What is the Festival of Nature?

The Ridges Sanctuary, along with our partners in conservation, invites you to join us in celebrating the natural beauty of the Door Peninsula at the 23rd Annual Door County Festival of Nature, May 23-25. The theme of this year’s festival is Grounded Perspectives.  

 

Think of your first memories in nature: wading in a shallow stream while searching for snails, making “potions” with sand and water, seeing how high you could climb up a tree. As children we meet the unknown with a sense of wonder and joy, endlessly exploring what we have come to dismiss as ordinary, whether it be a stick, a bug, or an oak leaf.  

 

As we grow, we carry these memories with us, acquiring new perspectives like threads. Our relationship with the natural world is a complex, ever-evolving tapestry of stories. This relationship is a process without an end product. We cannot know all there is to know about the natural world.  

 

In contrast, our modern life is driven by achievements. We see nature as less of a necessity and more of a hobby. But what if we were to reprioritize time spent in the natural world as productive? What if our responsibility as citizens is to learn all we can and pass it on to others? The greater our understanding of a subject, the more compelled we are to care for it. Learning new perspectives leaves us with new pathways of connection and care.  

 

Each experience in nature is an invitation to see the world differently, whether it be through the eyes of the last Range Light Keeper of Baileys Harbor in the early 1900s, through the words of a poet wandering Wintergreen Trail, or through an artist’s rendition of Sandy Swale.

 

Just as they were when we were young, curiosity and awe remain the building blocks of stewardship. By sharing what inspires us, we can positively impact the experiences of others and build thriving relationships with the natural world.  

 

Those of us who visit or live in Door County are incredibly privileged. The peninsula has over 300 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, over 30,000 acres of protected land and wetlands, and over 100 art galleries. The county is a confluence of beauty, conservation, and expression. In our ever-hectic world, these spaces provide the space for us to reconnect with the land.

 

The Festival of Nature creates an opportunity to reconnect with the natural world and to ground ourselves in the present moment. Each field trip invites us to be present, create, and listen to the world around us. Through our amazing partners, we can learn from different perspectives. Imagine what you can learn from others who also care deeply about this place, both land and people.  

 

We hope you’ll join us in reconnecting with the beauty of the natural world and grounding yourself in perspectives that inspire enduring care for this remarkable place