What is the Festival of Nature?

The Ridges Sanctuary invites you to join us in celebrating the natural beauty of the Door Peninsula at this year’s Festival of Nature, May 21-24, 2026. This year marks the 24th Festival of Nature. The theme of this year’s Festival is Convergence: the coming together of ideas, communities, and spaces. Convergence represents the junction of all necessary variables of the equation which move our scientific community forward towards progress.

 

Once accepted as a veritable underpinning of society, the scientific community now finds itself in a precarious position. In our work at The Ridges, we recognize all the forms of scientific research and conservation continuing to take place throughout the county and how the efforts of individuals decades ago have been instrumental in protecting the habitats we enjoy today. Convergence is both an honoring and a celebration of this work.

 

Science is predicated on systems. The word “system,” originating from the Greek word systēma, means a whole made up of parts, or an organized whole. To conduct scientific research is to attempt to put together a very large, complex puzzle. Without other pieces to give context to the colors and patterns printed on it, a single piece is just information. When you begin to see the patterns among the pieces, you can see the picture take shape. As we piece together scientific research and understanding, the arduous process of executing fieldwork, testing hypotheses, and analyzing endless data points also continues. This process cannot be conducted insularly, especially when the ecological puzzle is both complex and on the precipice of immeasurable change.

 

If we look at the landscape of The Ridges alone, we see interactions between several habitat types: the southernmost boreal forest in the United States at this elevation, a ridge and swale complex that exists in only a few places along the Great Lakes, a Sanctuary with over 475 vascular plant species and 29 species of native orchids, and a Ramsar-designated wetland of international importance. These are all puzzle pieces that together create a large, multifaceted picture of ecology and biology—pieces that we are trying to sort through to understand how they fit together and how we can preserve them. None of this work is done in isolation.

Citizen scientists, volunteer researchers, staff, visiting researchers, student interns, partner organizations, and universities all contribute to critical research taking place throughout all seasons, year after year.

 

Organizations that promote and contribute to conservation are also contributing to conservation efforts. Even visitors who travel here to enjoy The Ridges make a difference in promoting positive behaviors and raising awareness about these critical habitats. If we expand our view to look at the Peninsula as a whole, we can begin to understand how large and complex the puzzle of scientific research actually is. We also begin to understand the dedication of scientists, researchers, and conservationists who have come before us, building each piece so that we may continue their work. Every contribution relies not only on its relationship to one another, but on the evidence gathered before our time that has allowed us to inch toward progress.

 

We could not be more honored to celebrate the dedication of individuals and organizations who continue to practice and promote research and conservation within our community. We hope you will join us in celebration of the convergence of people, place, and science at the 24th annual Festival of Nature.

 

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