 Welcome to this week's legislative update. I'm Jim Baumgart and co-host is Nanette Bolabash and from Elkhart Lake. Yes. And we have a program we think you'll really enjoy. It's a continuation from last week dealing with the Maywood Environmental Park and we've been blessed by having the park director, Dave Kikouk, to come and explain some of the things available for the public because it is a park that's open and available and most things are either inexpensive or free. And people like that in the German community, that's frugal, right? We welcome Dave. Welcome to the program. Thank you. Well, you've been out at Maywood a long time. Oh my gosh. Yeah, 1987 I started working there. Wow. They have a variety of programs. They'll look at stars at night. They'll have the major bike outing in the fall of the year where you get about 500 people, 400 people. Yeah, it's a big event. That's for sure. Raises some money for Maywood and gives people a chance to get out and see the wonders of the Kettle Marine and the back farmland of Sheawin County. Yeah, there's lots to do. And now that we're starting to get that warmer weather and swing into more late spring and summer, I'm really excited because there's all kinds of great changes that are happening. And you mentioned astronomy. And we have the Schweigen Astronomical Society that does free programs usually throughout the summer months, once a month. They come out and they set up their monstrously large telescopes and focus on all of the wonders of the heavens. And people can just step right up and see. And they think they're worth thousands and thousands of dollars. Oh, yeah. Some of them they come equipped so that the telescope is connected to a laptop computer and the scope tracks the stars across the sky. Oh, they're so willing to share their equipment and let people take a look. So that's fantastic. I will be openly biased. Maywood is a local treasure. It is just a wonderful place. And what makes it strong are staffed people like you who've been there, who share your passion for nature, but also your volunteers. How many volunteers would you say are involved with your friends, committee members, and people who come in, lead programs, take people on walks, lead camps? I mean, it's just pretty amazing. Yeah, there are just literally hundreds, hundreds of volunteers. I know for the bike ride that Jim had referenced a few minutes ago, that event in itself requires up to 200 volunteers for that one event. So throughout the entire year, oh, my gosh, it would be really tough for me to get up there. Well, in that bike out, you've got to map the area. You've got to have people out there with walkie talkie, either communication. You've got emergency vehicles nearby, and everything. Yeah, right. Make sure it's safe. And food along the way. See, you're in Sheboygan County. That's exactly right. It wouldn't operate without food. No, no, nobody would have. It's the one time I tell people, here's an opportunity. You can do a 12-mile route if you want to, or a 112-mile route. But regardless, if you did the 112-mile route, I can almost guarantee you're going to weigh more when you finish than when you start food everywhere. That's great. So tell us, we know summer's coming up. Tell us about the exciting things happening this summer. I just brought some notes along because I know that this summer, with our summer camp programs, there are some exciting titles that they have for these camps, such as Off the Grid Camp and Capture the Flag Untamed Camp and the Quarry Quest Camp and Tinker Lab and Archaeology Camp. There's so many great programs that are being offered, and that is through the partnership that we have with Camp Waikota. From kids as young as what to how old? Yeah, so we have, actually, we have a camp where we have really young kids where parents can come out. The equal buds they call. Well, even before that, we have the five and six-year-old for the equal buds, but then there's a parent and child program for the even younger kids that can talk. Oh, that's great. And then, of course, the camps go all the way up to 14 years old. So there's lots of opportunities for kids. Well, one of those programs that goes from about 8.30 to 4.00 or whatever it is, and they can go home in the evening except if they stay on an overnighter. But one of those programs is Capture the Flag. All they do is chase the flag. Yeah, and swim all week long. And they swim at the quarry. Swim all week long, yep. So parents, if you're trying to exhaust your kids, this is your opportunity. They'll sleep good at night, I'm sure of that. Well, and we're sitting in front of this great display that features your partnership with Camp Waikota, features kids outdoors, winter, summer, playing on playgrounds, holding tools, archery. And I would hope it would be obvious, but I do know that children less and less are spending time outdoors. That's, yeah, they're in front of their screen that they can hold in their hand. And Jim had asked how long I had been at Maywood. Starting there in 1987 to now, I've noticed a tremendous difference in the shift of our kids from that point until this point. Really? And there's very few students or kids that come out that are familiar with a lot of the things that kids were familiar with that were very obvious back in 1987. Like, such as what? Oh, things as simple as going out and discovering what's under a log. Or, yes, or sitting on the grass. We've had kids that don't sit on grass. So, yeah, it's mind-blowing and holding a butterfly. That's something foreign to a lot of kids. So that screen time has taken a lot of those sensory type of activities away. And so they just need to get back out there. And why is that important? If some parent really didn't understand why you need to get a child outside, what would you tell them? Well, here's why it's important. We have to have students or kids become adults that are concerned and care about our planet. If we continue on the road that we're going without having any care or compassion towards our planet, well, we're just going to consume all of our resources. And we can't afford to do that. We have to take care of what's been given to us. And you want people that realize that defending the environment is important. We just had the legislature initially introduce legislation that would have disbanded 200,000 acres of isolated wetland because they said isolated means they're not very good, which is just the opposite. Right, they don't understand how important that is. And they ended up getting rid of or making 100,000 acres of water that was vulnerable, including 2,150 acres of wetlands in Chihuahuan County that now can be filled in with less or no work at all. And so you need people to say, no, no, this is going to cause flooding. This is going to cause deaths of turtles and ducks. And if you want to hunt ducks, you won't be able to do that. And so they need an ethic. But on the opposite side of it, Jim, when I started in 1987, we immediately began to do a lot of restoration at the park. So we restored wetlands. We planted literally thousands upon thousands of trees. Since that time, we've seen wildlife that was not there before come back. So the great blue herons coming back, sandhill cranes coming back, greenback herons coming back, otters, mink, all those critters are now there at Maywood that were not there 30 years ago. And so that's all from our efforts of trying to restore. And if somebody didn't have a land ethic that wouldn't have taken place. That's right. That's right. And so we need to make sure the kids come out to these parks and learn so they can instruct their parents on how important this is. You've got some summer camp programs coming up. And fall programs. And this fall, this is new, right? A preschool, major program for children. Yes, that fall program is really, really exciting. We are trying to reach a much younger audience and tap into all of the four-year-old kids that are out there before they have a chance to get sucked into a screen someplace and spend all their time in front of a computer. So we're starting this nature-based preschool where we're going to be taking the kids outside all year long. So even in the wintertime, we'll be outside. And we'll be showing them all of the wonders that can be experienced outdoors. And to help them, of course, as they say in my field, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. We are equipping our kids with some really fantastic things. We've got some great Gore-Tex suits that they'll be able to wear so that they don't have to worry about getting muddy or wet. And they can still be outside even on some of those days when most people would say, no, no, no. It's tough to get all wet and sloppy and pull them out. And they love it. They just close them up. Yeah. Close them down. There you go. It's terrific. And these are real education-based curriculum as well, not a story. Absolutely. And just letting children discover nature. Different schools, private schools. These are all going to be the same kids every day, so it's not different schools. So parents will enroll their child in the program and will have their child for the entire year. The entire school year. Oh, that is great. They will learn some new things. Great opportunity to really have some impact on the children that attend, getting them to have that same sort of environmental conscious that I'm hoping to instill on every child that comes through our doors. So if somebody's never been to Maywood, you are on the north side of Sheboygan, just off Miller Road, on Miller Road off Highway 42. What are your hours and how can people find more about you? The building is open from 9 to 4 each day, Monday through Friday. And then, again, on Saturday from 1 to 4. However, the grounds are open, basically, from sun up to sundown. And beyond, actually, about 10 o'clock, we close down. So it's OK if I just drive in and walk around. Absolutely. We have lots of trails, and we encourage people to go out and explore on their own whenever they want to. They do a local JC's do a great job of grooming our ski trails in the wintertime. So if we do get some snow one of these years, they could be out there skiing as well. 135 acres. 135 acres, yeah. Right here in the city of Sheboygan. It's really incredible. And people have other things that they can do. They can come to your programs and look at the stars. The easiest way for people to find out is going to just, if they want to check our website, they can show all those programs. So www.gomaywood.org is that website. And they can easily check that and see what is upcoming, because every week there are programs every week. So they need to come on out and enjoy. So we have a few minutes left. What have we not asked you that you really want to make sure people understand? What's the most important thing people should know about Maywood Environmental Park? That they have a jewel right here in their city. I know that most of us think that if you want to go someplace special, you have to drive hundreds and hundreds of miles to find it. And I don't think that that's the case with Maywood. I think you can go right there. That is the special place that everybody can get to within minutes. And you can spend hours there. So it's just a great place to be. Well, I've seen otters along the river. And I've seen great bullherons out there. And then, of course, the kids have got polywogs and other things. It's just an exciting thing, because every time one of those young people sit down by the pond or the river, they're going to see something move. It's exciting. They're making a connection there. Sure. That's experiential education. Not just taking something in, but hands on. So if they have any questions, they can call Maywood. And by the way, we've just run out of time. I guess we have. It always goes so fast. When you get somebody that you really, really relate to, because you graduated from Stevens Point. Correct. And the net reporter and a farm girl by heart. These are nice people to gather around. But we have to leave. Thank you for joining us until next week. This has been Legislative Update.