Door County is a special place for many reasons. One of the most beautiful things about Door County is how people care for the land. Those who lived here long before us had the foresight to protect diverse ecosystems all along the peninsula. Even now, as the number of visitors on the peninsula increases with each passing year, there is a network of people who share this same connection. They work to build relationships between people and nature, inspiring stewardship and a land ethic will transcend generations.

This year, let us celebrate the individuals, organizations, and ecosystems that make Door County the incredible community it is by connecting people and the planet. Through field trips, lectures, events, and communications, we want you to be inspired to act and help us ensure that these wild places are protected for future generations.

Festival Schedule:

FRIDAY MAY 24TH - MORNING

6:00AM-8:00AM: Early Birds at TNC Shivering Sands Preserve Trailhead, Sturgeon Bay
8:00AM-11:00AM: Mud Lake Paddle at Rieboldt Creek Crossing on County Q, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-10:30AM: Historic Horseshoe Bay Farms Tour at Horseshoe Bay Farms, Egg Harbor
9:00AM-11:00AM: Boat Tour of Green Bay and Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuges at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock
9:00AM-11:00AM: Judy Abert Meissner Memorial Wetlands Preserve at Kangaroo Lake at TNC’s Meissner Preserve, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:00AM: The Motus Wildlife Tracking System and its Role in Door County at Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:00AM: Geology Discovery Hike at Pebble Beach at Pebble Beach Rd, Sister Bay
9:00AM-11:00AM: Ellison Bay Bluff Exploration at Ellison Bay Bluff County Park, Ellison Bay
9:00AM-11:30AM: Exploring Three Springs Preserve at Three Springs Preserve, Sister Bay
9:00AM-11:30AM: Ecology of Door County’s Lake Michigan Coastal Landscapes at TNC Shivering Sands Preserve Trailhead, Sturgeon Bay
9:00AM-11:30AM: Three Sisters Gardening at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:30AM: It Isn’t Easy Being (Ever) Green at Cabins at The Ridges, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-12:00PM: Nature Immersion/Forest Bathing at Hotz Memorial Town Park, Ellison Bay
9:00AM-12:00PM: Kangaroo Lake Paddling Adventure at Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve, Baileys Harbor
10:00AM-12:00PM: Lakeside Coastal Tour at Baileys Harbor Marina, Baileys Harbor
11:30AM-1:30PM: Boat Tour of Green Bay and Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuges at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock

FRIDAY MAY 24TH - AFTERNOON

1:00PM-3:00PM: Sturgeon Bay Maritime Overview, Past and Present at Door County Maritime Museum, Sturgeon Bay
1:00PM-3:30PM State Natural Area Sampler at Baileys Harbor Town Hall, Baileys Harbor
1:00PM-3:30PM: Forest Ecology at the Mink River Preserve at TNC Schoenbrunn Trailhead, Ellison Bay
1:00PM-3:30PM: Dwarf Lake Iris Restoration Project at Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-3:00PM: Terrestrial Arthropod Foray at Crossroads at Big Creek, Sturgeon Bay
1:30PM-3:30PM: Exploring Europe Lake and Newport Shorelines at Hotz Memorial Town Park, Ellison Bay
1:30PM-3:30PM: Using Seek App to Engage in Nature at Oak Road Nature Preserve, Egg Harbor
1:30PM-3:30PM: Sway Brewery Tour: Highlighting Wild Harvested Ingredients at Sway Brewing + Blending, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-3:30PM: Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve at Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve, Carlsville
1:30PM-4:00PM: Regenerative Agriculture in Action on a Dairy Farm at Brey Cycle Farm, Sturgeon Bay
1:30PM-4:00PM: Nature at the Tip of Your Pencil, Part 1: Making a Nature Journal at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-4:00PM: Explore Toft Point at Baileys Harbor Town Hall, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-4:30PM: Big Creek Restoration Paddle at Crossroads at Big Creek, Sturgeon Bay
1:30PM-4:30PM: Birding By Ear: Beginners Class at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor
2:00PM-4:00PM: Boat Tour of Green Bay and Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuges at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock

FRIDAY MAY 24TH - EVENING

6:30PM-8:30PM: Lakeside Coastal Tour - Sunset Edition! at Baileys Harbor Marina, Baileys Harbor

SATURDAY MAY 25TH - MORNING

7:00AM-9:00AM: Birding by Ear Field Trip at Door County Land Trust’s Bay Shore Blufflands Preserve, Egg Harbor
8:30AM-12:00PM: Photographing Spring Wildflowers at Baileys Harbor Town Hall, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-10:30AM: Peninsula Park Caves & Ephraim North Cruise at  9448 Spruce St., Fish Creek
9:00AM-11:00AM: Explore Open Door Bird Sanctuary at Open Door Bird Sanctuary, Jacksonport
9:00AM-11:30AM: The Bees of The Ridges Sanctuary at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:30AM: Colors in Nature at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:30AM: HOBOs of The Ridges and Orchid Research Updates at Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center, Bailey Harbor
9:00AM-11:30AM: Stewardship Workshop Series Kickoff: The Importance of Healthy Forests at Logan Creek Preserve, Jacksonport
9:00AM-12:00PM: The “Big Plant” and Reforestation at Baileys Harbor Town Hall, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-12:30PM: Discover Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock
10:00AM-12:00PM: Eagle Bluff Kayak Trip at Nicolet Beach, Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek
10:00AM-12:00PM: Lakeside Coastal Tour at Baileys Harbor Marina, Baileys Harbor
10:00AM-1:30PM: Discover Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock
10:30AM-12:30PM: Waseda Farms Tour at Waseda Farms, Baileys Harbor
11:00AM-2:30PM: Discover Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock

SATURDAY MAY 25TH - AFTERNOON

1:00PM-3:00PM: Sturgeon Bay Maritime Overview, Past and Present at Door County Maritime Museum, Sturgeon Bay
1:30PM-3:00PM: Major Myths & Misconceptions about Evolution at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-3:00PM: Daytime Solar Observing at Baileys Harbor Town Hall, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-3:30PM: Natural and Human History at Heins Creek Nature Preserve at Heins Creek Nature Preserve, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-3:30PM: Waseda Farms Tour at Waseda Farms, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-3:30PM: Uncover the Wonder of the Boreal Forest at Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-3:30PM: Stream Monitoring: Assessing Stream Health through Citizen Science at Baileys Harbor Town Hall, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-4:00PM: Wildflowers Galore! at Logan Creek Preserve, Jacksonport
1:30PM-4:00PM: Beetles, and Aphids, and Flies, Oh, My! at Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center, Baileys Harbor
1:30PM-4:00PM: Kayak Logan Creek at Clark Lake Boat Launch, Jacksonport
1:30PM-4:00PM: Morphology – Forms Found in Four Habitats and a Leaf Print at Carlsville Rd., Sturgeon Bay
1:30PM-4:00PM: Nature at the Tip of Your Pencil, Part 2: Drawing What You See at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor

SATURDAY MAY 25TH - EVENING

5:00PM-7:00PM: The Nature of Fermentation at Mixed MEADia Vineyard, Egg Harbor
6:30PM-8:30PM: Lakeside Coastal Tour - Sunset Edition! at Baileys Harbor Marina, Baileys Harbor
8:00PM-10:00PM: Spring Night Hike at The Ridges Sanctuary  at Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center, Baileys Harbor
8:00PM-10:00PM: Astronomy - Observing the Night Sky at Newport State Park, Parking Lot 3, Ellison Bay

SUNDAY MAY 26TH - MORNING

6:00AM-9:00AM: Let’s Go Birding! at Newport State Park, Parking Lot 3, Ellison Bay
8:00AM-9:30AM: Exploring Landscape Photography With Your Cell Phone at Sturgeon Bay Shipping Canal Nature Preserve, Sturgeon Bay
8:00AM-10:00AM: Explore Open Door Bird Sanctuary at Open Door Bird Sanctuary, Jacksonport
9:00AM-11:00AM: Boat Tour of Green Bay and Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuges at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock
9:00AM-11:00AM: Planting for Pollinators at Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:00AM: Trackchair Open House at Family Discovery Trail, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:30AM: Explore Bjorklunden and Boynton Chapel at Björklunden, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:30AM: Ridges Heritage Walk at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:30AM: Wandering Aimlessly at Appel’s Bluff at Baileys Harbor Town Hall, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-11:30AM: Geology ROCKS! at Baileys Harbor Town Hall, Baileys Harbor
9:00AM-12:00PM: Phenology in a Handmade Book at Cabins at The Ridges Sanctuary, Baileys Harbor
10:00AM-12:00PM: Lakeside Coastal Tour at Baileys Harbor Marina, Baileys Harbor at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock
11:30AM-1:30PM: Boat Tour of Green Bay and Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuges at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock

SUNDAY MAY 26TH - AFTERNOON

2:00PM-4:00PM: Boat Tour of Green Bay and Gravel Island National Wildlife Refuges at at The Shoreline Hotel Marina, Gills Rock

Fest Date: May 23 - 26, 2024

Location: Various Locations in Baileys Harbor, WI

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