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'Forest bathing' trail opens
Plus: Park passes, lumberjack champions, and sharp-tailed grouse
Forrest Koslowski
July 30, 2026
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This week’s weekly:
🦌 Hunting regs and fall forecasts are here
🦅 Osprey chicks banded, one gets a GPS backpack
🎖️ Lt. Kaiser named 2025 Warden of the Year
🌳 STORY OF THE WEEK: First certified ‘forest bathing’ trail opens
🦌 Hunting regs and fall forecasts are here LINK
The DNR put out the fall 2026 to spring 2027 hunting regs and the fall forecast series on the same day, and between the two you've got about everything you need before opening day, hey.
New this year the regs are online, with a drop-down filter so you can jump right to your species instead of thumbing through the whole book. Print copies hit DNR Service Centers in the coming weeks.
The fall forecasts run through popular game species for hunting and trapping, built off surveys, DNR research, weather patterns and what staff are seeing on the ground. Season dates, registration rules and public land access are in there too.
🦅 Osprey chicks banded, one gets a GPS backpack LINK
Raptor researcher Bill Stout took a jon boat out on Big Muskego Lake with a crew from Wisconsin Metro Audubon to band young ospreys on a DNR nesting platform.
Stout banded two of the three chicks and strapped a solar-powered GPS transmitter on one. Rides like a little backpack, pings its location over cell networks. The bird was 40 days old, maybe a week from its first flight. Got a data plan before it's flown once.
That chick is headed for Latin America this fall, and odds are it comes back to nest within 30 miles of this lake. Wisconsin banders tagged 554 young ospreys over 24 years and got 25 back. Stout's transmitter will out-report all of that by Christmas.
🎖️ Lt. Kaiser named 2025 Warden of the Year LINK
Lt. Jonathan Kaiser was named the DNR's 2025 Warden of the Year and picked up the Haskell Noyes Award at a ceremony in New London on July 25.
Colleague Lt. Jeff Lautenslager nominated him, pointing to complex fish and game investigations and a stack of criminal referrals that runs from deer poaching to environmental cases. One recent case ended with an arrest of a guy who was targeting state parks to use drugs and steal from campsites.
Kaiser also puts in hours teaching new recruits and veteran wardens alike. The award comes with a gold pocket watch inscribed for "Faithful and Able Service," and the Noyes family has kept it going since 1930. Same one Ernie Swift got first.
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🌳 STORY OF THE WEEK: First certified ‘forest bathing’ trail opens LINK
If you have been feeling a bit "wired and tired" from endless screen time and everyday overload, Vilas County has just the remedy.
Wisconsin’s very first certified forest-bathing trail has officially opened at Tara Lila’s Section 9 unit, located just about ten minutes south of downtown Eagle River.
Spearheaded by certified forest therapy guide Cindy Conlon, this self-guided route offers a curated, stress-melting experience designed to help you disconnect from digital noise and truly soak in nature.
Unlike a typical fast-paced hike where the goal is distance or speed, forest bathing—inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku—invites you to slow down, put away your phone, and engage your senses.
As you wander along the wide, accessible path, hand-crafted signs created by local high school students present thoughtful prompts or "invitations" at designated stops.
These interactive exercises might ask you to close your eyes while slowly turning to focus strictly on forest sounds, or to observe the subtle, vibrant textures of the canopy above.
The practice offers powerful physical and mental wellness benefits similar to traditional meditation—including reduced stress, sharper focus, improved sleep, and enhanced mood—making it a perfect alternative for anyone who finds it tough to sit still.
Taking roughly an hour to complete at your own comfortable pace, this new trail provides a serene Northwoods escape where you can recharge your mind and connect deeply with the outdoors.
Now more than ever, get out 'der!
WISCAMPSIN WEEKLY POLL
Last Week's Trivia Check
We asked why heat-stressed fish can't just hide at the very bottom of the lake during a heatwave. You guys know your lake ecology! A leading 47% of you correctly identified the harsh reality of the deep water.
The Correct Answer: The deepest, coldest water layer completely runs out of oxygen in late summer.
The Takeaway: In the summer, lakes separate into distinct temperature layers that refuse to mix. The bottom layer is certainly the coldest, but as dead algae sinks and decomposes, the process consumes all the oxygen! This traps fish in a middle layer—the thermocline—where it's just cool enough, but still has enough oxygen to let them breathe.
This Week's Trivia
With the hazy skies and record-breaking Air Quality Index (AQI) spikes we saw last week, wildfires are on everyone's mind. While breathing the smoke is miserable for us, fire is actually a natural and strictly necessary part of Wisconsin's forest ecosystems. In fact, one native tree has evolved to completely rely on the intense heat of a forest fire to reproduce!
Which native Wisconsin tree produces specialized, resin-sealed cones that will only open and release their seeds after being scorched by a wildfire?Give it a gut check and click a response below: |
A review from the trail… Love to hear, neighbor!
Well, how'd we do this week? |
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