Ho-Chunk Nation, Black River Falls,WI
On October 5th, 2020 our class took a trip South to Black River Falls, Wisconsin. Here we were lucky enough to visit the Ho Chunk Nation’s Administration building and listen to a few people talk about what it is they do there. The first speaker was the Ho Chunk Nation President Marlon WhiteEagle. He was very kind and welcomed us into his community. He explained to us who the Ho Chunk People were and what values they hold. The next person we listened to speak was the Historic Preservation Officer William Quackenbush. He discussed with us the rich history of the Ho Chunk Nation. He started out by speaking on how the Ho Chunk people have been in Wisconsin for multiple ice ages. He also expressed how important oral stories are their people in terms of preserving the rich history and culture. He explained that oral stories cannot be destroyed the way stories can be if they are written down. The Ho Chunk people have a 12 clan system in which every clan has its specific role in the community that makes everything else function. Lastly, we met with the UAS Program Administrator Niklas Anderson who is a former University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire graduate where he explained to us everything that he does for the tribal nation.
Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center, Warrens, WI
The Wisconsin cranberry industry is larger than Massachusetts. Cranberries are fruits that are mostly eaten around Christmas and Thanksgiving. 60% of the worlds cranberry harvest comes from Wisconsin. Compared to belief, cranberries are not actually grown in water. They are raised like any other crop, they only get flooded during harvest. Have you ever wondered where the name cranberry comes from? The cranberry is called that because the first Europeans thought the flower of the cranberry plant looked like the bird called a crane. Hence cranberries. Cranberries are packed with nutrition. You might be wondering why Wisconsin is full of cranberries. For cranberries to thrive they some conditions. one: Soil PH needs to be around 4 to 5.5, the part of the state that grows them averages that soil PH. Second, ideally be native to area, Cranberries are native to this part of the world. Third, they love bogs, the part of the state that grows them is mostly bogs or lowlands. Wisconsin just scored 3 out of 3. Warrens is considered one the primary hubs of cranberry location in Wisconsin. Every fall (minus 2020 thanks to COVID) they have had a harvest festival. About 120 thousand people come to this festival. Bringing in about $4 million dollars to the local economy.
Levis Mound Trail Center, Neillsville, WI
Our last stop of the day was the Levis Mound Trail Center. The trails here are specifically created for mountain biking and is a popular destination for the sport. Also, at one time the mounds were considered nunataks - islands rising above a sea of glacial ice. This area is the beginning of the Driftless area within Wisconsin. Dr. Ezra Zeitler joined us on our hike that we took up to the top of the mound. Before the hike up to observe the views we gathered data and did a bit of field work. Using our PlantNet app we analyzed species of trees along the trail. After that Ezra led the way up to the top of the mound where we took a family photo and observed the view. Family photo displayed below.
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