Naturally Spring

Event focus: Ferns & Lichens

Presenter: Beth Piggush, Integral Ecology Director for Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
Activity: The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration would like to welcome you to their land on St. Joseph Ridge for their first-ever partnership event with Driftless Area BioBlitz! Join us for an afternoon spent learning about some organisms easily found in springtime–FERNS and LICHENS–as we hike down to a natural freshwater spring! After a short presentation, we’ll venture out into the woods to find as many different species as we can see, and catalogue them by taking a picture and posting it to the iNaturalist app.

This event will begin by hiking down an unpaved bluff trail and end by hiking back up it. The trail is well-maintained, but can be steep at times. This intermediate-level hike will be at your own pace. Please be aware of your ability before going on this hike.

About the Presenter:  Hello, my name is Beth Piggush and I am the Integral Ecology Director for the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Part of my role is to manage the 200 acres of ancestral Ho-Chunk land that the Sisters have cared for the last 150 years. The FSPA land on St. Joseph Ridge is private property including woodlands, prairies, a natural spring and gardens. On behalf of FSPA we would like to invite you to join us this spring in identifying ferns and lichens through the Driftless Area BioBlitz. Outside of my time with FSPA, my husband and I are running after our three daughters, avoiding rain and black flies with family outdoor adventures, practicing permaculture at our La Crosse home, and cooking or preserving anything I can grow or forage.

Part of the Spotlight on Nature Event Series

The series, part of the Driftless Area BioBlitz 2022 Nature Challenge, is your chance to participate in a bioblitz with experts sharing their passion for and knowledge of the driftless region. There will be eight different events, each focusing on various taxa like fungi, moss and lichens, pollinator plants, birds, and insects, including nocturnal and decomposers.

Please note:

• Registration required for this event
• Rain date for this event is May 8, 1 pm–3 pm
• We will be following CDC COVID guidelines

This FREE event can be attended in-person or virtually on facebook live.