The following information comes from the Milwaukee Public Library. Get the latest updates for this program at www.melindamyers.com/articles/create-your-own-outdoor-paradise.

Added March 4, 2025:
​Here are some updates on the FREE Gardening Webinars and Activities from gardening expert Melinda Myers for Wisconsin Public Libraries to use from April – June.  This program content is available to all Wisconsin public libraries, thanks to underwriting sponsor We Energies. The webinars will be presented by nationally known and Wisconsin-based author, columnist, and gardening expert Melinda Myers. Myers also created the 3 gardening activities and how-to videos.  Here’s where your library can access the content and an Electronic Press Kit with promotional tools your library can use:

1. Access the FREE WEBINARS and GARDENING ACTIVITIES for your Library at: https://www.melindamyers.com/articles/create-your-own-outdoor-paradise
   You’ll find information on the 3 Garden Webinars and 3 Gardening Activities/Projects (Coming soon!) to use with your patrons.  We hope you’ll consider hosting webinar watch parties at your library (see webinar dates below or use the recordings and select a date that works best for your library) and/or host events in your community room with the April, May, and June gardening projects/activities.  Feel free to use the content in any other creative way you’d like.
2. Promotional Materials are in the Electronic Press Kit for your library to promote the Webinars and Activities with Melinda Myers to your patrons and/or local media. The Electronic Press Kit includes webinar graphics, website banner ads (for your library’s website to link to the program web page), a poster for your in-library displays or bulletin boards, a news release template, a QR code that links to the program web page,  and social media posts with images (coming soon).

The DNR recommends filling out the pass to make sure it’s clear which date the pass is being used. DNR staff are mostly checking to ensure that the pass is not being filled out with multiple dates not in a range (ex. 3 Fridays in a month: 1/10, 1/17, 1/24) or with several dates crossed out and rewritten. This part of the program essentially functions on an honor system, but we know things come up and weather can be iffy in Wisconsin, so we also want to allow some flexibility to make sure folks are able to get out and use their pass.

If you have questions about this information, contact Jeni Schomber here or call (608) 266-2749.

Dear Librarians,

My name is Joshua Stuck. I am a local Outdoor Skills Instructor (from Crivitz, WI) who has been teaching outdoor skills to kids for over 20 years.

I've designed seven different library programs for all age groups where I teach between 20-25 youth and adults some of the outdoor skills featured in the world's best outdoor themed books. They'll learn how to make a survival shelter like in Hatchet, how to set a survival trap like Matt from Sign of the Beaver, how to tie Buck's # 1 Call of the Wild Rescue Knot, and so much more. They even get items during the course to start building their own outdoor survival kit.

Courses I now offer:

• Outdoor Explorers Youth Course (ages 5-9)
• Wilderness Seekers Adolescent Course (ages 10-14)
• Survival Fire Making Course (ages 14-Up
• *NEW Adult Outdoor Survival Skills Course (ages 18-Up)
• *NEW Candle Dipping Course (ages 5-Up)
• *NEW Backyard Olympics Course (ages 5-9)
• *NEW Knot Tying Course (ages 12-Up)

If you would like more information about my courses, read Testimonials or to Book a Program, please visit my website at WoodsyDude.com. I can typically handle up to 20-25 students (depending on the program) and I bring everything needed for each course. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have via email or my contact info below.

I hope to hear from you soon,
Joshua Stuck
​
Email: [email protected]
PH: 715-587-1331
Website: WoodsyDude.com

Anthony Williams, five-time National Morel Picking Champion, is now booking his 90-minute educational morel picking seminar for spring 2025.

The seminars include the how, where, when, and why. Plus morel picking stories and folklore from his 70 years of picking.

Williams only does seminars in the spring: March, April, and May.

The seminars have been going over very well. Mostly libraries, you can read the directors' comments below. You’re more than welcome to reach out to any of the directors and get their assessments of the picking presentations. It’s for people who love the outdoors.

Dinosaur Dimensions is the high energy show that featured four realistic looking dinosaur animatronic puppets!  Kids get involved with the show as they help grow shrunken specimens delivered from the past - and they get to meet these dinosaurs first hand right at the library!

Shows are very well attended, and run 40-45 minutes in length.  For an added bonus, a dinosaur is voted upon by the audience and kids will get a chance to meet the dino face-to face for one-on-one interactions and photos!

We have the ability to host up to three shows a day during prime summer months, and try to keep pricing as affordable as possible by crafting tours that cover area libraries nearby that will keep everyone's cost down.  We also like to include all travel fees in our price (which is under $500 per library, by the way).

We would love to get you some further information so you can see just how easy and affordable this interactive dinosaur presentation is!  Drop me an email and I can get back to you with further information.  I would love to be at your library this next summer!"

Thanks,
Curt Strutz
STRUTZ ENTERTAINMENT
Dinosaur Dimensions
www.dinosaurdimensions.com
based in Fond du Lac, WI

Dinosaur Dimensions is a nationally touring animatronic puppet experience featuring REALISTIC looking dinosaur puppetry and a complete storyline to compliment these beasts. We are WISCONSIN based, so we can set up amazing opportunities for your library without drastic mileage charges or travel bills.

You may have heard about our show from other area libraries - we have found that our Dinosaur Dimensions show has been one of the more popular programs used for summer reading programs.

Our experience is more than just a 40-45 minute show... we offer dinosaur meet & greet opportunities immediately after the program ends! This added benefit is a huge bonus for families, schools groups, and community youth as every group will get an individual experience with a dinosaur for photos, videos, etc.

Our November is FILLING UP FAST!  We have large tours set in both Missouri and Texas in Nov with the dinosaurs, and with Thanksgiving in there - dates are flying away faster than a pterodactyl! Good dates still remain for those libraries in the home state of WI.

I would love to see what opportunities we potentially could have to get the dinosaurs to your library.  I can assure you a high energy and fast paced show that is full of Jurassic excitement! Can I check some dates and pricing for your library?

Thanks,

Curt Strutz
STRUTZ ENTERTAINMENT
Dinosaur Dimensions
www.dinosaurdimensions.com

• call: 262-271-7327
• email: [email protected]

­Hundreds of guides and memoirs have been published about hiking the Appalachian Trail since it was completed in 1937. Finally, we finally have a book that is different from all of them. A Talk in the Woods by Wisconsinite Cary Segall captures the stories and motivations of hikers through the eyes of an award-winning reporter and editor.

Cary was mesmerized by the ramblers, wanderers, and nomads who are part of the three million people who hike some segment of the trail each year. From 2014 to 2018, he traversed the 2200-mile trail and stopped hundreds of travelers along the way to capture their unvarnished stories.

The result is an examination of the allure of the trail and its challenges, from people who share their own varied motivations to take it on. Every hiker has a story, as does every trail angel and hostel owner. Segall brings them all together in a chronicle from one end of the trail to the other. And along the way, Cary includes wisdom about gear, food, weather, and terrain, giving the reader the inside scoop, the valuable planning and packing tips from those who have been there. The book is a must-read for those considering the trail as well as those who have done it and want to re-live the experience.

“What you have in your hands is a sterling representation of life on the Appalachian Trail... These stories of loners and lovers; givers and takers; winners and losers are captivating. They remind me of Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. They are easy to read and shine with their authenticity.” Warren Doyle, founder of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association and AT Hall of Fame inductee who has hiked the route 18 times. 

"Segall captures the culture and communication style of the trail, particularly as he chases down rumors of one intriguing hiker or another." Kirkus Reviews

Cary Segall worked on the sports desk of the Wisconsin State Journal and took his first backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail with the University of Wisconsin Hoofers Outing Club. He has a bachelor's degree in wildlife ecology and spent three years as a ranger-naturalist in the National Park Service. He returned to the UW for a law degree and became a public-interest environmental lawyer, and returned once more for a master's degree in journalism. He spent fourteen years as a reporter and seven years as a copy editor at the State Journal. He is based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Cary is available to visit libraries to talk about his book.

For more information, contact Kevin at [email protected].

Dinosaur Dimensions is a summer program like no other - over 75 libraries utilized this program in summer, 2023, and in many cases they had record setting audiences (not just for the summer but for the history of the library).

How would your library’s summer library reading program be with realistic animatronic dinosaurs? Just imagine the look on the children’s faces when roaring, blinking, and moving dinosaurs are brought out of “containment units” and presented to them in a fun, educational, and extremely fun show! Kids get involved in multiple ways during the show - from pounding their laps to generate "energy" to power the machine that produces the dinosaurs, to helping feed a dinosaur, to even getting to name each creature. They LOVE it!

Here is a video clip from the Dinosaur Dimensions’ show. Please take a look and see just how much excitement it brings to the kids’ eyes!

In addition to the 40-45 minute show, there's a post-show meet & greet session where kids/families can meet one of the dinosaurs in a one-on-one environment to get to pet it, take photos, etc. This is just as exciting for the kiddos - if not the highlight of the entire day!

The price for the show runs $450, and the fee includes ALL aspects of travel (motels, mileage and meals). It is a flat fee that gets paid, and it can be paid in full the day of the event (no deposit needed). Curt Strutz is based in Fond du Lac County, so any locations in WI that are outside of his general area might require a few other libraries in the area to complete a small mini tour to help offset the travel aspects.

If this sounds like something of interest, please let Curt know so he can try and get you on the ticket for next year! Also, be sure to ask about their other two shows in the Strutz Family line-up. The Wacky World of Wesley Waffles and Dragon Training Academy are also two great shows that could be added to your summer lineup, as well, both performed by Curt's two adult sons!

Please let Curt know if you think dinosaurs might be a fit for your next summer program, and get ready for an adventure like no other!

Contact: Curt Strutz
Strutz Entertainment
Dinosaur Dimensions
262-271-7327
[email protected]

Calling all Wisconsin readers! The Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) and the Wisconsin Water Library at UW-Madison are pleased to announce plans for Great Lakes, Great Read, a basin-wide community read program scheduled to launch in 2024. Great Lakes, Great Read is designed to inspire passion and connection to the Great Lakes Watershed through reading. The Wisconsin program will serve as a pilot with the goal of being a catalyst for the development of similar programs in other states and provinces in the Upper Midwest and Canada.

There is a need for greater education about the Great Lakes as an important natural resource. While approximately 34 million people in the US and Canada live in the Great Lakes Watershed, recent surveys, such as the 2021 International Joint Commission Great Lakes Regional Poll, show a lack of understanding of the threats facing the greatest freshwater resource in the world. Greater education – greater environmental literacy - is critical to cultivating stewardship of the Great Lakes and of water resources more broadly.

Enter Great Lakes, Great Read. The program’s “one book, one community” model, already adopted by many libraries, is a natural fit for a basin-wide project, and Wisconsin is the perfect state to pilot the project. Wisconsinites have a deep connection to water through culture, economy, tourism and way of life. Wisconsinites also have access to a well-connected network of academic, public and special libraries that serve as the center of our communities.

Funded by a grant from WiLS, the Great Lakes, Great Read program will officially kick off on February 1, 2024. The selected titles will be announced on Earth Day (April 22) 2024. Two books, one for adults and one for children, with themes related to the Great Lakes watershed will be announced. All Wisconsinites will be encouraged to read these titles, and libraries around the state will be encouraged to engage their residents through book discussions and related activities. While program designs are still being finalized, the plan is to host public presentations by the selected authors and a website that includes book discussion questions and other ideas for engagement.  

Watch the WLA website and join the Great Lakes, Great Read 2024 email list for program updates: Great Lakes, Great Read email list.

The information below comes from Joshua Stuck, Outdoor Skills Instructor (Crivitz, WI)

Dear Librarians-

Would you like a summer program that matches perfectly with this year's theme “Adventure Begins at the Library!?”

Hi! My name is Joshua Stuck. I am a local Outdoor Skills Instructor (from Crivitz, WI) who has been teaching outdoor skills to kids for over 20 years. Would you be interested in a summer library youth program that gets kids excited about some of the most popular outdoor themed books like Call of the Wild, Sign of the Beaver, and Hatchet?

Introducing… “Woodsy Dude’s Embrace the Outdoors Youth Programs” with Woodsy Dude!
​
I've designed three separate library programs for three different age groups where I teach between 20-25 youth some of the outdoor skills featured in the world's best outdoor themed books. They'll learn how to make a Survival Shelter like in Hatchet, how to set a survival trap like Matt from Sign of the Beaver, how to tie Buck's # 1 Call of the Wild Rescue Knot, and so much more. They even get items during the course to start building their own outdoor survival kit.

Brian also published a book of plant disease-themed limericks (with additional prose descriptions of the featured diseases, photos, and original artwork). Learn about Limerickettsia: A Plant Pathologist's Book of Verse at https://pddc.wisc.edu/limerickettsia-book/.  

If you have questions, please contact Brian at:

Brian Hudelson
Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1630 Linden Drive
Madison, WI  53706-1598
Phone: (608) 262-2863
FAX: (608) 263-2626
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://pddc.wisc.edu
Follow on Facebook and Twitter @UWPDDC

The USDA Forest Service, in collaboration with the Georgia Public Library Service, is excited to announce the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge in celebration of Smokey Bear's 80th Birthday in 2024!

They are collaborating with public library systems across the country for this year-long challenge. This challenge is meant to complement CSLP's "Adventure Begins at Your Library," and is designed to be a fun and easy way to engage children in reading about wildfire prevention, forests, and natural resource careers, while exploring their local environment.

Public libraries are invited to run the challenge for those 4 to 10 years of age, from January 1st to November 28th, 2024.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is registered as the participating state library, which means Wisconsin public libraries do not need to register individually to participate in the challenge. Each public library will receive the following incentives that will be sent out through the statewide delivery system sometime in January: one roll of 500 Smokey stickers, 50 Smokey cards, and one Smokey Stamp.

The Smokey Bear Reading Challenge Toolkit is available now – download posters, bookmarks, and more!

We are pleased to share below some FREE webinars and gardening activities for 2024 from nationally known and Wisconsin-based gardening expert and author Melinda Myers for all public libraries in Wisconsin. Melinda hopes you can incorporate any or all of the following into your 2024 Library programming calendars. If you have any questions, please contact Diana Paul at [email protected]. Look for more information in the New Year coming via WisPubLib!

Your Library can host a watch party on the dates below or schedule it after the live webinar date and play the recording. If you host a live watch party on the dates below, your patrons will be able to submit questions live and get them answered by Melinda at the end of each webinar. You can also let your patrons know they can individually register for the webinars if they’d prefer to watch them at home. Registration links are below: 

•  April 10, 2024, 6:30 p.m. CT – WEBINAR: Container Gardening Throughout the Year with gardening expert Melinda Myers
  Use container gardens to boost the color and seasonal interest in any size landscape, garden, balcony, or deck.  With your budget in mind, we will explore attractive combinations of trees, shrubs, flowers, edible plants, and those that attract pollinators. Plus, you’ll learn strategies for extending your enjoyment year-round by transforming all or a portion of the container planting with the changing seasons. Register for this free webinar at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SwTJwDSaQgWnm7YU-iY0mg. 

  

• May 1, 2024, 6:30 p.m. CT – WEBINAR: Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables with gardening expert Melinda Myers
  Increase the nutritional value and beauty of your landscape by incorporating attractive fruits and vegetables into your landscape, garden beds, and containers.  Growing varieties that are both ornamental and productive increases the opportunities for creating a beautiful space right outside your door. We will look at new and proven fruit and vegetable varieties suited to both gardens and containers. Register for this free webinar at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SFUNmF3LSUmpTXGpRMVbiA.

 

• June 5, 2024, 6:30 p.m. CT – WEBINAR: Under-Appreciated Pollinators with gardening expert Melinda Myers
  The plight of honeybees and monarchs fill the news but many more pollinators are often overlooked yet critical to the production of food, fiber and other raw materials we depend upon. Native bees, moths, bats, beetles, flies, and birds are also important. We will look at a variety of pollinators, their role in the environment, and their impact on people. Plus, we will discuss ways to co-exist with these often overlooked and sometimes feared or dreaded animals.Register for this free webinar at:  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__q1UbmcTTMyyumfGd-o6AA. 

  ​

5/4/2022 update from Kelly Bolter, Adult Programming Coordinator @ Milwaukee Public Library:

​We're counting down the days until Melinda Myers will be celebrating Pollinator Month with your libraries and patrons! She’ll be hosting 3 live webinars and 3 youth videos with corresponding DIY projects that can be done as part of library programming with kids, tweens and teens. These projects can also be accessed online for any families or households who would like to do this at home with take home kits.

Attached (below), you will find a DIY Project Supplies List created by Melinda. This could helpful for any libraries who plan on including them in a Summer Reading Program, and any take-and-make kits. Please note that step-by-step instructions for each of these DIY projects and the corresponding videos are being produced and will be available online by 5/16 on the program’s webpage, www.atc-GrowSmart.com/library. This page is currently under development.
 
I’ve also attach(ed) a refresher of the Pollinator Month program and content that will be provided to our libraries free of charge (see the attached June 2022 Pollinator Month Factsheet) and information so you can promote the 3 pollinator gardening webinars presented by Melinda to your patrons (see Pollinator Month 2022 Webinar Registration Info).
 
If you have any questions, please contact Diana Paul at [email protected].
 
Thank you for getting the word out about the importance of pollinators and ways we can help them! Please note the dates of the Pollinator Month Webinars are June 1, June 15, and June 22.

Original post: 3/21/2022
​
June is National Pollinators Month. In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and how everyone can help them, American Transmission Co. is teaming up with gardening expert and author Melinda Myers. Together, they will produce and provide libraries throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with educational programming and content for National Pollinators Month.

The content and programming will be made available to the libraries at no cost and the libraries may offer the programs and content to their patrons throughout the month of June.​.. 

Guest post from Marci Glaus at PBS Wisconsin Education

Whether you are preparing for Oceans of Possibilities this summer or looking to bolster early learning and youth services programming, PBS Wisconsin Education provides both Wisconsin-specific and nationally-curated content you can use as a springboard or central component to educational programming.

PBS LearningMedia is a free digital learning website created to support the distribution of compelling Pre-K-12 educational media resources. PBS LearningMedia’s robust and contextualized digital resources are designed to supplement educational experiences with video segments from award-winning PBS documentaries and series, PBS KIDS properties, station-produced programs, and original video and interactive resources!

Collaborative Summer Library Program
Examples below highlight some ideas from PBS LearningMedia that pair well with preparation for Oceans of Possibilities summer programming:

• Kick off storytime with the “Search for the Flying Fish” video from PBS KIDS Wild Kratts, to get children excited about creatures living in the ocean! Go deeper into activities with free/downloadable printables in English and Spanish. (Grades K-2)
• Use Follow the Water, a brief video (available in English and Spanish) from PLUM LANDING™ PBS KIDS aimed at tracking water from melting snow all the way to the ocean, including pollution and trash the water picks up along the way. Tie the video to books, games, or activities on the ocean/s or pollution. (Grades K-5)
• Dive into “Sharks and Shorelines” from EARTH A New Wild, to learn about social networks and coastal ecosystems including shark populations (Available in English and Spanish). Then choose any one of the other educational videos or supplemental materials to extend the learning while tying to books and other materials available in the library. (Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12)

PBS Wisconsin Education
Beyond summer library programming, pbswisconsineducation.org offers seven different Wisconsin-focused collections for grades 3-12 with cross-curricular connections in American Indian Studies, English Language Arts, Environmental Education, Music, Social Studies, and Science. Collections include videos, student interactives, games, educator guides, and more. All of these resources are made with Wisconsin educators, and are completely free to use in any learning space!

If you have any questions or would like to talk further, please contact Marci Glaus: [email protected].

Check out this super fun program from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources! 

"Make tracks to the nearest state park, forest, trail or recreation area and ask for a free Wisconsin Explorer booklet. Inside you'll find nature activities, scavenger hunts, games, hikes and crafts to help you explore Wisconsin's great outdoors together.
​
Kids who complete the requirements will earn collectible state symbol patches. Don't just sit there - get out and start discovering secrets together!"

"We are going to be “cautiously optimistic” and plan for in-person library programs while still offering online alternatives, similar to what we did this past summer.  With that said, I’m including the brochure for our 2021 Summer Reading program, “A Whale of a Tale.”

We are going to feature some very large bones from the world’s largest animals, while telling their stories and discussing their fascinating evolutionary paths.  We would be happy to put your library in our calendar and are maintaining the same pricing for the in-person programs that we have had for the last two years.  I suspect that our calendar will fill up quickly, so if you would like us to pencil you in, please let us know as soon as you can.  Also, take advantage of the 10% price reduction by scheduling a program with us before January 1st, 2021.

All the best to you.  Stay healthy, and I hope we can see each other in person this coming summer.
Dave"

David Daniels
Executive Director, Colossal Fossils Inc.
[email protected] ~ 715-303-9407
www.colossalfossils.com

Nestled in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, the Wildlife In Need Center (WINC) is a non-profit organization that provides free medical care for our sick, injured, or orphaned wild neighbors with the intention of returning them to their natural habitat. WINC offers virtual educational programming, as its program may be a fun fit for members of the library community! ​

WINC's virtual programs allow participants to meet its live Animal Ambassadors very up close and personal as you learn about their unique stories, species ecology and ways to promote Wisconsin native wildlife from its educators. The program provides an interactive experience through the use of polls, visual display, and an open platform for questions. What better way is there to learn about wildlife than from the animals themselves?! 
 
WINC's programs can be hosted on its Zoom platform or staff can work with you if you have another platform you prefer. In addition, its team can assist you in advertising your program and organizing the list of participants to ensure a safe online experience. 
 
The cost of WINC's virtual program is $100, and can last anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on your needs. For more information, please visit its website at http://www.helpingwildlife.org/educate/wildlife-education/ 
 
Please do not hesitate to contact the WINC Education Team with any inquiries. They hope to work with you and share their knowledge of native Wisconsin wildlife!