Wonders to enjoy are waiting at Kohler Andrae State Park

Sheboygan County enjoys many wonderful "gems" within its borders. The Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest, Sheboygan County Marsh, and Kohler Andrae State Park are three wonderful examples. And each of these areas has organized its own "friends" group that promotes and improves services to the people who come to visit.

Let me share some outstanding examples that have recently taken place at Kohler Andrae State Park.

I was invited to the Sanderling Nature Center by Jim Mohr, president of the Friends of Kohler Andrae State Park, and his wife Charmaine, the group’s treasurer. They wanted to share information about their new Touch Screen Kiosk, a $4,500 computer system that shows the mammals, plants, trees, amphibians, insects, and birds of the park. Besides the touch screen, a 42" high definition monitor rests right above it for everyone to view.

It is user friendly; only touch it and it brings you the wonders of the park. Touch screen instructions are easy and adjacent to the touch screen. Programming is being done by Bryan Casper of Sheboygan. Casper is working on a second touch screen that will be completed by the end of August. It will cover the fish, ecology, ships, shipwrecks, and other information of Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.

The birds of the park, all recorded 277 of them, are on the touch screen. When shown on the screen, the viewer will find information about the bird’s migration range and a video showing an active bird along with its song. The high definition monitor clarity brings the birds to life.

Insects listed in the park come in all sizes, some so small they are shown with pictures taken from an electron microscope, but in outstanding beautiful and clarity. You can also see such common insects as wasps, dragonflies, different butterflies, deer ticks, crickets, yellow jackets, green lacewings, and many, many more.

Mammals of the park include the common ones – deer, fox, coyote, gray squirrels, mink, otter, and rabbits – but also Eastern red bat, little brown bat, flying squirrel, beaver, the deer mouse and one of the more interesting small mammals – the meadow jumping mouse. Each mammal is shown on its own videotape, including the meadow jumping mouse, a kids’ favorite – it never seems to stop jumping.

Besides birds, animals, and insects, the touch screen kiosk also covers trees, amphibians, and reptiles of the park. Still to be added to this monitor are the rangers, programs, and volunteers of the park.

The two touch screen kiosk monitors came about from a $1,000 DNR CD Besadney Grant and $3,500 from the treasury of the Friends of Kohler Andrae State Park. Monies brought in by the Friends group come from sales of books, clothes, and other items, as well as direct donation efforts when they take on a major project. When they can, they do much of the work free.

In addition, this year they completed a rain garden at the Sanderling Nature Center. The cost to cover the project came from a $5,000 matching DNR stewardship grant and $5,000 from the Friends of Kohler Andrae State Park’s treasury.

They have also completed an urban fishing pond this year. It will be open next spring once vegetation is established. It will be large, handicapped-accessible, will include parking, trails, and will fit into the urban fishing system. Cost, first estimated at about $50,000 has risen to about $90,000, a staggering amount for the Friends group.

The Sanderling Nature Center, mainly operated by volunteers, is open from 12:30-4:30 p.m., May 1 to Oct. 31; hours are extended for special evening programs.

Jim and Charmaine Mohr wanted to let you know about the new touch screen kiosk and encourage you to come out to enjoy it – as well as the many other interesting things the nature center has to offer.

To enter the park you will need a park sticker.