Year in Review: Stories and photos from The Natural Realm in 2024

December 25, 2024  |  Topics: Spotlight, Stories

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By Eddee Daniel

“Do you remember a time when you stood in the sunlit silence of the woods, caught your breath at a fleeting sunset, or waded into the ocean only to be completely surprised at the strength of the waves? It can be difficult to express why moments like these matter. And yet, if I asked you to tell me about a place in nature where you’ve felt a similar sense of wonder, freedom, safety, or peace, I wager that it wouldn’t take long to think of “your” place. The natural world has an undeniable power to capture our attention and speak to our souls. In my opinion, these are the moments and spaces where we feel most alive.”

~ Brianna Joy Seipel

In a year that was so totally dominated by divisive politics, it was always a pleasure to step outside it all—and literally outside, away from newsfeeds and screens of any kind—and wade into the natural realm for a breath of fresh air. I remember many such times over the course of the past year. There were some surprises, but mostly there was the reassurance and steadfastness of nature. Since I have the great fortune of living next to Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa, sometimes all I had to do was to walk out my door, as you can see above. But you will find photos and stories from all over SE Wisconsin in the following review of the year.

2024 began with a bang. Although there was no snow to brighten up the terrain, over 300 people joined me on January 1 at Bong State Recreation Area for the annual First Day Hike. These New Year’s Day events have become popular in many of our state parks and other places as well. The story: The first day of 2024 brings multitudes out to the parks!

When it did finally snow later in January, it came down in a big way, smothering the landscape all over the place. It transformed otherwise ordinarily beautiful parks into extraordinary places of wonder and mystery. I slogged into it at Wirth Park in Brookfield, discovering: The Wilderness of Wirth.

It was still winter when I returned to the theme of wilderness in a story about kayaking, which took place in a warmer season. Maybe folks needed a respite from the cold, but it turned out to be one of the more popular stories of the year: Kayaking the Milwaukee River in the wilds of West Bend.

One of my favorite insect photos of all time. The praying mantis perched on a stalk of grass seemed to be striking a pose for the camera. It was just one of the intimate marvels I witnessed during a guided tour of a rare and special prairie. The story: Forbs and Fun at Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area!

Inspired by the ancient predilection for identifying the Wonders of the World, which so often came in sevens, and believing as I do that we have natural wonders in our own region of the world, I identified Seven Natural Wonders of Milwaukee. Gratifyingly, it became the second most popular story of the year. (Read on for the most popular.)

In Wisconsin spring itself can seem ephemeral, which makes it a perfect time to celebrate ephemeral ponds, which only happen during this fleeting season. One of our project partners, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, brought us the story: Vernal and Ephemeral: These Ponds Are Essential Habitats!

Why does a particular story go viral? Perhaps it strikes a chord in the cultural zeitgeist. I can’t explain it, but the single most popular story, not only of 2024 but in the five-year history of The Natural Realm, was brought to us by the Root-Pike WIN (Watershed Initiative Network): The Horlick Dam on the Root River in Racine will be removed!

In May, a pack of officials from Milwaukee and Illinois descended on a 42-acre preserve right next to Mitchell International Airport because of the quality of its forest habitat. An epitome of urban wilderness! Cudahy Nature Preserve was inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network, a national organization. The story: An old-growth forest in Milwaukee County gets recognition!

The Kletzsch Park Fish Passage was completed in 2023, but the opening ceremonies took place in June of 2024. The story, however, extends from the former North Avenue dam all the way to Grafton, which is how far many of the fish migrating up the Milwaukee River now can reach in their instinct to spawn. The story: Kletzsch Park Dam Fish Passage welcomes migrating fish!

The prairie (or red) trillium above was just one of many spring ephemeral flowers I discovered on A Glorious—and Ephemeral—Spring Morning at the Short Road Trailhead and Renak-Polak Maple-Beech Woods State Natural Area in Caledonia.

I’ve been yearning to experience and photograph a BioBlitz for years. This year, finally, the timing, location, and circumstances aligned to enable me to do it. A BioBlitz is science in action. An army of volunteer surveyors, organized by the Milwaukee Public Museum, attempt to identify as many plant, animal, insect, fungus, etc. species in a specified location as possible in 24 hours. This story is one of my personal favorites of 2024: BioBlitz! Observing nature—and humans—at Mequon Nature Preserve!

Who can forget the cicada craze of 2024?! This unlovely bug became national news in a year when two strains of the periodical creature—the 17-year and 13-year—emerged from the ground simultaneously. But only in certain places, which often became pilgrimage destinations for the curious, like me! The photo was just a small part of a story that spanned much of the summer: Deep Summer and Dandelion Wine!

What does this basket have to do with nature? Well, that was the subject of a workshop about ethnobotany by Lee Olsen I attended. As well as the subject of the subsequent story: Making Ethnobotany Exciting at Cedarburg Bog!

In August guest contributor Virginia Small was back with a guide to urban forestry entitled Planting and Tending Trees for the Planet. It inspired me to create a photo essay featuring trees from all around Milwaukee to go with it.

Speaking of guest contributors, I was delighted to have Kris Gould step up this year. She began by submitting a story for consideration and ended up as a full-on collaborator. We even went out together for a photo shoot and joint story. In the end she wrote or contributed to a total of six stories during the year.

Do you know about the Route of the Badger? If not and you like to cycle you’ll want to check it out. But even if you only like to walk there are good reasons to know about this 700-mile network of multi-use trails in SE Wisconsin. The story is illustrated with photos from many of the trails throughout the region: Route of the Badger: Cycling (and multi-use) Trails in SE Wisconsin.

Maybe your interests involve caves. Ledge View Nature Center in Calumet County has a nice one that you can tour. But it’s also a lovely park above ground. The story: A Cave Adventure at Ledge View Nature Center.

As regular followers of The Natural Realm know, I love Treasures of OZ, the annual Eco-Tour of parks and preserves in Ozaukee County. This year did not disappoint. The highlight for me was the electrofishing demonstration at Covered Bridge Park near Cedarburg. The story: Treasures of OZ Eco-Tour 2024.

Restoration stories are a fairly common and worthwhile staple in The Natural Realm. But when the restoration occurs at one of the premier natural spaces in southeast Wisconsin it is all the more compelling. The story came to us from our project partner, the Natural Resources Foundation. I was especially grateful for the opportunity to share a collection of photos I’ve been gathering for several years to go with it. The story: Restoring Lulu Lake State Natural Area’s Cherished Ecosystems.

I took “A Walk in the Park” many times this year. It is an on-going program, sponsored by the Milwaukee County Parks and Milwaukee Parks Foundation, that invites the public to join with them on the first Friday of each month to walk in different county parks. I covered this story twice this year. The first A Walk in the Park story appeared in Feb and Another Walk in the Park appeared in November.

In December I shared an overnight experience (which actually took place in autumn) of staying in one of the cabins available to rent at Glacier Hills County Park in Hubertus. It turned out to be a bit of “things go bump in the night” and “the call of the wild.” The story: Glacier Hills County Park: Overnight in the wilderness!

These weren’t the only stories to appear in The Natural Realm in 2024. If I missed your favorite, please let me know! As usual, there is a separate Year in Review devoted specifically to the featured artists. Click here for that!

Happy New Year!

Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks.

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