July 2021
Wisconsin River Explorers Club
Join us in exploring and caring for the 3 1/2 miles of Wisconsin River shoreline at Upham Woods. We’ll spend the mornings learning about and caring for our stretch of the river by testing water quality, searching for invasive species, or building trail to scenic beaches! Then spend part of your afternoon creating a splash by fishing along the river. This program is for all abilities, families and youth alike. Come for one or come for all sessions!

Learn & Play, 9 am-12 pm; Fishing 12:30-2:30 pm.
  • July 17th
  • July 24th
  • July 31st
  • August 7th

This program is FREE, supported by grants from the Wisconsin DNR & UW-Madison Division of Extension.
Summer is Here! Upham Woods in June
Summer kicked off at Upham Woods with some day visits from our local 4-H county groups, outreach programming, virtual camp, and a day of paddling on the Wisconsin River. Our staff stays busy settling into our new building and getting our facility back up and running - there is still lots of fun to be had this summer, so a special thank you to everyone who has visited us so far!

  • First Nations Virtual Summer Camp - High School
  • First Nations Virtual Summer Camp - Middle School
  • Upham Woods Neighborhood Camp (Regional 4-H)
  • Kilbourn Public Library Outreach
  • Natural Resources Foundation Field Trip
First Nations Virtual Summer Camp
Students from First Nations Studies participated in two sessions of virtual camp in June, a High School Advanced Camp and a Middle School Bridge Camp. Here are some of the ways we adapted on lessons to a virtual environment:

  • Animal Signs: Students learned about how animal signs can tell us a story and how to identify them. They traveled the Riverbend Trail virtually and got to find animal signs of their own! They found beaver chews, dragonflies, and mysterious insect holes. They also compared different kinds of woodpecker holes and concluded that the bigger one belonged to the pileated woodpecker.
  • Scales, Scutes, and Skins: They got to meet some program animals and even got and see them in their enclosures and wrote stories about their adaptations.
  • Wacky Water Critters: Students learned how these critters are bioindicators for water quality. Additionally, they got to identify the macroinvertebrates found in the slough and calculate the bio index for how clean the water was. They also answered questions about why water is important and what affects water quality. We ended with a talking circle that allowed many of the campers to open up to the group about more personal topics. It was a great way to end and to challenge the students to tackle difficult questions.

Thanks to the students and teachers from First Nations for connecting with us virtually at Upham Woods for some awesome shared experiences!
Discoveries in the Virtual Field - FREE Webinar
July 21, 2021, 11:30am CST
Join Upham Woods for a tutorial of our "Discoveries in the Virtual Field" science modules. Developed in collaboration with Baruch Marine Field Laboratory and the University of Georgia Marine Institute, the 10 modules explore topics in estuarine ecology from human impacts on estuarine life to the importance of keystone species. Funded by the National Science Foundation (award #203372), these learning modules can help educators integrate rich multimedia field experiences into a more traditional classroom.
Discoveries in the Virtual Field provide educators with an engaging new approach to field work. These modules are fit for both undergraduate and high school level students, conforming to NGSS standards set for high school education.

Here are some of the topics we will cover during this FREE webinar:
  • COVID-19 disruptions to field science and the importance of field experiences
  • What topics are covered in the learning modules (including nekton ecology, barrier island dynamics, keystone species, and more)
  • How the learning modules were developed
  • How the learning modules could be implemented with different audiences
  • How the learning modules are being evaluated (and some preliminary results) 
  • Question & answers regarding the project
Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center
N194 County Rd N
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
(608) 254-6461
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The University of Wisconsin–Madison does not discriminate in its employment practices and programs and activities on a variety of bases including but not limited to: age, color, disability, national origin, race, or sex. For information on all covered bases, the names of the Title IX and Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinators, and the processes for how to file a complaint alleging discrimination, please contact the Office of Compliance, 361 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison WI 53706, Voice 608-265-6018, (relay calls accepted); Email: [email protected].