Film explores Sand County land ethic

By David Horst  sandhill7@gmail.com

The Fox Cities will host a premiere of a movie about a personal hero of mine.

March 3 at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley’s Perry Hall, “Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time” will be presented to what is shaping up to be a full house.

The showing of the film about one of the fathers of the conservation movement and the founder of the national wilderness system follows premieres in California, Baraboo – the location of “The Shack,” Leopold’s treasured weekend getaway for his years as a professor at the University of Wisconsin – and the Milwaukee Public Museum.

I’m happy to reveal a glaring conflict of interest in my reporting about this movie. My day job includes staffing the Environmental Stewardship Fund at the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, a major sponsor of the premiere here. No apologies for that.

Map for De Pere-Green Bay Moonlight Paddle

De Pere-Green Bay Moonlight Paddle - Aug. 12
An unusual evening paddle on a night with a full moon. Meet at 4:30 p.m., shuttle vehicles and launch at De Pere's Bomier Park at 6 p.m. and arrive at Green Bay Metro Marina near the mouth of the Fox River at about 9:30 p.m. 

Park-to-Park map

Map for Park-to-Park Paddle - July  23
Unload at Shattuck Park in downtown Neenah 7-9 a.m. Shuttle buses available back from parking areas near the finish. Safety talk and launch at 9:40 a.m. Arrive at Lutz Park in Appleton about 12:30 p.m. or take out early at Fritse Park in the Town of Menasha. 

At age 15, our Molly's time had come

By David Horst   sandhill7@gmail.com

 

Molly waits for a butterfly.

Outdoor writers are famous for doing stories about their faithful hunting dogs, particularly when they lose them. 

Our Molly was more of a gatherer than a hunter. She gave the squirrels on the birdfeeders a run for their sunflower seeds in her younger years. More recently, pheasants passing through the yard had less to fear from her than did the tomatoes in the garden. I called her our fruit bat dog for her love of fruit and veggies.

We said good-bye to Molly this past week after more than 15 years of her being a part of our lives. Her legs had betrayed her. She could no longer chase, or even get up on her own. For three long days and longer nights, she struggled to walk with us holding her up and, finally, could not even stand.