Pope Francis’ encyclical letter, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, is 2 years old this weekend. With Father’s Day being celebrated in the United States, it is a great time to remember in prayer our Holy Father, Pope Francis. He has done a wonderful job showing us in word and deed how to live simply in a way that promotes love for God, neighbor, and Our Common Home.

As Laudato Si’ Project continues its work in parishes and schools, we realize that this message is just beginning to take root in the lives of many Catholics. Feel free to use our Resources Page as you learn more about this part of a life of virtue and share it with others. View our list of 5 things you can do each day to Live Laudato Si’—> LiveLS

You may also wish to sign the GCCM’s  worldwide petition to Live Laudato Si.

Below are two projects that LSP has been involved in recently and expresses our love for Our Common Home. 

Eagle Scout Project: Woodland Restoration- Sam Reinbold St. Dominics Troop 119

A large crew from Boy Scout Troop 119, friends, and family were busy helping Sam Reinbold with his Eagle Scout Project at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center in Waukesha, WI. Laudato Si Project was excited to have Sam use the woodland restoration for his Eagle Project which included: removing buckthorn, woodchipping a nature path, installing a bench, and hanging trail/tree ID signs. Way to go Sam!!!

Eagle Scout Project

Adopt a Highway Spring Cleanup

Laudato Si’ Project is proud to sponsor a 2 mile stretch of highway 67 near Dousman, WI. Adopting a highway requires that twice a year, a group of volunteers from your organization removes trash from both sides of the adopted stretch. With our great volunteers, we were able to remove over 4 full garbage bags of trash and 1 bag of recyclables.

Volunteers at our Adopt-a-highway cleanup

Written by Joe Meyer: Executive Director of LSP

Birds are a type of wildlife that brightens our day around our homes and on our properties. Over 3 million households in the US have bird feeders and 6.2 billion dollars is spent on seed and feeders annually! In fact, bird watching is second only to gardening as the most popular outdoor activity in the US.

Because birds are so common around the house, let me show you a few species that may be calling your home, theirs. Below are 6 species that are currently making nests and raising young either on my house of within 30 feet of it.

1. Eastern Phoebe  

This species of flycatcher gets its name from its call which sounds like “Phoebe.” They like to perch on branches and swoop through the air catching insects, thus “flycatchers.” You can identify them by their distinctive tail bobbing when perched on a branch.

An eastern Phoebe found the top of our flood light just too good of a nesting spot to pass up. She is now raising 4 young.

Phoebe nest on top of flood lights

Baby Eastern Phoebe’s

2. Eastern Bluebird

The beauty of an Eastern Bluebird in the yard is hard to beat. These inhabitants of the prairie and oak savannah (which much of southern WI used to be) can be coaxed to nest near you by the placement of a bluebird nest box.

Our resident bluebirds have already fledged their first chicks (top picture) and may do so another 2 times in a good year. See our past post on increasing bluebird populations HERE

A Peterson Style Blue Bird Nest Box

Bluebird Eggs

Baby Bluebirds

3. Tree Swallow 

If you want a great aerial insect eater, try to attract tree swallows. Despite their name, they are typically found in open fields and prairies. They are one of seven species found in WI; see barn swallow further below. Like bluebirds, placing a nest box will attract tree swallows like a magnet. Decreasing the amount of mowed lawn you have will help with this. Unlike bluebirds that prefer an acre or more between nesting pairs, tree swallows don’t mind other nesting birds near by.

You can distinguish between a bluebird and tree swallow nest by the presence of feathers. Tree swallows love to line their nests with white feathers. They can get these from a number of different bird species but they love taking white feathers from our chickens.

Tree Swallow nest with eggs

Fledgling Tree Swallows

4. Red-winged Blackbird 

By sheer number, red-winged blackbirds are the most common bird in the United States. Despite being common, it is a great joy to hear their “conk-conk-lereeee” call come early spring. The beautiful males arrive before the females to stake out a territory. They flaunt their wing patches to impress the cryptic colored females, which may number over a dozen in his harem.

If you have an open, wet, weedy patch or wild area near your house, it is likely you have these nesting near you. You will know you are near a nest because the irritated male will be calling as he swoops down near your head. Stiff-stemmed prairie plants make a great nesting site for our resident red-winged blackbirds.

Red-winged blackbird eggs in a rosin-weed plant

Red-winged blackbird nest in a native high-bush cranberry shrub (viburnum)

5. Barn Swallow

These are another magnificent swallow species named for their affinity for making nests on old barns. We have had these fork-tailed beauties make nests atop our flood lights, but in recent years, they have taken a liking to a few nest platforms I placed under our deck. These nest platforms, which I make out of old plywood, can attract several different species of bird to nest there.

Barn Swallow mud nest on a nest platform

Barn swallow eggs

6. American Robin

Who can forget Wisconsin’s state bird, the American Robin. We all look for them as signs of spring although many stay here through the winter in flooded woodlands feasting on berries. They are notorious for making nests in precarious places and this year I have two by my house. The first pair is already on their second brood of the year, nesting on top of a pillar under my deck. The second pair preferred the secluded site amongst my wood pile.

Robin Nest

Robin Nest

The birds of the sky nest by the waters, they sing among the branches. The trees of the Lord are well watered…There the birds make their nests. How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. –Psalm 104

Laudato Si’ Project held a nature program for the Disciples of Christ Homeschool students and some LSP member families. The nature program’s focus was “Creatures of the Night.” They learned about adaptations of flying squirrels, owls, bats, raccoons and more.

They were several activities and games simulating these adaptations including a bats sense of smell and the tactile ability of raccoons.

They also were able to touch furs and skulls of animals that often call the night their home.

They then visited the resident chickens and even go to catch and hold them. Here is a short video of their experience https://youtu.be/w8m5RZvCquE

Lastly, we took a hike on the neighboring 51 acre Schoofs Preserve, owned by the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust.  See a short video here:  https://youtu.be/nEzlYh0KQHE

If you are interested in having Laudato Si’ Project teach a nature program or lead an educational hike for your group- Contact Us

Reflection by Patti Scanlon: Parishioner of St. John Vianney, WI 

“It is the beauty that thrills me with wonder, it is the stillness that fills me with peace.” – Robert Service, poet

They’d complain about chores in the garden, like kids are inclined to do; pulling weeds, picking up sticks, cutting the grass. But when they got caught up in the feel of the dirt and smell of the day, it was hours before they returned indoors.

This is one of the many passages that caught my attention in Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si.

 “The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soul, water, mountains:  everything is, as it were, a caress of God. The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places, which take on intensely personal meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us much good. Anyone who grew up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighborhood square; going back to these places ins a chance to recover something of their true selves.”     –Pope Francis.  Laudato Si’ paragraph 84

On a February day, we build snowmen and play for hours until only a snug blanket could warm us. On a March day, we tap a maple tree, observe sap boiling, and enjoy the syrup with pancakes and sausage. In June, we plant wildflower seeds in our yard, eagerly awaiting their growth and late summer bloom. In July, we pick fresh strawberries and eat them in the middle of the field. In August, we run through the sand, watch the fish in the lake, listen for the bullfrogs, just soaking in the day and embracing how the land loves us back. In November, the geese – our winter friends – return to the lake under the setting sky, aflame with hues of pink, purple, and grey.

The gifts, the lessons, the wonder and the awe our mother Earth provides for us. A commitment to the land, and a commitment to parenting. What it means to care, to love, and be stewards of God’s creation.

I showed them that I loved them by helping to foster their own sense of wonder and awe; an adventurous spirit, a desire to explore nature and new frontiers, to thank God for the gift of Creation and to care for nature and all of God’s creatures and children.

I saw this over and over in the very way they mindfully cared for woolly caterpillars crossing the sidewalk, the manner in which they lifted and cared for small turtles, frogs, and toads, carrying them to safety with the gentleness and tenderness of a parent.  Nurturing God’s creation teaches children the value and dignity of the smallest bug, a precursor to caring for themselves, for the dignity of all humans, and coming to know a real sense of social justice, the humble beginnings of service.

For it is when they are small children that these values are best taught, and it begins by learning and growing as responsible stewards of God’s creation.

“For how many years did I wander slowly through the forest.  What wonder and glory I would have missed had I been in a hurry!” – Mary Oliver

Laudato Si’ Project spent Saturday’s International Migratory Bird Day doing land stewardship at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Bayside, WI. This 180 acre property was once the pasturing grounds for the Schlitz Brewery draft horses. Much restoration work has been done on the land since then and our volunteers were happy to help.

Students from MUHS and Nicolet High School were given beautiful weather to complete our task of removing invasive garlic mustard and dames rocket from various woodland sections. Both these plant species were used in home landscaping and escaped cultivation. They compete very heavily with our native plants and do not provide a good food source for our herbivores. When removing these species, it is important to remove the whole root system to prevent them from growing back. We also hung them in trees to avoid re-sprouting.

Learning identification of Garlic Mustard and Dames Rocket

Of course, anytime you are out in the woods you are blessed with finding unanticipated treasures. For us, we were able to stumble upon a Blanding’s Turtle which is “of Special Concern” in WI. We also saw numerous spring ephemeral wild flowers and a wild turkey hen sitting on her nest. This area of Lake Michigan coast line is characterized by beautiful woodland with deep gorges. We toured the property to learn a little more about its ecology and finished by skipping rocks on Lake Michigan.

Blanding’s Turtle

Turkey Nest

Hen turkey on her nest

Trillium

This Saturday (and much of the month of May) celebrates our migratory birds. International Migratory Bird Day, IMBD, is an effort to bring awareness to our birds and help keep our common birds common. Mother’s Day weekend in the midwest is the peak of spring migration and gives us our first glimpses of birds that have spent the last 8 months in the neo-tropics. Many birders enjoy this time because they see their first of the year baltimore oriole on their jelly feeder, rose breasted grosbeak at their seed feeder, and bluebirds building their nest in the nest box. In fact, Laudato Si’ Project has been checking the nest boxes we have installed at various sites and we already have hatched bluebird and tree swallow eggs!

These bird migrants make incredible journeys up and down the continents every year and face tremendous challenges. Take our ruby-throated hummingbird for example. On its southbound journey in the fall it makes a straight, non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico- 500 miles!! Our birds migrate using major “flyways” which include following coasts, mountain ranges, and rivers. In WI, we are blest with the Mississippi Flyway and in southeast WI, birds love to follow Lake Michigan North.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Migration routes

The focus of this years IMBD is “Helping Birds Along the Way.” All of us can do this on our properties to help. Of course, many of us feed birds which is a great way to supplement their diet in this energy demanding time. A more longterm approach would be ensuring you keep some area of your property natural for the birds. This might include prairie or woodland. These sites, no matter how small, create critical food and nesting sites for birds.

Front yard prairie garden in residential neighborhood(Wisconsin)

Another way to help birds is through your purchase choices. Let’s focus on a tropically grown commodity-Coffee. Coffee is our largest food import and second only to oil for any import. This means, what is happening down in Costa Rica, Belize, Columbia, or Brazil is really important to our nesting birds that spend 3/4 of the year there.  One way to ensure that your coffee consumption isn’t stripping our birds of wintering grounds (pun intended) is to purchase “shade-grown” coffee. Shade grown coffee utilizes a canopy of trees within the coffee plantation allowing birds and other wildlife to be supported. See photos below depicting a shade-grown plantation vs a traditional mono-culture plantation. You can also look for Organic and Rainforest Alliance Certifications to support sustainable agriculture.

You can shop for sustainable coffee online but almost all grocery stores carry some sort of sustainable option. Pick n’ Save carries Cafe’ Fair brand which is shade-grown,  organic, and fair trade. I call it the tri-fector of sustainability, taking into account the health of both the environment and humanity.

There is no better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than with a little birding. Lots of events are taking place all over the state and you can see some on our Events Page. So this month, look up into the trees. Enjoy these winged treasures. There is a lot of beauty to be found in our natural world but we need to stop, listen, and look.

All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Daniel 3:80

prothonotary-warbler

Black throated blue warbler

Blackburnian-Warbler

Golden Winged warbler

Canada Warbler

Hooded Warbler

Northern Parula

Yellow-Romped warbler

Check out this issue of the National Catholic Reporter. It highlights our stewardship work with Cristo Rey High School as part of the worldwide Mercy2Earth activities that took place around Earth Day. The article speaks of events ranging from stewardship work days like ours to prayer services or nature walks. Over 800 actions took place in 31 countries around the world and were registered on the Global Catholic Climate Movement website. The article also speaks of the 2016 creation of Care for Our Common Home as the 8th spiritual and corporal work of mercy.

Saturday was our work-day fundraiser at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center in Waukesha, WI. Student’s from MUHS helped clear and mulch branches from a massive pruning project on the grounds. Schoofs Greenworks donated funds from the job to Laudato Si’ Project to help pay for our 2 acre prairie planting on the Schoenstatt Property this Fall. Schoofs Greenworks has also been a Laudato Si’ Project business member for 2 years. We were able to use the mulch generated Saturday to create a mulched border around our native butterfly garden that we seeded last year (see that blog post HERE). They will also be donating two truck loads of mulch to be used on our newly created woodland nature trail as part of an Eagle Scout Project this summer.

With the end of April near, we decided to put up our final wood duck house in the Schoenstatt wetland. Water temperatures in the high 40’s was no obstacle for these brave volunteers. Special thanks to Leroy Meyer for donated these hand made wood duck boxes that we have used at several project sites. Wood ducks are one of Wisconsin’s most gorgeous birds and one of only two ducks in WI that nest in tree cavities (thus the nest box simulating that cavity). The other type is the hooded merganser which was present in the wetland during our time there.

Male wood duck and male hooded merganser- our two cavity nesting ducks

Written by Executive Director of Laudato Si Project Joe Meyer

The industrial food movement has allowed Americans to have more food available than ever before. No longer did we need to worry about the season or the distance, we could have what we wanted when we wanted it. Of course, there are some real social and environmental consequences to this. Namely, the creation of energy intensive, low nutrition foods at the expense of water and air quality, biodiversity, and the small family farm.

Many people are expressing their dismay with the industrial agricultural system by trying to buy local, organic foods at farmer’s markets, participating in CSA’s, or growing the food themselves. The goal of these individual efforts is to reduce our agricultural footprint on the land and eat healthier in the process.

As WI conservationist Aldo Leopold said best “There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” 

Many Americans want to know where their food is coming from and how it is grown. This has resulted in the increase of “Backyard Chickens.” Raising chickens yourself allows you to have fresh eggs, organic if you choose, whenever you want. It will cost you much less than the $5+/dozen you would pay in the store for organic free-range eggs, although there may be a small investment to get started: building a coop, any fencing, etc.

I began raising chickens 4 years ago with the goal of being able to have fresh eggs daily and allow my children to experience where their food comes from (and have fun with the chickens in the meantime). There are a lot of questions when it comes to raising your own chickens so having a great “go-to” source is key. An online forum called Backyard Chickens: http://www.backyardchickens.com is the best on the web and any question at all can be answered by browsing their categories. Before raising chickens you might wonder “Do I need a rooster so that my chickens lay eggs?” (the answer is no). “What causes an egg to be brown vs white?” (the answer is it depends on the breed and you can tell by ear feather color: white ear feathers-white eggs, brown or dark feathers-brownish eggs).

Many people also decide to raise meat birds or broiler birds as they are often called. Usually these are specific breeds that produce more meat (like the very common cornish cross, also called Frankenbirds, which matures in a crazy fast 8 weeks and produces all that leg and breast meat we have come to expect). I prefer to choose more standard breeds that take around 18 weeks and tend to have more flavor and are not such freaks of selective breeding. Many of the birds I choose are hearty for our Wisconsin winters and can either be meat birds or laying hens. Typically, I will have the hens lay for 2 years and when their egg production declines, use them as a meat bird.

This spring, we ordered 36 new chicks. These day-old chicks came from a hatchery called Murray McMurray. I have had great success with their birds and you can choose from a huge selection of bird breeds. I chose 6 different breeds consisting of Red Star, Black Star, Buff Rock, White Rock, Partridge Rock, and Barred Rock. They are really fun to watch and, of course, to hold as well. In about 2 months time they will be big enough to mix them into my existing flock of birds.

Buff Rock, Red Star and White Rock Chicks

My son holding a Barred Rock Chick

So, you don’t need to be an expert to raise chickens. You can start small, just a few birds, and let the fun drive the process. Most townships now allow chickens to be raised but may have restrictions on “hen-only” or what type of enclosures. Even of you can’t raise them yourselves try to find a local small-scale farm to get your eggs or chicken meat (CSA’s or farmer’s markets work great for this). There will be a dramatic taste and nutritional difference and as Leopold quoted above, we will know where our breakfast comes from.

In case you missed our Friday interview on Relevant Radio, you can listen to it HERE

On this day that we celebrate this amazing gift of Planet Earth we have been given, take a moment to pray through the following ecological examen.

Ecological Examen by: Joseph Carver, SJ

• All creation reflects the beauty and blessing of God’s image. Where

was I most aware of this today?

• Can I identify and pin-point how I made a conscious effort to care

for God’s creation during this day?

• What challenges or joys do I experience as I recall my care for

creation?

• How can I repair breaks in my relationship with creation, in my

unspoken sense of superiority?

• As I imagine tomorrow, I ask for the grace to see the Incarnate

Christ in the dynamic interconnections of all Creation.

Let’s finish by praying a portion of a prayer that Pope Francis included in Laudato Si’ 

God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak,
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!

You can find more prayers, videos, and resources HERE

“The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains – everything is, as it were, a caress of God.”  -Pope Francis, Laudato Si’

We are excited to announce the creation of a Care for Our Common Home patch. With the generous support of the Shambarger Family, we were able to create a patch that can be used to educate and encourage stewardship in a wide variety of settings. The patch itself is 2.5 x 2.5 inches with a plastic backing and it even has an optional button hook if you don’t want to stitch it on.

Laudato Si’ Project created recommended guidelines for the earning of the patch that are age specific. You can access these on our website. The guidelines are broken up into 2 age groups; ages 5-10 and ages 10+. Of course, teachers or leaders have the flexibility to design their own guidelines as well.

The intention is that families, scouts, parishes and schools can utilize these guidelines in assisting young people in earning the Care for Our Common Home patch. The guidelines consist of an educational component; to learn about Care for Our Common Home and a stewardship project; to put into practice our call to care for this planet.

Order Yours Today

A well deserved rest

A young family checking out some North American animal hides and pine cones.

Ready to catch some insects!

Botanists from Milwaukee Public Museum and SEWR

Patrick Donohue of MUHS installs bluebird houses he built on a 8 acre prairie planting.

Measuring a painted turtles shell

Hands on with a bald-faced hornet nest (empty of course)

Mourning Warbler

Joe and Nathaniel Meyer at the Menominee River Clean-up

Our Student Stewardship Award

2016-2017 Student Stewardship Award: Jacob Baisden

Jacob Baisden is a Marquette University High School student with a passion for the environment. He has been very active with Laudato Si’ Project since its beginning in 2016. He is hoping to pursue a career in conservation or environmental science. Jacob has logged over 20 hours of stewardship work for Laudato Si’ Project. Below are some pictures from various work outings he has helped with. You can also read a blog reflection he wrote in the fall of 2016- Click Here

Laudato Si’ Project has really allowed me to be a good steward to the land. It has given me knowledge and ideas for what I want to do for a career and how to inspire others. It has shown me that being a good steward should not be done alone but in a group where we are stronger.     -Jacob Baisden

Savannah Restoration Team

The brave group of students ready to go on the Owl Prowl

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and Marquette High School student and faculty volunteers

Milwaukee Audubon Society and MUHS students working at the Kolterman Prairie

Written by Joe Meyer; Executive Director of Laudato Si’ Project 

Well, its Spring time and our stewardship work days are in full swing. Cristo Rey High School joined us and we spent Saturday at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center continuing our woodland restoration. Christo Rey High School brought out Freshman and Sophomore students, faculty, staff,  administration, and family members, all excited to take part in this project. The main objective was to remove the buckthorn, an invasive tree species, to allow regeneration of the oak and hickory trees in the woodland. This also allows more sunlight to hit the open woodland ground, benefiting native wildflower and grass species.

During our morning work time, a vast amount of the buckthorn had been removed and stacked from the woodland. These giant brush piles are havens for wildlife ranging from rodents to birds. A 1/3 mile nature trail is also being created through this beautiful 13 acre woodland as part of an Eagle Scout Project. This will give an opportunity to those on retreat to walk, reflect, and pray while in a beautiful woodland.

Much of southern WI was historically oak savannah and prairie. These specific ecosystem types benefit certain kinds of plants and animals that are dependent on it. This is what our efforts are aiming for-trying to recreate a habitat type that will benefit those species which have seen great decline in recent decades.

Students from Cristo Rey also learned about geology and ecology of southeast WI and connecting it to our call as stewards of Our Common Home. This is the second visit from Cristo Rey High School. They came out in Fall to work on the same woodland. See our October post Here. We look forward to their continued partnership with us.

Prairies are ecosystem types dependent on burning to renew the nutrients and stop primary succession. Another added benefit to burning at this time of year is that it knocks back the cool season, non-native grasses that often compete in prairies. This year we burned a little over 3 acres so far. The now black earth will warm quickly and cause our native grasses and wildflowers to wake up. It is also important to rotate burning to ensure that some areas are left undisturbed for insect larvae and to increase plant diversity.

“Flanking Fire”

Prairie fires were common in southern WI because of Native Americans starting the prairies and oak savannah’s on fire to attract wild game to the fresh grass shoots. Lighting fires were more common in northern WI. Prairie plants have extraordinary root systems and are unharmed by fire. On average, there are 20,000 pounds of roots  in 1 acre of prairie!!

For conducting a controlled burn, preparation is key. Ensuring you have fire breaks (mowed paths, driveways) is a key component. Burning when the relative humidity is 50-70% and the wind is less than 10 mph is also helpful. A “back burn” into the wind will allow you to create a fire break by having all the fuel burned in the area the fire will eventually head towards. After the “back burning” is done, you can set “flanking” and “head” fires to complete the burn. The 3-acre section shown in the video below took roughly 40 minutes to complete. You will also see the use of a “drip torch”, which utilizes a diesel-gasoline mixture and allows you set set line fires quickly. Other safety equipment used are water hoses, water spray trailers, backpack water sprayers, and flat shovels.

You can see a video of this burn HERE

Written by Executive Director of LSP Joe Meyer:

At St. Gabriel Parish School in Hubertus, WI, students gathered for a Nature Club educational program called “Creatures of the Night.” Laudato Si’ Project led the program for 24 students from K4 to 4th grade. The focus of the program was on the cool adaptations these nocturnal creature have. To start, we dressed up our brave volunteer in all the adaptations you see in nocturnal creatures: big eyes (sunglasses), good hearing (antlers representing ears), good sense of smell (nose and whiskers), echolocation (headlamp), silent wings (wings), and great sense of touch (mittens).

We began to discuss one of the best examples of nocturnal adaptations, Owls. (see our Post about searching for Owls during an Owl Prowl.) We talked about eyesight, hearing, and silent flight. Students got to see the feather structures on owl wings that make them silent and compare the feathered feet of owls to that of other raptors like hawks.

Students then learned about bats and the different types of adaptions they posses for hunting at night. To demonstrate how parent bats are able to find their own young amidst colonies numbering in the thousands to millions, we played a scent game. Each “baby bat” had a unique scent that matched a “parent bat.” They were then scent off, pun intended, to find their young.

Raccoons were the next topic because of their amazing tactile sense in their paws allowing them to find prey in the muddy waters they hunt. To simulate their abilities, we blindfolded groups of students and had them search for specific “prey” by feel alone. Not as easy as it sounds.

We ended the program with students being able to identify adaptations of a nocturnal creature they chose to represent. They then tried their best to look like their animal by striking a pose.

St. Gabriel’s Nature Club

A special thanks to volunteer parent, Ann Schellinger, for all her help and support of Nature Club! 

Sap spile dripping into the bucket

American Woodcock

Male Eastern Bluebird

Purple Coneflower

Written by Executive Director Joe Meyer

What is Phenology? It is nature’s calendar; when cherry trees bloom, when a robin builds its nest and when leaves turn color in the fall. In Fact, Phenology is a key component of life on earth.  Many birds time their nesting so that eggs hatch when insects are available to feed nestlings.  In turn, insect emergence is often synchronized with leafing out in their host plants. For many people, allergy season starts when particular flowers bloom—earlier flowering means earlier allergies.  Farmers and gardeners need to know when to plant to avoid frosts, and they need to know the schedule of plant and insect development to decide when to apply fertilizers and pesticides. Many interactions in nature depend on timing.  In fact, phenology affects nearly all aspects of the environment, including the abundance, distribution, and diversity of organisms, ecosystem services, food webs, and the global cycles of water and carbon. (National Phenology Network).

Sugar Maple Tree with 2 Taps

Boiling off the Sap. On the left is the concentrated syrup, Right is the Sap

February and March

Maple Syrup: February means one thing, maple syrup time. My son Nathaniel and I tapped around a dozen sugar maple trees and immediately upon drilling the hole for the spile, sap was flowing. In my experience, having days around forty and sunny with nights below freezing produces the best flow. When temperatures reach high forties and fifty the flow actually stops. Every year we tap the trees around this time but usually we are ahead of any flowing. This year, the warm weather week of Valentines Day even produced sap. Maple syrup sap is being sent up to the tree twigs to help produce leaves in the coming weeks. The sap is about 2-4% sugar and will be boiled down to about 66% sugar which we then call syrup. This boiling can be slow going as you may have to evaporate off 50 gallons of water to get 1 gallon of syrup! Sugar Maples are the most common tree used for syruping but other maple family trees can be used; silver, red, boxelder. In Alaska, without maple trees, they utilize the sap of birch trees to make syrup!

American Woodcock

Aldo Leopold “Sand County Almanac

WoodCock Sky Dance: Other signs of spring  include chickadees doing their “cheeseburger” mating song, Canada geese heading north, and even a sandhill cranes displaying. Red-winged blackbirds  and grackles gather in the hundreds and create a cacophony of noise when resting in a tree. On these spring evenings, just before dark you will begin to hear the “peenting” call of the male Amercian Woodcock. Without knowing this, you might write it off as a silly insect buzz but what follows is truly a spectacle of nature. The male continues his “peenting” call for several minutes before taking flight. Then begins a circular flight into the sky, during which you will hear a high pitch noise as they fly made by the sound of their wings. They continue these concentric circles until they are several hundred feet in the air and then continue with their “falling leaf” display. This consists of erratically falling through the air while making high pitch vocal tweets. Their sky dance ends with them swooping silently to the ground where they originally took off and continue their “peenting.” This mating display continues well into the night and sometimes in the morning as well.

I remember first learning of this natural feat after reading Aldo Leopold’s account of it in a chapter of The Sand County Almanac. Sure enough, a buddy showed me a local park where this was taking place near my house where I grew up. My whole family would venture to experience this little known ritual happening nightly. Fast forward several decades, and I am blessed to be able to hear and see nearly a dozen of these birds displaying on my property with my wife, son, and daughter with me to experience it. When you are plugged into phenology, you will begin to appreciate these small but amazing gifts of nature- as a result, your view and attitude towards it changes.

Camouflage

To see a video, audio, or more information click here 

Bloodroot, a spring ephemeral flower

Trillium

Marsh Marigold

Cut-leaved toothwort

April and May

Flowers: We can’t forget our spring ephemeral flowers. These beauties carpet our forests and do most of their life cycle before the tree leaves come out on the trees and shade them out. These flowers are a crucial nectar and pollen source for our early awaking insects.

Morels: Early May brings new life to our region. Even with some nights dipping low into the 30’s, life is springing up everywhere- you just need to what to look for and where to look. Pictured above are some Morel mushrooms. If you are unfamiliar, Morel mushrooms drive thousands of people into the woods in search of these delicacies, which can fetch a hefty price if you want to sell them. These small mushrooms range in size from 1 to 8 inches and continue to evade our ability to cultivate them. Thus you need to search for them in the wild. Your best bet is to look near dead elm trees but of course, it is not only correct identification of trees that you need to be concerned with. Mushroom ID always requires caution.  You can read more about finding, identification, and cooking of morels Here.

The great thing is all the other unexpected things you see and find while out in the woods looking for Morels. Possibly a deer shed antler from February, warblers migrating through, or even a turkey nest like this one.

“God has written a precious book, whose letters are the multitudes of created things in the universe” Pope Francis

Written by MUHS Teacher John Azpell

It was a cold and windy day near Horicon Marsh, but a burning desire to help restore parts of nature to its former beauty and diversity  was in the hearts of the MUHS boys that day.  At the beginning of the day, Ronny, a member of the Apache tribe, lit a braided piece of sweet grass, said a blessing for safety and for Mother Earth. With our arms out and hands facing the heavens he wafted the smoke between our arms with an Eagle’s feather and sent our prayers toward the heavens.  Jim Uhrinak, the secretary of the Milwaukee Audubon Society, was the leader and had organized 5 volunteers from various places as well as 8 Marquette High School boys and myself.

Our task was to help cut and burn trees in a thick forest with rich soil so that only the oak trees remain, recreating an oak savanna.  Oak savannas are the least preserved ecosystem today but were once very prevalant in the time of the Native Americans.  Most Oak Savannas in the last 200 years have been converted to agriculture fields due to their rich soil or have been over grown with other trees and plant species since the repetitious burning of the prairies and the savannas has been stopped.  Overall there were three groups in different areas of the Audubon land near Horicon Marsh where we cut down trees and burned them in fires.  The Marquette group stayed with Ronny and helped him clear a little less than an acre of land from 10AM – 2:30PM.  The boys worked hard and enjoyed the huge fire that we created.  It was a great feeling at the end of the day to see a couple of 7 or 8-year old bur oaks be free without constraints to go forward into the future to spread their branches and acorns on the land.  We helped revive part of the Savanna ecosystem from the past.

That was not the only reward.  At the end of the day, the boys and I hiked to the Niagara Escarpment which was a half of a mile away from our work site.  The Niagara Escarpment is a nearly 1,000 mile long cliff that begins in east-central Wisconsin, running northeast along side Lake Winnebago, forming almost all of the Door Peninsula and continuing north east through Canada and into upstate New York. There is a hand full of places where the rock that makes up the escarpment is visible above ground- near Horicon Marsh, WI and Niagara Falls. We climbed and traversed through crevasses and enjoyed the natural beauty around us.

With an ice storm the night before and daytime highs in the low 20’s, few people are thinking about hiking through the forest in search of owls. Ornithologist John O’Donnell, from the Friends of Cedarburg Bog, led our group of 18 MUHS students and adults through the UWM Field Station land at Cedarburg Bog in search of some of the most interesting birds in WI, owls.

Ice covered trees

Ice covered trees

The night before our walk, several inches of snow and ice covered much of WI. These sorts of storms can really disrupt feeding habits of owls causing them to increase their hunting efforts in future days to prevent starvation.

We began our night at the UWM Field Station learning about the Cedarburg Bog and the ecology of Owls. The Cedarburg Bog was Wisconsin’s first State Natural Area, which is a special protection designation for ecosystems exemplifying pre-settlement features. The bog covers 2000 acres and is home to many unique plants and animals including carnivorous pitcher plants. See last year’s blog post from our hike through the bog: Cedarburg Bog State Natural Area

Learning about Cedarburg Bog Ecology and Owl Adaptations

Let me first describe some of the amazing adaptations these nocturnal specialists have. Of our 10 species of owls that call WI home, only 6 are residents year round. Of those 6 species, really only 3 species are regularly seen or heard by outdoor enthusiasts or even birders: Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, and Eastern Screech Owl. These were the 3 focus species of our Owl Prowl.

Adaptations- Hearing: Owls have an amazing sense of hearing. This is no accident. Many owl species that spend the winter here depend more on hearing than sight to find their prey scurrying under the snow. Owls have a facial disk that acts like a satellite dish funneling sound to their ears. The ear tufts on a Great Horned Owl are not its ears but merely feathers. The sound funneled from the facial disk ends up in the ear openings of the owl which are assymetrical on each side of the skull. This sound hitting the ear openings at slightly different times is enough to help the owl pinpoint their prey with extreme accuracy. For example, Great Grey Owls (our largest owl) can hear its prey under 3 feet of snow! Even at 30 yards away, an owl is able to pinpoint its prey within 2 centimeters by hearing alone.

Adaptations-Eyesight: Hunting at night presents some big challenges because of the low light conditions. Owls have tackled this problem through some amazing eye adaptations. To start, owl eyes are huge in proportion to their skull size (like humans having grapefruits for eyes). This large size is what can allow a tremendous amount of light into the eye and to the retina. Owl eyes actually weigh more than their brain and take up the entire eye socket, not leaving room for muscles. This means the owl cannot move its eyes side to side but must be able to turn its neck back and forth to see other directions. Inside the retina are millions of times the number of “rods” that human eyes contain. These rods are what allow us to see in low light and only register in black and white. Owls also have a highly reflective layer in the back of their eyes (tapetum lucidum) which bounces the light around to make efficient use of it. This is the same structure that makes dog and deer eyes glow at night when shined with a flashlight. Lastly, some owls are thought to see in infrared wavelengths and thus be able to perceive heat emitted from their prey.

Adaptations-Silent Flight: It is astounding when owls can fly up into a tree right next to you without you hearing them. This is exactly what happened to us on the Owl Prowl when a Barred Owl landed 15 yards away in a tree. Lucky for us, the tree was covered in ice and when the owl landed, some ice was knocked off the tree, notifying us of the owl’s presence. Owl wings are specially adapted to be silent. This is necessary because the ambient noise at night is very low and any noise an owl would make descending on its prey would be enough to make the hunt unsuccessful. Their feathers have hooked barbs to stitch the feathers together eliminating sound passing through. They also have a serrated leading primary feather to disrupt sound passing by. Lastly, even their feet are covered by feathers. Unlike hawks, this allows owls to glide throughout the forest without detection. Feathers on the feet are also important insulation for birds like Snowy owls that inhabit extremely cold areas.

The 3 target species of our Owl Prowl were Great Horned, Barred, and Eastern Screech Owls. Great Horned Owls are actually sitting on their eggs right now (the earliest nesting bird in North America). This early nesting is timed so that when the fledglings are at their most demanding for calories, the rodent populations will be booming i.e. rabbits and voles. The method we attracted owls to us was through the use of audio recordings broadcasted on a speaker. These acted as territorial challenges bringing the owls in. We were able to hear a Great Horned Owl calling (likely from its nest) and were entertained by a male and female Barred Owl curious about these foreigners in the forest. We later tried for Screech Owls at Riveredge Nature Center to no avail, reminding us that these are elusive and secretive creatures.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world. In return for your service to the bird monitoring community, you receive the prestigious GBBC certificate.

The GBBC has been a great way to track bird movements and populations over several decades. For example, in WI we have seen a movement of Northern Cardinals northward presumably because of availability of sunflower feeders north of their usually range. The GBBC also allows scientists to track effects of diseases like West Nile Virus and impacts  of changes to our climate. Need help identifying a bird, my go to is always the easy to use website Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds. They show pictures, related species, and even have audio of the calls and songs.

If you are anything like me, then you are wondering what are the top birds spotted in Wisconsin. Well first of all, let’s talk rarities. With the warmer temperatures, we are seeing early movement north for many different species including Golden Eagles. There have also been reports of Snowy and Great Grey Owls in the state and some rare Gull species on Lake Michigan. Now, on to the most seen birds. Check out the photos below to see if these birds also frequent your feeders?

Downy Woodpecker

American Crow

American Goldfinch (summer male plumage) Winter males will be less gold

Male Northern Cardinal

Blue Jay

Male House Finch (females don’t have red but a spotted breast)

Black-capped Chickadee

Junco

White-breasted Nuthatch

Reflection by High School Student Niklas Martensson

I have lived in the city my whole life. The suburban realm is not the most environmentally diverse or sustainable. There are a lot of parks within my neighborhood, though. Furthermore, my parents would always take my siblings and I up to Door County to see the State Parks up there and a few beaches north of Milwaukee.

I was introduced to the outdoors, as much as any suburban kid can, through the efforts of my parents, but it really struck me when I joined the Marquette High School’s environmental science and outdoors homeroom and also enrolled in the environmental science class. Ever since then, I have seen the world differently, appreciating the environment we have been given by God, from the smallest insect or blade of grass to the deadliest predator or largest forests.

Laudato Si’ has shown the Catholic Church that care for the environment is part of a belief in God. We have been created and entrusted with caring for our home that God gave us and unfortunately we have destroyed a good portion of it. Humans need to care about how their actions impact the world around them and what they can do the preserve nature for generations to come. Laudato Si’ has inspired me to seriously think about how I am impacting the environment and ecosystems around me in my daily actions. From convincing my lunch table to recycle properly, to biking as much as possible. This shows that little actions in our lives can create small changes. If these small things, inspired by the “Care for Our Common Home”, could be instituted on a much larger scale, who knows how much we would be able to accomplish.

Religion classes have often neglected the topic of care for nature, but the focus is starting to return to its importance as part of our faith. Being involved in the Laudato Si Project has meant a lot to me because previously, I had thought that tiny little me in a world of polluters could do nothing, but since my involvement in many projects, I have seen ecosystems and small communities improve with every eradicated invasive species, savanna reconstructed, and river cleaned. All of these projects build men who can see their environmental impact, reduce their waste, and improve the ecosystem around them by small steps one at a time.

Removing buckthorn from a Tall Pines Conservancy Preserve

Removing Buckthorn from a Tall Pines Conservancy Preserve

Last winter I was involved in a group that went out to restore a woodland back to savannah and prairie lands. Arriving on the chilly morning and meeting with a few professionals including Mr. Jim Uhrinak of the Milwaukee Audubon Society. Zipping up coats and putting on work gloves meant that we were about to start. Chainsaws rumbled and sliced through the woods. We dragged the large trees to a huge fire, where we burned the lumber in order to create a prairie landscape like the way it was when only Native Americans were here.

Milwaukee Audubon Society and MUHS students working at the Kolterman Prairie

Jim Urinak of the Milwaukee Audubon Society teaching about the ecology of the area

After several exhausting hours of dragging tree after tree through the muddy snow, we were allotted time for a break. Stepping back and admiring our work, we realized that we just restored a vast area of prairie land back to what it looked like prior to European Settlement. How could a small group like that work so efficiently? This was my favorite project because we endured the cold, worked hard, and enjoyed the blessings of our labor with sub sandwiches and our friends.

This weekend was the Winter Carnival at the Heiliger Huegel Ski Club near Holy Hill, WI. Hundreds of people came out throughout the weekend to enjoy Wisconsin’s winter beauty and have some fun in the process. Festivities kicked off on Saturday evening with a .75 mile candlelight hike through the HH ski club property and the adjacent Schoofs Preserve. Our volunteers set up the hike by placing over 100 luminary bags and candles throughout the route.

Placing the luminary bags

Braving the cold and setting up the trail for the candlelight hike

Over 75 winter enthusiasts, including many families, came out for the hike. The hike ended at the ski club chalet for chili, fireworks, s’mores, and polka music; all thanks to Tall Pines Conservancy and the HH Ski Club.

Fireworks

Leaving for the candlelight hike

Candlelight hike

Sunday’s events started with the Langlauf XC ski race at 10am (Langlauf is German for cross country skiing). 30 racers participated in the 5k and 10k race that winds through beautiful fields, woods, and prairies. Afterword, wheel and sprocket bike store had “fat-tire” bikes out for people to try on the winter trails. Overall, great February weather for a great winter experience.

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With morning temperatures in the single digits, doing woodland restoration is usually the last thing on people’s mind. Well, that wasn’t the case for these brave Marquette University High School faculty. As part of their 2017 faculty retreat, Laudato Si’ Project offered a stewardship option to reflect what Pope Francis established in 2016:”care for our common home” as both a spiritual and corporal work of mercy.

Hiking the half mile to the woodland site

Math teacher Chris Reis cuts buckthorn

German teacher Ryan Grusenski and Erica Zunac show the buckthorn who’s boss

Marquette High School’s Julie Felser helps remove buckthorn from the future nature trail.

This same 12 acre woodland has been a continual work site for Laudato Si’ Project since last Fall. See our blog post “Fall Woodland Restoration”  The main focus of Thursday’s work was to remove invasive European Buckthorn from what will be a .3 mile nature trail through the woodland. The buckthorn is an aggressive tree species that steals nutrients, water, and sunlight from our native trees and woodland wildflowers. MUHS uses the Schoenstatt Retreat Center for its sophomore retreats and faculty were happy to give back to the Sister’s by helping care for the ecological health of this beautiful property. This woodland project will also host groups in the coming year from other schools, boy scouts, and confirmation programs.

A well deserved rest

Math teacher Colin Dillon enjoys some hot chocolate with Art Teacher Peter Beck

Art Teacher Stacey Kodra and English/Latin Teacher Erica Zunac show off their restoration tools

MUHS students snowshoeing on the Schoofs Preserve

Reflection by Executive Director Joe Meyer

Well, it’s hard to believe that were are wrapping up 2016 already. It has been a big year for Laudato Si’ Project, in fact it has been our first year! There have been so many highlights and adventures in the last 12 months and it is all because of our generous members, donors, and volunteers. Thank You.

The summer of 2016 was the 1 year anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Pope Francis also made “care for our common home” a work of mercy this year! (see New Work of Mercy). This solidified Laudato Si’ Project’s mission and gave us even more momentum moving forward. As our mission states, we are dedicated to restoring humanity’s connection to the natural world through education, stewardship, and recreation.

Education: 

Drilling the spile into a Sugar Maple

Jim Urinak of the Milwaukee Audubon Society teaching about the ecology of the area

Park Ranger Rob Wessberg talking about mapping the trails at Pike Lake

Rachel teaches us about collecting sap to make Maple Syrup

Investigating a baltimore oriole nest

Maddy with her great butterfly catch

A young family checking out some North American animal hides and pine cones.

In 2016, Laudato Si’ Project was able to connect with several hundred school students ranging from kindergarten up through college. Whether it is speaking at a school, conference, or out in the woods- education is at the core of what we do. Our School Partnerships have really expanded Laudato Si’ Project’s reach. With over a dozen partnerships and growing, we are able to work with teachers to help them connect students to the teaching of the Church and Laudato Si’ while ensuring they find ways to get students into nature, sparking curiosity and developing a love for this amazing natural gift. Be sure to read our new “partner pages” that detail how each school is Living Laudato Si’.

“The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains – everything is, as it were, a caress of God.”  -Pope Francis, Laudato Si’

Stewardship:

Park Rangers, MUHS Students, and WI Geocaching Association

Patrick Donohue, left, and Jonathon Wallace, students at Marquette University High School, Milwaukee, install a wooden nest box for bluebirds on the grounds of the Schoenstatt Retreat Center, Waukesha, in late spring.

Milwaukee Audubon Society and MUHS students working at the Kolterman Prairie

Joe and Nathaniel Meyer at the Menominee River Clean-up

76 year old Ernie Meyer and Quentin Maxwell helping cut the Buckthorn

Measuring a painted turtles shell

Mackenzie from Arrowhead High School and Jill from Tall Pines Conservancy planting the bio-log

Clearing buckthorn (and loving it)

Invasive species removal at a preserve on North Lake, WI

Stewardship is all about getting our hands dirty. It is our philosophy that is it not enough to just learn about nature, you have to work to help restore it. By allowing students opportunity’s to give the Earth a helping hand- we are instilling a sense of mercy for our common home that Pope Francis has called us to. In the last 12 months, Laudato Si’ Project has helped volunteers log over 330 stewardship hours!!

“We must hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” –Pope Francis, Laudato Si’

Recreation:

MUHS students exploring the Cedarburg Bog

GPS Mapping of a Trail Intersection

Playing in the Paradise Springs Creek

The hike in the southern Kettle Moraine

We live in a busy and demanding world and one of the unfortunate consequences of this is our Vitamin “N” deficiency. Wondering what the N stands for? It’s Nature. It is easy for us to go days, weeks, or months without being outside- and I don’t mean from the car to the building. Laudato Si’ Project seeks to create intentional recreational opportunities so that students, adults, and families can spend time enjoying our beautiful natural environment. “Less screen time-More green time”, that’s our modo.

Laudato Si’ Project has had the wonderful blessing of being interviewed on Relevant Radio twice in the last year (if you missed them we have them linked on our website). We are also very proud of the great partnerships we have struck with multiple organizations including  Tall Pines Conservancy, Ozaukee Washington Land Trust, Heiliger Huegel Ski Club and the Schoenstatt Retreat Center. These organizations own large amounts of land and gives us the ability to connect people with meaningful educational events, stewardship projects, and recreational outings.

Suffice it to say, it has been a great year! God has richly blessed our organization and has given us countless ways to spread our vital mission. We look forward to busy and fruitful 2017.

Seeding the butterfly garden

A band placed on a WI big brown bat

The woodland crew: Quentin, Charlie, Steven, Jack, Will, Kelly, and Joe

Patrick Donohue helps with turtle monitoring on the Schoofs Preserve

Botanists from Milwaukee Public Museum and SEWR

Checking the frames to for new bee larvae

My son Nathaniel thanking the big sugar maple with a hug

“LIVING OUR VOCATION TO BE PROTECTORS OF GOD’S HANDIWORK IS ESSENTIAL TO A LIFE OF VIRTUE; IT IS NOT AN OPTIONAL OR A SECONDARY ASPECT OF OUR CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE.”  -POPE FRANCIS, LAUDATO SI’

Written by Joe Meyer; Executive Director of Laudato Si’ Project

In addition to teaching environmental science at Marquette High School in Milwaukee, WI, I also co-moderate a homeroom there called Environmental Science/Outdoors (ESO). This homeroom was initiated by student interest and currently has around 50 students involved. ESO students work to initiate environmental projects at the school, stewardship projects at local natural areas, and recreational outings.

Last year, I saw a movie on Netflix titled American Serengeti. This video speaks of the vast amount of wildlife that Lewis and Clark saw on their journey westward, especially on the Missouri River in Montana. The video went on to speak about the most ambitious conservation project in US history currently happening in Montana- The American Prairie Reserve.

The American Prairie Reserve is a project by a private non-profit organization that hopes to create the largest contiguous natural area in the continental United States totally 3.5 million acres and encompassing 5000 square miles. What makes this project feasible is that over 2 million of those acres are already open to the public and management by the Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. The American Prairie Reserve hopes to acquire the private lands in between so as to stitch together the whole system. The reserve size would be larger than any National Park in the lower 48 but would be maintained as a public/private partnership not a National Park, while remaining entirely open to the public.

Our ESO Homeroom student leaders decided that doing a fundraising campaign would be a great way for students to participate in this epic project. The goal was to purchase at least 1 acre of land through their “Adopt-an-Acre” program. This would mean that at $1000 would need to be raised in less than 2 weeks.

We began the campaign by showing the National Geographic Trailer video Imagine American Prairie Reserve 

We then discussed the project goals in terms of wildlife populations. A reserve of this size will be able to contain animal populations not seen since Lewis and Clark first explored the area. The American Prairie Reserve has begun its bison reintroduction at is currently at 700-800 head. Its ambitious goal of 10,000 bison will likely be reached in the next decade or so. Elk are another large mammal that calls the reserve home. They hope to have 40,000 elk in the coming years. many of these species: bison, grizzly Bear, wolf…had been extirpated from the area by hunting and ranching for nearly 100 years. But it is not just bison, elk, mule deer, or antelope that live in the prairie; it is a biodiverse system containing hundreds of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

ESO homeroom students were challenged with the “Adopt and Acre” program and an incentive donation by faculty to double anything students raised up to $1000. After the nearly  2 week period, student totals were almost $500 which meant a total donation of $1500- purchasing 1.5 acres of land on the American Prairie Reserve. many of the students hope to visit the American Prairie Reserve in their lifetime and see this amazing project of American conservation.

Reflection by High School Theology Teacher Erik Anderson

As Black Friday deals loom on the horizon, these are days in which I find myself wondering about how I want to frame the upcoming holiday season—what are my expectations, my hopes, and my values?  How can I develop as an individual, maintain some semblance of psychological health, and be a generous family member over Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas?

In a senior level course I teach in Theology, I encourage my students to read a pair of articles with widely disparate viewpoints: one is entitled “Why Buying Things Makes You Happy” (from PBS) and another entitled “Consumerism and its Discontents” (from the APA).

These articles draw attention to an interest of mine—the wide spectrum of ideas and ideologies that exist regarding our emotive relationship with consuming and purchasing.

The first article points to ways in which our purchasing certain brands, labels or types of products does in fact elevate our social esteem (or at least our perceived sense of it), while the latter points out—very reasonably—that materialistic values can lead some to unhealthy patterns and/or goals setting (for example, using wealth or salary as a benchmark by which to measure one’s self worth).

In Wordsworth’s classic romantic poem, he begins by lamenting:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—

Little we see in Nature that is ours

A reading of these lines that makes sense to me is as follows: there we are, at the mall on a Saturday or Sunday, and therefore we’re inherently not out in the fields, enjoying a stroll at the Audubon Society, not collecting falling leaves or pinecones—and thus, not drawing more closely to the Revelation that is inherent in nature.   I think it would be fair to extend his critique even to the work-day.  Though he lived more than 200 years ago, he was perceptive enough to wonder if our life-cycle is organized as it should be: in getting (working hard all week in order to make money) and spending (so that we can buy, buy, buy all weekend).

According to Wordsworth, in so doing, we “lay waste our powers” and grow ever-more-distant from nature.  And we needn’t be a romantic poet to see that the inverse of his argument is also true—that is, immersing ourselves in the beauty and inspiration of nature can help us and enrich us in a variety of ways.  For example, time outdoors in the changing seasons can increases our awareness of the seasons of our own lives, increase our awareness of our own mortality, or provide us with much-needed hope and newness after a long Midwestern winter.

All that is to say that, at least for me, there’s no magic solution to this issue.  In the past, I’ve certainly woken up early to get that special deal on Black Friday…but maybe this has more to do with drinking a coffee in a quiet house, well before sunrise with my dad than it does to do with the 99 cent poinsettias he is excited to buy when the store opens!  In experiences like these, commercialism (and even shopping malls) can offer much that may enrich rather than deteriorate our family life.  But if our sole focus, week after week, month after month, becomes “getting and spending,” perhaps it’s best to re-evaluate before we “lay waste our powers.”

Interestingly, this is a theme to which Pope Francis frequently comments devotes attention.  I particularly like his quote that says:

“it is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed toward having rather than being.”

This is a great reminder, proclaimed by both Wordsworth and Pope Francis, that is worth reflecting on as the holidays draw near this year.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and Marquette High School student and faculty volunteers

MUHS Students and Faculty Volunteers

Written by Joe Meyer; Executive Director of Laudato Si’ Project 

Saturday was woodland restoration day at Laudato Si’ Project’s work area at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center in Waukesha, WI. The morning had a group of 15 volunteers from Marquette High School and the afternoon had 20 volunteers from both Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and Marquette High School. The main objective was to remove the buckthorn, the invasive tree species, to allow regeneration of the oak and hickory trees in the woodland. This also allows more sunlight to hit the open woodland ground, benefiting native wildflower and grass species.

After 6 hours of work in the beautiful fall weather, a vast amount of the buckthorn had been removed and stacked from the woodland. This giant brush piles are havens for wildlife ranging from rodents to birds. The beginnings of a nature trail is being created through this beautiful 13 acre woodland as well. Buckthorn removal wasn’t the only project undertaken Saturday. Bluebird nest boxes were installed nearby and a 4000 square foot butterfly garden was seeded with an array of stunning native wildflowers and grasses.

Seeding the butterfly garden

Seeding the butterfly garden

Mixing the prairie seed

In the afternoon, an ambitious group of volunteer freshman students and faculty of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School hiked to the site to learn more about invasive species and to help with the restoration. Joined by a few Marquette High School students, the remainder of a nearly 1/2 acre section of the woodland had been cleared of buckthorn.

Many hands truly made light work. All volunteers were treated to, not only the satisfaction that comes from stewardship, but also dozens of chocolate chip cookies baked by Schoenstatt Sister Monica. The before and after pictures seen below show the amount of work put into this project by our dedicated volunteers.

BEFORE: Bright green buckthorn pervades this oak woodland

Removal of buckthorn allows more sunlight to reach small oak and hickory seedlings

Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded. -Pope Francis, Laudato Si’

Reflection by High School Student Alex Teske

Since I was young, I have been going to my grandparent’s house in Northern Wisconsin. My grandpa owns a cranberry marsh and have two lakes behind their house that are great for fishing. Being in this atmosphere surrounded by nature has led to my love for the outdoors. I would go out at night looking for deer with my grandpa or I would help him irrigate the cranberry beds. Nature is my favorite place to be because it is so beautiful. Waking up early in the morning to go fishing and seeing the sun rise over the trees is where I feel at home.

To me, Laudato Si’ is a “wake up call” that was much needed considering the current state of our environment. Laudato Si’ is a call for stewardship which is the “the activity or job of protecting and being responsible for something.” Laudato Si’ calls us to protect and be responsible for our environment, our common home. The Pope’s encyclical has pushed me to do many things around my house to better care for our environment. Whether it be encouraging my dad to recycle papers in his office or trying to save water whenever I can.

Freshman year of high school was where my environmental awareness really started. As a junior in high school I took environmental science class which really taught me a lot and ultimately is the reason I want to go to college in that field. In environmental science class we learned about Pope Francis’ encyclical and what it is meant to convey to the world. This message has led me to be a better steward.

Laudato Si’ Project has been an amazing opportunity for me to be a part of. It has given me experience for the career that I want to pursue. Seeing the impact that a group of students can have on a piece of land just goes to show that anyone can make our world a better place and all that we need to do is let others know about that. This led me to be a better steward because that is what stewardship is all about.

Laudato Si’ Project gave me experience in the career I want to pursue and has had an immense impact on me. It is a means for me to do what I love and also prepare for education in environmental science in college. The one project that sticks out to me was the buckthorn removal project at Tall Pines Conservancy. There we cut down buckthorn and burned it in a huge bonfire. At the preserve, we also learned about land trusts and how they benefit the environment. Going forward, I will continue to participate in these projects both in high school and during college.

Written by Eve Hamilton, Wyoming Catholic College Student

I starred at the ground below me, immediately sending my brain into panic. I was 40 feet off the ground, suspended in the air by a rope and some scraps of fabric they called a harness. The climbing shoes crushed my toes as I strived to cling to the rock, my fingers sweating through the chalk that was supposed to dry them out. Rock climbing was a terrible idea, and I had five more days of it ahead.

I had signed up for a weeklong trip of climbing in the glorious state of Utah for fall break. A group of fellow students and I were excited to take a break from school and have an adventure. However, this was not why I went. It was a challenge given to me by a friend. I wanted to show that I had improved, both physically and mentally, from the semester before. Yet as I looked up at the route and realized that I could not make it to the top, the familiar feeling of failure came over me. Five more days of this seemed to be my fate.

That night, the group gathered around the fire for prayer and discussion on the wonder of God’s creation. I had offered to read an essay, written by the same friend who had challenged me to go on the trip. It was an essay about making God the end of our journey, even if the path is difficult. We might want to go another way, that of the world, but it is not one that leads to happiness. However, there is still a chance to turn back, even if we think it is impossible to do so. God made Moses a political leader, a peasant girl from France a general of a great army, and a fourteen-year-old girl from Nazareth the Queen of Heaven and Earth. He can most certainly help us attain greatness. All he asks is that we be soft clay in his hands so that He may make us a masterpiece.

As we sat there reflecting on the essay, I realized how much it related to my trip. With climbing, you have one goal: the top of the route. It is literally an uphill battle, with each move tearing at your fingers. There are many different routes around you, but it is foolish to venture from the one you’re on and attempt another’s. When this path fails, you will swing and scrape against the wall, bringing more harm to yourself then if you had only fallen down a foot or two on your own path.  Yet you do not plummet to the ground, but you will be caught on the rope. There is belayer below you, ready to catch you if you fall. You can call for them to give you slack or tension to the rope, depending on the difficulty of the climb. This activity, with all its trials, reminded me of the life of a Christian. There is the goal of God, and he will help us if we ask. He only requests our trust.

Upon this realization, I was determined to complete the rest of the week with this in mind. Each climb brought its own particular struggles, but they also helped me to trust my belayer, as well as my own ability to complete the goal with their help and guidance. However, there was one question that still troubled me until the final day. What was the point of the climb? There is the goal of the top, but what is the reward of this? At the end of the route, you have the opportunity to turn from the rock you have been so focused on and look at the breathtaking view that was behind you. The valleys and mountains, speckled with trees, are just a glimpse at the glory of God. How much better are the rewards of our earthly life? We will not only get a small reflection of God’s glory, but will see him face to face in his eternal might and goodness. This thought finally convinced me that every fall that I have had and every trial I will face is not some horrible joke for God to laugh at. It is instead a test, to show me the one thing required—to place my trust in Him so that I may also experience the bliss of the Heavenly Cosmos.

Written by  Jacob Scobey-Poolachek, Published in the Catholic Herald Newspaper

WAUKESHA — The Schoenstatt Retreat Center could easily be mistaken for a state park. Apart from a couple buildings and a chapel, the center’s campus is entirely green.
Hundreds of acres of farmland, woodland and prairie surround the buildings. Gently sloping hills mark the movements of glaciers tens of thousands of years ago. Schoenstatt, German for “beautiful place,” lives up to its name. The land has a simple, profound elegance.

Though the center is owned and staffed by the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, they are not alone in their stewardship of the land. Marquette University High School teacher Joe Meyer founded the Laudato Si’ Project this past February. He and the project’s board of directors have joined the sisters in calling the retreat center their inspiration and workspace.

The project, inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’,” promotes the growth of environmental appreciation and caretaking within the Catholic community. It aims to bring the pope’s ideas to fruition — for individuals and for organizations. The venture is new, but Meyer said it only came to be because of two passions he has had for a long time: nature and faith. For years, he struggled to find a way for his love of science and God to intersect.

“In the secular world, they’re telling you to separate the two,” he said. “I prayed a lot about finding that integration.”

In addition to prayer, Meyer studied the work of church leaders, reading texts from St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and others. But it was Pope Francis’ encyclical that finally gave him the clarity and inspiration he needed. “When I really dove into the teaching, I realized the church feels the same way I do, in its authentic, true self,” he said. “The way I was feeling about my passion for the natural world doesn’t at all compete with this love for God. In fact, it complements it perfectly.”

“Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose. None is superfluous. The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.”    — Pope Francis, Laudato Si’



Pope Francis published the nearly 200-page “Laudato Si’” in June 2015. It is an appeal from the Holy Father for an inclusive dialogue about environmental challenges the planet is facing and how those issues can be overcome. He argues that every person is morally obligated to act. Meyer took this call to action to heart, gathering a diverse, passionate staff of volunteers to help him bring the mission of care for God’s creation to anyone willing to partake. These volunteers do service work at the retreat center, as well as elsewhere.

The group also helps create and strengthen environmental groups in schools and parishes. Its work is only limited by the inspiration of the encyclical and three pillars: education, stewardship and recreation. Education, especially, is at the core of their work, through sharing the contents of the encyclical as well the practical teaching of how to be a steward of the Earth. The board often works with Meyer’s environmental science course and a student-founded outdoors homeroom at Marquette, and it is also a partner with St. Thomas More High School and various parishes.

Education of these students is a key aspect of their mission. The project’s website explains with a quote from Senegalese forestry engineer Baba Dioum: “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.”

Volunteer groups have finished several stewardship projects through Meyer’s program during the past few months. They have installed wooden nest boxes for bluebirds and cleared trails for retreatants at the ecology center, worked on beach restoration, removed invasive species, and volunteered at the Urban Ecology Center and land trusts and preserves. Meyer said finding willing volunteers is never a large issue.“Generally, there’s a desire in people to do these sorts of things. Sometimes they don’t understand how to do it, and that’s where we come in,” he said.

Often, the team does not need to create an activity for a parish or group, but rather it can support and strengthen an existing initiative. Or, as the group’s influence grows, Meyer and the board can direct people to other environmental groups and events in the Milwaukee area.

The recreation aspect of the project’s mission is a reminder that appreciating nature does not have to be a chore. Meyer said that just taking a few minutes every day to appreciate some green space can help create higher environmental consciousness. The group has led hikes and snowshoeing events and keeps members updated on other outdoor events.

The reception from volunteers has been positive. Some high schoolers have told Meyer that the project opened their eyes to a new direction for their lives that they had never considered.

As exceptional as it is to change a life, Meyer finds the smaller changes to be equally rewarding. Every slight lifestyle change and new parish membership is a sign the Laudato Si’ Project is having success on a macro level. He sees his role as basic, but potentially instrumental in someone’s life.

“It’s giving people that have that spark – that interest – this whole new world that they didn’t even know existed,” he said. “Where we’re starting is trying to mobilize people within the church to see us as stewards of the environment.”

The Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary are proud to host the undertaking. “Pope Francis has given our church and the whole world a valuable impulse through ‘Laudato Si’, and it’s wonderful to have something like the Laudato Si’ Project to help us implement those impulses in a practical and effective way,” Sr. M. Joanna Buckley said.

Meyer hopes to see even more growth. The board has an interest in creating permanent positions and in eventually being able to have a high school or college student intern. There are plenty of project ideas, but they need more members, volunteers and sponsors to be able to execute them.Meyer is careful to keep his priorities in check. In the end, his goal is to help Catholics be the moral beacon that Pope Francis exemplifies.

He and his team also seek to pull people to Christ.“Ultimately, that’s the goal. Not just to have people cut down buckthorn on the weekend – it’s to draw them to God,” he said. Nonetheless, Meyer continues to cut down the invasive trees. His second passion is always at play to complement his faith. With dozens of volunteers at his side, he tirelessly works to remove the obstacles, lay down wood chips and create a path to a more sustainable world.

Written by Joe Meyer, Executive Director of Laudato Si’ Project

This weekend was packed with fun, getting the most out of the beautiful Fall season in WI. On Saturday, students were led on a hike through a beautiful section of the Holy Hill Ice Age Trail. This several mile stretch winds through glacial kettles, kames, and eskers while sugar maples tower overhead. This is one of the most scenic stretches of the WI Ice Age Trail.

On Sunday, Boy Scouts and members of the Heiliger Huegel Ski Club came to learn about prairie ecology and help with an 8 acre prairie planting that is on the ski club grounds.

After learning about prairie ecology and the 5 month old prairie planting at the ski club, these fearless volunteers hiked over to the neighboring Meyer prairie to collect native seed to be scattered at the HH ski club site. Armed with buckets, volunteers young and old gathered ripe seed heads across a 6 acre site planted with over 50 different species of prairie grasses, wildflowers, and sedges.

After all the prairie seed was collected, it was put into a large collective tub where it was mixed with vermiculite. Vermiculite is a filler used for prairie seeding to prevent too much seed getting scattered in one spot and also helps carry some of the finer seed, sawdust can also be used. Prairie seeds differ dramatically in size ranging from 750 seeds per ounce in some species to 2,500,000 seeds per ounce in others. All the mixed seed was divided up into buckets and volunteers brought them back to the HH ski club prairie to over-seed areas with less germination and to increase overall diversity of the planting.

“As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling.” —Pope Francis,  Manila Philippines, January 18, 2015

Learn more about this prairie project from our June Post “Prairie Planting”

Written By WCC Professor Dr. Kent Lasnoski

Wyoming Catholic College is currently participating in the Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge, a competition between various colleges to see who can get the most people active in the great outdoors. About 90 schools from across the country participate in this challenge over a six-week period. The winner will be named the National Outdoor Champion, receiving the prize of national recognition and outdoor gear.

Out of the colleges competing, Wyoming Catholic is among the few Catholic schools. With its focus forming the mind, body and spirit, and its emphasis on the poetic mode of learning—learning from a direct encounter with the true, good, and beautiful, WCC couldn’t help but sign up! From climbing and biking, to rafting and backpacking, these activities help the students learn the skills necessary in order to lead others and themselves toward an encounter with the glory of God most high not only visible and tangible in the sun breaking over the mountain, awakening and warming the senses, the imagination, the memory of God’s goodness.

            Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge offers Catholic schools an opportunity to witness to the deeper reasons we surround ourselves with the natural world: not out of a naïve enthusiasm for “nature” that amounts to a quasi-worship of the cosmos itself, but a reminder that man, as summit of God’s creation, as priest, prophet and king of this wondrous world, is called to draw up all of that creation with himself into an act of divine Sabbath worship, an act of rest in the God who created a world very good.

Find out more about the challenge:  http://www.oncampuschallenge.org/

Reflection by High School Student Jacob Baisden

My love for the outdoors definitely came from my dad and my grandpa. We would go up north to Three Lakes, WI where we have 80 acres. We would spend time clearing trails and making deer stands on our land. My great grandpa bought the land in the 1950s and hunted on it every year until he was physically unable. Our cabin on this land we call “the shack” because it is really just a shack. It is a little smaller than a two-car garage, and holds five beds (two bunk beds) a wood burning stove, water pump, and a propane oven. The furniture and decorations in the shack really make you feel connected to nature. There are tons of antlers everywhere, an old bee hive and deer hooves for coat hangers and more antlers for drawer handles. There are even mushrooms for shelves.  We would love to go muskie fishing at nearby Lake Julia.

Something that fostered my love for the outdoors was going to visit National Parks; Rocky Mountain, Everglades, Glacier Bay, Denali, Badlands, and Olympic. Another thing that fueled my love for nature was nature movies and tv shows. Planet Earth and all those other nature documentaries are my favorite. I could watch those for hours.

Fishing in Rocky Mountain National Park

Boundary Water’s Fun

Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ makes me see my existence as to serve man and nature. The Earth is calling out to us and we must respond. I feel obligated to show others what I see and make sure they realize their part in taking care of our common home. I try to make others aware of the environmental problems and also help them appreciate what we have been given as humans. God has created a beautiful Earth and we need to ensure humans don’t spoil it with development.

My Catholic education and science classes have opened my eyes to my duty to my home and the problems that exist. At our high school we have an environmental/outdoors homeroom that has given me a platform to get out into the field and do conservation work and other environmental education opportunities.

Laudato Si’ Project has really allowed me to be a good steward to the land. It has given me knowledge and ideas for what I want to do for a career and how to inspire others. It has shown me that being a good steward should not be done alone but in a group where we are stronger. Jesus said, ” where two or three are gathered in my name I am with you.” When we work to restore this Earth together, we are working in His name and He is with us.

My favorite Laudato Si’ Project outings has been the one where we did an oak savannah restoration with the Milwaukee Audubon Society at one of their preserves. It doesn’t seem like work to me and I want to see the land the way God intended. The outing was my favorite because we were all having so much fun working in the snow and we found a ton of caves/crevases that were amazing to explore. This outing showed me how we can have great fun together working for good and inspire our friends and family members to answer Pope Francis’ call. I know that in the future I can inspire my friends to do their part and help save this Earth.

Testing the Waters is a WI water quality monitoring program that began in the 1990’s to utilize citizen science as a tool to measure for water quality in the Milwaukee River Basin. MMSD partnered with Riveredge Nature Center in Newburg to mobilize high school students to annual evaluate the health of these rivers.

Over a dozen schools have participated and many of them for decades. In Wisconsin, our waterways are an extremely valuable resource not only for wildlife but for our recreational use as well. Long term water quality monitoring is a great way to measure the health of our rivers and engage citizens in its stewardship.

At Marquette University High School, environmental science had been doing testing of the Menominee River in Miller Valley for many years since Testing the Waters inception but curriculum and faculty changes at the school eventually led to the removal of water quality monitoring. In 2014, science teacher’s John Azpell (Board Member of LSP) and Joe Meyer (Executive Director of LSP) reinvigorated the program for the 75-100 students that take environmental science at MUHS annually. It is a great way to connect what is being taught in the classroom to how it plays out in an ecological system.

Students measure physical/chemical properties of the water including: average depth, velocity, turbidity (clarity), nitrates, phosphates, fecal coliform bacteria, dissolved oxygen, and biological oxygen demand. One of the highlights of any river experience is the catching and identifying of macro-invertebrates. These bio-indicators include crawfish, mayfly larvae, dragonfly larvae, and leeches to name a few.  Which species are present in the river gives us a unique look at pollution levels in the aquatic system.

This year’s monitoring was particularly interesting because while on the river site, Wisconsin Lutheran College ecology students were doing their fish monitoring of the river. Students, along with their professor, shocked the river which temporarily stuns the fish so they can be netted. Fish are placed in a tank that sits upon a mini-raft. Fish are then identified, measured, and checked for various other indicators.

College students teaching MUHS students about fish monitoring

Measuring a green sunfish (other fish caught include darters and white suckers)

Each year, selected students with a particular interest in environmental science are allowed to come on a field trip to Riveredge Nature Center to learn even more about water quality testing. Riveredge Nature Center has also partnered with the WI DNR to bring back sturgeon to the Milwaukee River, absent for 100 years because of poor water quality. Students learn how these tests fit into the greater picture of water quality and conservation in the whole Milwaukee River Watershed and health of Lake Michigan.

Lastly, students from over 6 high schools in WI journeyed with Washington County workers to visit Farms that demonstrate various conservation approaches used to increase water quality. Much of the nitrogen and phosphorus that ends up in our rivers comes from agricultural soil erosion, fertilizer, or livestock manure runoff. Examples of conservation techniques shown on the farms were some bio-remediation using buffer strips, water catchment basins, and manure retention ponds. It becomes very clear to students that large scale farming brings with it tremendous consequences and challenges for the health our environment (not to mention human and animal health). Students were then able to explore the vast property of Riveredge Nature Center, part of which is a State Natural Area.

Removing runoff water before nutrients are picked up from feed bins and end up in the Milwaukee River

5 million gallon manure storage from several hundred head of cattle. Manure is pumped out and spread onto fields.

October 4th is the feast day of St. Francis, patron saint of animals and the environment. Many of us have seen his statue adorning gardens or quite places for reflection in nature. Our current Pope took his name to reflect the need to live simply, care for the poor, and find God in His Creation. Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ references St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon which begins “Praised be You my Lord…” (Laudato Si’ means Praise be You in medieval Italian)

Pope Francis also called for a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on September 1st of this year. It was then that he announced a new work of mercy in the Church, “Care for Our Common Home.” He then called for several week span to pray and reflect upon God’s gift of Creation for us in what he termed the “Season of Creation.” This Season of Creation comes to a close of this feast day of St. Francis of Assisi so let’s pray the prayer St. Francis wrote “Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon”

Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor and all blessings. To you alone, Most High, do they belong, and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.

Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who is the day through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor, Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, And fair and stormy, all weather’s moods, by which You cherish all that You have made.

Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water, So useful, humble, precious and pure.

Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You my Lord through our Sister, Mother Earth who sustains and governs us,
producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs. Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon for love of You and bear sickness and trial.

Blessed are those who endure in peace, By You Most High, they will be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death, from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.

No second death can do them harm. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks, And serve Him with great humility.

Learn more about this amazing Saint Here

Bat Fest took place this weekend at the Urban Ecology Center located in the Menominee Valley of Milwaukee, WI. The Urban Ecology Center is located near Miller Park on the Menominee River and Hank Aaron State Trail. Laudato Si’ Project brought Marquette High School students to volunteer at the event and learn more about these amazing mammals of the night. Researchers and biologists from the Urban Ecology Center, US Forest Service, and WI DNR presented about WI bat ecology, conservation, populations, migration, and hibernation.

MUHS students volunteering at Bat Fest

Urban Ecology Center in the Menominee Valley of Milwaukee, WI

Throughout the evening, biologists and researchers also demonstrated the process of capturing flying bats with the use of mist nets (fine mesh) and harp traps (vertical bands of fishing line leading down to a catchment bag). Bats use echolocation to navigate so catching them in mist nets can be difficult because they can actually detect the fine netting. Therefore, researchers often place these nets along old logging roads or waterways that bats frequently use and therefore rely less on their echolocation allowing for easier capture in the nets.

Mist nets

Harp Trap

WI boasts 7 species of bats; little brown, big brown, silver-haired, northern long-eared, eastern red, hoary, and eastern pipistrelle (compared to many western states having several dozen species). Our 7 bat species are divided into 2 categories, those that hibernate in WI in caves, old mines, and houses (4 species) or those that migrate to warmer climates for the winter (3 species).

Also demonstrated at Bat Fest were some other monitoring techniques used by researchers and biologists. These included echolocation acoustic surveys, radio telemetry, and banding. Acoustic surveys require a machine that takes the ultrasonic echolocation sounds of bats and displays it visually on a screen (similar to a stereo showing the basis levels). These sounds even allow them to identify individual species. Radio telemetry utilizes a small tracking device affixed to a captured bat that will allow for biologists to track its feeding, movements, and roosting/hibernation via an antennae. Lastly, banding of bats is very similar to that used on birds for centuries. A captured bat has a unique numbered mental band attached to its forearm (without hurting the bat) and if that bat is captured somewhere else, researchers are able to gain valuable insight into lifespan, migration, and hibernation.

One bat that was captured and banded in Door County, WI was recaptured 4 years later in a cave in Copper Harbor of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Another bat that was captured and banded 34 years ago has been recaptured several times and if it is caught again next year, it will be the longest lived bat known in the world.

If you are interested in helping with these types of citizen science monitoring programs where you live, contact Laudato Si’ Project Here.

“The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity.” Catechism of the Catholic Church 2415

Reflection by Grace Harrigan, Wyoming Catholic College Student

“In talking with his disciples, Jesus would invite them to recognize the paternal relationship God has with all his creatures. With moving tenderness he would remind them that each one is important in God’s eyes…’Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.’ (Mt 6:26)”

Behind every tree lurks something dark, dismal, and threatening. If the mountains are not sheltering wolves or bears, they present the traveler with other equally arresting, even insurmountable obstacles. As a backpacker journeys deeper and deeper into its treacherous depths, she ventures further and further away from sanity.  This was my initial impression of Wyoming Catholic College’s COR (Catholic Outdoor Retreat), a 21-day backpacking trip. I was never going to survive.

The first day did nothing to assuage my anxiety. After a grueling uphill hike, the group and I were anticipating a relaxing conclusion to our journey. The goal of soaking up some much desired rest in the late-afternoon sunshine seemed within reach as we approached our campsite: the peaceful-sounding “Meadows.” Perhaps the journey wouldn’t be as nightmarish as I had pictured it to be. The weather had other ideas, and as soon as we began to sluggishly pitch camp, I heard the faintest splat, and felt a cool, wet droplet land on my shoulder. Looking up at the sky and dreading the outcome, not a single speck of blue greeted my eyes; a thunderstorm was inevitable.

The solitary droplets soon transformed into a driving torrent, and the wind viciously knifed through the tents, chilling us to the bone. A brief respite brought on a hurried and bland spaghetti dinner, but no sooner had we storm-proofed our stoves than the onslaught began once more. I dived under the tarp-like transformer shelter with the rest and prepared to be miserable. I am ashamed to say the only thoughts that entered my mind were “I am wet, I am hungry, and I am FED-UP with COR.”

Thoroughly disgusted at having allowed myself to be allured by the wilderness, I huddled with my fellow travelers and did my best not to sob. How on earth was I going to survive three whole weeks in the wilderness? If I thought this was difficult now, the rest of the journey seemed impossible. I would fall and never pick myself back up.

Yet before the despair took hold, I heard a sweet, solitary song through the storm’s din. Grasping for anything to keep myself from falling apart, I clung to that still, small voice.  “Rose, rose, rose red, will I ever see thee wed? I will marry at thy will, sire. At thy will…” Perhaps it was the haunting theme of the melody, or the sincerity with which it was sung. Whatever it was, the notes struck a chord in my shivering body. It was beautiful that an innocent rose could place so much trust in the one she loved. She could stand before him for all eternity, patiently awaiting the time when the two shall become one. Suddenly, another thought struck me. I realized how unlike the rose I was being. There I was, in the middle of God’s country. At that moment, it wasn’t the most picturesque scene I could find myself in, but I knew this was where I was called to be.

If I accepted my duty as a daughter of God, offering up my discomfort and placing my faith in Him, surely I could then put aside my fears and trust in His plan. In that moment, I sank into the love of our Heavenly Father. And as soon as I had done this, a peaceful warmth radiated throughout my body, lending courage to my spirit.

Looking back on this experience, Matthew 6:26 perfectly embodies this lesson I learned from COR. When you’re in the wilderness, you need Him to climb that peak at 5:00 in the morning, or cross the icy waters and hike the rest of the day in wet boots. When you begin to despair, you must rely on His strength to see you through. The backcountry has an amazing way of pushing you to your own personal limits, forcing you to turn to our Lord for help and place your trust in him. Just as the birds of the air can’t always provide for themselves, so too must you turn to God in order to receive the fortitude to carry on. I pray that I will be able to follow the example of God’s creatures and remember my need for reliance on God. Like the bridal rose, may I always put my faith in Him who will see me through every hardship.

Written by John Azpell; Marquette University High School Science Teacher 

The Spirit Lake Buckthorn Removal outing on Saturday was a success. It took place on the 155 acre Ozaukee Washington Land Trust preserve near Mequon, WI .  The Spirit lake preserve contains a one-half mile tributary that flows to the Milwaukee River, upland hardwood forest, lowland hardwood forest with ephemeral ponds cattail marsh, fresh (wet) meadow, and a small, restored grassland. The Marquette High group removed buckthorn, honeysuckle, and other invasive species from the edge of a forest near Spirit Lake.  The goal was to make sure the deciduous forest growth under the canopy were saplings of Oaks, Hickories, Hawthorns, and other trees.  The thick amount of buckthorn shrubs was preventing this understory of the forest from growing these native trees.

Before we arrived at the site, a group working with the Land Trust had cut down buckthorns with chainsaws and handsaws.  They continued to work while we were there.  Our job was to move the buckthorn into piles to be burned later this fall or winter.  The boys were very efficient in clearing out the buckthorn and piling it up.  When we were finished we were able to see much more light hitting the forest floor than before we had started.  This light penetrating is crucial for small woodland wildflowers and floral biodiversity. 

At the end of our work day we ate apples picked from an apple tree nearby and we took a quick hike on the Spirit Lake Preserve and looked at the beautiful oaks and hickories in the forest.  We also checked out an area where an ephemeral pond had been and where frogs and salamanders prosper in the Spring. It was a good day!

To learn more about Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and their Preserves Click Here

“The mystery of Christ…at work in a hidden manner.”

Reflection by Wyoming Catholic College senior Joseph Fredriksson

Photos taken by Wyoming Catholic College student Marissa Daskiewicz

One of the many highlights of one’s time at Wyoming Catholic College is the 21-day expedition into the wilderness. With this experience, one mimics the life of Christ, which was filled with retreats into the wilderness, especially in the Gospel of Luke.

One may wonder why Christ gives us the backcountry retreat model.  Specifically about the 21-day trip, what is so valuable about this backcountry experience?  Why so long?  I believe the silence that comes from a prolonged period away from modern society’s endless noise is one of the things that makes the trip so profitable.  In the wilderness’ silence—ever pregnant with the Word—one learns to listen for a truly meaningful whisper from the Lord, a whisper birthed by the silence. With Elijah, one hears and gains strength from the “still, small voice.”

In addition to the silence, the arduous physical activity provides us with another beautiful experience; it reminds us that we have flesh, flesh that is to be subdued with the aid the Spirit.  Without conquering ourselves physically as Christ models in his own forty-day desert fast, we cannot hope to return to the front country ready to act properly in a theandric (both human and divine) manner.

This past August, I led the 21-day expedition along with two other Wyoming Catholic College students for a group of eleven freshmen.  Though the students were admirable in a number of ways, some of the students profoundly understood the above points: the power of silence, and self-mastery.

One of the students, who usually refrained from unnecessary chatter throughout the trip, gave a struggling student the strength to keep going by saying truly meaningful things in a “still, small voice.” He served as an example of Christ, since he was master over himself physically. He was an example of, as Pope Francis puts it in Laudato Si, “the mystery of Christ…at work in a hidden manner” (Laudato Si, Paragraph 99). From his silence he could speak a word of strength to the weak.

The struggling student, too, in and through his hardships, served as an example of Christ.  Despite the arduous nature of the trip, he didn’t quit.  He wrestled with nature, the “created cosmos” and “[threw] in his lot…even to the cross.”  “He opened not his mouth” as he bore his cross, following in the footsteps of Christ.

One of the trip’s spiritual highpoints came at its midpoint.  The group was growing tired after a few difficult days of hiking; we had an opportunity to rest. Once we woke up in the morning, Father celebrated Mass as usual, but this time saved a consecrated host.  He then processed with the students chanting the Salve Regina to a tent that was set up for 24 hours of Adoration.  Throughout the day, a day which the students had set aside as time of silence, each student took a holy hour to be with Our Lord. It became more beautiful that night, when one could just look out from his tent and see the bright light shining from the tent, the stars’ own complement, and know that a student was alone with Him, “the light of men…the light that shines in the darkness.”

All of us, instructors and students alike, profited from the silence and physical challenge of this trip. I believe that we all are better equipped to face the challenges of the classroom and society at large because we have come to experience, to some degree or another, “the Christian understanding of the world, the destiny of all creation…bound up in the mystery of Christ.”

Laudato Si’ Project welcomes our newest school partner, Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha, WI. Catholic Memorial has a great academic program coupled with a strong faith community. Service is at the core of student life at the school and students are required to complete service hours throughout their four years.

Laudato Si’ Project was invited to attend their 2016 community service fair where students connect with organizations that can provide them the opportunity to give back in a meaningful way. Students were excited to learn about all the stewardship projects we are involved in and the recreational opportunities we provide throughout the year. Over 50 students are now signed up to help and be involved with Laudato Si’ Project. We look forward to working with Catholic Memorial High School students and faculty this year and beyond.

“Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others.”   -Pope Francis Laudato Si’

Laudato Si’ Project spent Saturday at the St. Gabriel’s annual flea market in Hubertus, WI. Despite some rainy, cold, and windy conditions, lots of people were able to learn about the call of  Laudato Si’, explore our educational displays, and learn more about the mission of our organization.

Thanks to all the individuals who donated items to be used for educational displays and our brave volunteers who helped out in our tents. It was a great success!

Laudato Si’ Project is excited to announce a new partnership with Wyoming Catholic College.  Wyoming Catholic College (WCC) is a four-year coeducational Catholic college whose primary educational objective is to offer a traditional liberal arts education that schools the whole person in all three dimensions—mind, body, and spirit.

One way they accomplish this is by immersing their students in the beauty of the outdoors. In their freshman outdoor courses, students engage and experience God’s creation as part of that creation themselves—indeed, as the crowning glory of that creation. Freshman are immersed in nature and their imaginations are nourished through a three-week summer program, and one-week winter wilderness expedition which specifically prepares students to plan and lead winter outdoor adventures and to participate in winter field science labs during their sophomore year. Four “Outdoor Weeks” are scheduled each year to facilitate these adventures.

Wyoming Catholic College believes that becoming a true leader means taking on the mantle of responsibility in any setting: from classroom to wilderness. It is the outdoor programming that helps fully accomplish the goal of forming leaders.

Laudato Si’ Project’s partnership with WCC will give those students a greater connection between the outdoor emphasis of the college and Pope Francis’ call to Catholics in the encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. It is through their outdoor experiences at WCC that students will connect personally with Creation and thus fall greater in love with Jesus and His Church. In the future, we will have WCC students post on this blog about their experiences at the college and on their outdoor trips, exemplifying how they are “living” Laudato Si’.

Laudato Si’ Project is very excited about this partnership! Find out more about more about Wyoming Catholic College. Information about WCC was taken from the Wyoming Catholic Catholic website.  

Pope Francis has followed up his writing of Laudato Si’: On Care For Our Common Home, by making September 1st a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. To emphasize the need to be good stewards of this planet, Pope Francis also announced a new work of mercy: care for our common home.  Pope Francis says, “human life itself and everything it embraces includes care for our common home.”

He continues in his message released today, “As a spiritual work of mercy, care for our common home calls for a grateful contemplation of God’s world which allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us. As a corporal work of mercy, care for our common home requires simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness and makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world.”

Pope Francis addresses some tough issues in his message and does not shy away from describing the major negative impacts humans have had on the planet. He says, “God gave us a bountiful garden, but we have turned it into a polluted wasteland of debris, desolation and filth.” He continues, “We must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behavior. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.”

In the sixth section of his message, he offers hope that God is with us and will never abandons us. Let us end with the prayer he wrote:

“O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
who are so precious in your eyes…

God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
God of mercy, may we receive your forgiveness
and convey your mercy throughout our common home.”

Praise be to you!

Amen.

The full message released today can be found Here and a also Video of press conference about the World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation

Today we completed the 3 acre woodland restoration at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center in Waukesha, WI. Despite the intermittent rain showers, 7 brave souls worked to cut and remove the remaining invasive European buckthorn from this amazing  woodland that is full of huge oak and other tree species.

Clearing buckthorn (and loving it)

Cutting buckthorn

Stacking buckthorn

This was a project that began in May of this year (see Woodland Restoration post) and has included the creation of a woodland trail, benches, and educational signage thanks to the   58 volunteer hours!! Schoenstatt Sisters and volunteers have also placed wood chips on the trail which has become a favorite for some Sisters and those on retreat to walk and pray.

This woodland project has also run alongside our bluebird nest box program on the property (see Bluebird Nest Box post) and the beginnings of several other long-term stewardship projects like a 12 acre woodland restoration/trail, butterfly garden, and a 2 acre oak-opening “prayer-e” planting with native wildflowers and grasses.

“The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains – everything is, as it were, a caress of God.”     -Pope Francis, Laudato Si’

Sunday was our hike in the southern Kettle Moraine’s Scuppernong Prairie. This 3,500 acre prairie is the largest mesic prairie east of the Mississippi. It covers 2 State Natural Areas and is home to many interesting, unique, and rare plants and animals.

Ready to catch some insects!

Maddy with her great butterfly catch

This prairie contains hundreds of species of plants and many grassland bird species not very common in southern WI anymore. Prairie’s require fire to remove the bushes and trees that naturally invade them. The main tree species found in this prairie is Bur Oak which has especially thick bark to handle spring/fall fires. Prior to European Settlement, Bison and Elk also roamed these prairies and burning helped with hunting of these species by the Native Americans (the main fire starters). The scuppernong prairie also contains 2 spring fed creeks that are home to native brook trout. Armed with bug nets, we were able to explore one of southern Wisconsin’s natural treasures.

The Loew’s Lake Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest is located in the heart of the Mid Kettle Moraine near Holy Hill. It was at one time slated for subdivision development but was soon recognized to contain many unique geological and ecological features. This kettle lake is 24 acres in size with the Oconomowoc River running through it. The park has tamarack wetlands, upland forests and prairies. The Ice Age Trail runs 5 miles though the 1000 acre property.

Entrance to Loew’s Lake

Overlooking the kettle formed by the glaciers

Playing in the Oconomowoc River

7 of us met at the emerald drive parking lot and headed out on a trail to see the great views of the entrance of the Oconomowoc River to Loew’s Lake. On the bridge we saw many small mouth and large mouth bass and several canoe/kayakers making their way to the lake from the Hwy Q drop-in several miles down stream. We then hiked several miles of the ice age trail north to emerald drive.

Laudato Si’ Project’s next outing will be Sunday, July 17th at 2pm in the Southern Kettle Moraine. We will be hiking and learning about the Scuppernong Prairie State Natural Area while in full bloom. We will also hike the Ice Age Trail that runs through the area. Meet at the “Rainbow Springs” parking lot off of Hwy N.

Ice Age Trail

June 18th marks the 1 year anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Within the last 2 weeks, Laudato Si’ Project has been busy celebrating by taking part in a wide array of activities.

1.) Two members of Laudato Si’ Project attended the “Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee.” This conference had great speakers and educational sessions on green infrastructure and sustainable building, all aimed at engaging students in sustainability.

2.) We continued stewardship work and woodland restoration at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center. Our woodland trail with signs is now complete (about 2/3 of the buckthorn has been removed from the woodland- stay tuned for another work day this summer).

Woodland Trail that meanders through a mature oak woodland at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center

Woodland Trail with tree identification signs.

3.) We started a Laudato Si’ Project Team at St. Gabriel’s Parish in Hubertus that will also be doing an encyclical study.

4.) Patrick Donohue of Marquette University High School built 3 bluebird nest boxes and  put them on the newly planted 8 acre prairie at HH ski club. While in the Mid Kettle Moraine, he helped with turtle monitoring on the Schoofs Preserve.

5.) The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has written a nice article about Laudato Si’ Project in their June Newsletter. You can read it Here.

6.) This Saturday, June 25th, all are welcome to come out with us to the Mid Kettle Moraine to hike a section of the Ice Age Trail and explore the 1000 acre Loew’s Lake Unit. Please contact me if you are interested.

Lastly, the Vatican’s “Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace” launched a new website dedicated to the Laudato Si’ efforts around the world to put its teaching into practice. http://www.laudatosi.va/content/giustiziaepace/en/speciale-laudato-si.html

Laudato Si’ Project has teamed up with Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and Tall Pines Conservancy to help preserve a beautiful property in the Mid Kettle Moraine. We were joined by botanists from the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC). The botanists were doing a property inventory and collecting specimens for record keeping. Because of the diversity of habitat types on the parcel; wetland, upland, grassland- the diversity of plant species is outstanding. The private property has a “Natural Area” designation as a result of the presence of several high quality community types, some of which are still in pre-european settlement condition. Although the total plant inventory is not complete yet, at least 2 WI threatened plant species were found, one of which has never before been found in Washington County.

Saturday was a shoreline restoration day at a Tall Pines Conservancy preserve on North Lake. It is a small preserve (under an acre) but has a large importance. This is due to the ephemeral pond ( dries up mid-late summer) that supports a wide diversity of insects and amphibians. This preserve has been spared the fate of most other lots in the area and was not filled 10 or more feet to allow building. Laudato Si’ Project brought MUHS students this past winter to remove buckthorn that had invaded the preserve (pictured below).

The focus on Saturday was restoring the 65 feet of shoreline on North Lake. Much of the shoreline was being eroded and because of past buckthorn invasion, native plants were not present to hold the soil. To accomplish this bank stabilization, Herb from Sandy Bottom Nursery of Delefield brought in “bio-logs” which are made from coconut husk. These 10 foot logs hold the shoreline in place while the plants planted into them establish. The bio-logs also wick moisture up into the roots while the plants are young. This use of bio-logs is a great alternative to traditional rip-rap used on many shorelines. Restrictions on use of rip-rap has been tightened due to its inability to reduce lawn fertilizer runoff and its lack of habitat for young fish and amphibians. These two issues exacerbate the need for lake weed cutting and fish stocking.

Natural shoreline vs. rip-rap shoreline

Helping to eliminate shoreline erosion

Arrowhead High School student Mackenzie and Tall Pines Conservancy biologist, Jill Bedford, were also on hand to help complete the project. Because the shoreline was very wet, native species were selected to handle those moisture conditions. Sunlight also varied, with some places being in full sun while others being in complete shade. The species chosen were several types of sedges, rush, and iris. Also planted behind the bio-logs were dogwoods, lobelia, and aster. The bio-logs will decompose over a few years and by that time the shoreline will be a matrix of plants and roots- reducing soil erosion while provided vital shoreline habitat for fish, amphibians, and insects.

Herb from Sandy Bottom Nursery explaining the different sedges to be planted

Mackenzie from Arrowhead High School and Jill from Tall Pines Conservancy planting the bio-log