Science & Outdoors
http://www.uswp.edu/cnr/schmeeckle/gallery
The Annual Fall Candlelight Hike Festival is among the many events hosted by Schmeeckle Reserve.
Shedding some light on Schmeeckle Reserve
The Pointer
jlutz715@uwsp.edu
The University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point is one of the few schools that can say 275 acres on campus is covered in wildlife.
“The Schmeeckle Reserve is important as a classroom and for leisure to UWSP students and the community,” said Elise Kahl, a Schmeeckle Reserve graduate student.
Research is constantly being done to improve the natural forest that so many animals call home. Collaring of deer and bat monitoring are two of the many things that students and experts have done to better the reserve, along with the current effort to remove buckthorn, an invasive species.
The Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor’s Center is nestled in the woods on the north side of the reserve. Within this small wooden building is a gift shop, conference room, offices and the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame. The Cedar Sign Company, in the basement, specializes in custom wooden signs like those seen around Schmeeckle Reserve.
Many students and community members of Stevens Point have walked the numerous paths found in Schmeeckle Reserve. They know about the Green Circle and the mile loop around Lake Joanis, but the reserve wanted visitors to get a taste of the woods at night. What started out as a simple way to bring in visitors, has turned out to be one of Schmeeckle Reserve’s most exciting events, the Annual Fall Candlelight Hike Festival.
“This event started as a way to get people to come to the Visitor’s Center. Many people had been in the Reserve but I had people who had lived here for years telling me they didn’t know the Visitors Center was even here,” said Jim Bucholz, assistant to the director of Schmeeckle Reserve.
Each year the Visitors Center puts on at least two candlelight hikes in the reserve, each with its own theme. This year they are focusing on “Insects of the Night.” The reserve staff will show a special program also called “Insects of the Night.” This show is put on and written by practicum students at UWSP and is showing at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. around the Visitor Center’s campfire.
The entire event is taking place from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 30. Two loops in the Schmeeckle Reserve will be lit with torches and jack-o-lanterns. There will also be snacks and crafts provided for all who attend. The event is open to the community and UWSP students free of charge. “Our visitors range from anywhere between age nine to 79,” said Kahl.
