summer while other shorebirds, such as the least sandpiper,
skitter across the sand flats, poking longish bills in search of snails
before journeying further north.
“The Ephraim Business Council thanks the Village of Ephraim,
Peninsula State Park and community members for their partnership in
gaining Bird City designation for Ephraim," said Willems. "The park is
an asset to our community. This designation compliments the diverse
offerings of the village and we hope it opens doors to future
collaboration.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Harris, Peninsula State Park Naturalist 920-854-5976
