2024 Spring and Summer Field Trips, Education Programs, and Speakers
We are excited for yet another field trip season in the Sax-Zim Bog! This summer we will continue our Friday Speaker Series in the Lois King Education Center, starting in June. Field Trips will meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center in the Lois King Education Center unless otherwise noted. NOTE: There may be updates to the program schedule as field trips and workshops get confirmed and added to the list!
Field trip attendance is free for members (those who have donated $25 or more within the past year). If you are interested in membership, a donation of $25 covers membership and free attendance to any field trip or program in a 12 month period! You must register each member of your party separately for each field trip you wish to attend. If you have questions on membership status, please contact Head Naturalist Clinton at naturalist@saxzim.org.
Moving ahead, we will be working to address accessibility challenges and barriers on our field trips. To give everyone better expectations of what to expect on each field trip, we will be including relative activity levels for each field trip this season. The approximate ratings are as follows:
Field Trip Activity Level Ratings
1- Easy (travel over even terrain on roadways/boardwalks or limited hiking up to ½ mile total)
2- Moderate (travel over even or uneven terrain, dry to wet conditions, or hiking over ½ mile total)
3- Average (travel over even or uneven terrain, hiking off trail possible, or hiking up to 1 mile total)
4- Difficult (travel primarily over uneven terrain, wet conditions, or hiking over 1 mile total)
5-Strenuous (mostly off trail with travel primarily over uneven and wet terrain or hiking up to 2 miles)
If you have any questions about any of the field trips listed, field trip registration process, questions about the accessibility of a field trip, or feedback on our activity rating scale please contact Head Naturalist Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus via email at naturalist@saxzim.org.
Saturday, August 24
Sax-Zim Bog BioBlitz 12
9:00 am-2:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
More information about the BioBlitz, including the full list of field trips can be found here: 12th Annual Sax-Zim Bog BioBlitz Information
Registration is now open! Registration is not required for this event, but is encouraged. You must register for the Moths, Birds, and Family Friendly Field Trips before attending.
Register for the BioBlitz here: 12th Annual Sax-Zim Bog BioBlitz
Register for the Moth and Nighttime Creatures Field Trip here: Moth and Nighttime Creatures Field Trip
Register for the pre-BioBlitz Bird Field Trip here: Pre-BioBlitz Bird Field Trip
Register for the Family Friendly Nature Hike here: Family Friendly Nature Hike
Friday, August 30
150 Years of Minnesota Bird Life
Presented by Sparky Stensaas
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting in the Lois King Education Center at the Welcome Center
Activity Rating- 1
Minnesota has one of the most diverse avifauna in North America with over 440 species spanning three major biomes. Travel with Sparky to the four corners of the state and learn about some of our most unique birds. We’ll also explore the fascinating changes that have occurred in the last 150 years including curious historic range changes, some current threats, And major conservation victories. Stunning HD video clips of Minnesota’s most awesome bird spectacles!
Sparky Stensaas is a photographer/video-guy, naturalist, publisher and the author of six books of the natural history of the North Woods. He’s the founder and Executive Director of Friends of Sax-Zim Bog.
Saturday, August 31
Galls and Leaf Miner Exploration Field Trip
10:00 am-2:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
Over the course of the our Bioblitzes, we have begun to understand the diversity in galls, leaf miners, plant diseases, and fungi through a couple of expert-led field trips. Those trips added over 100 new species of commonly seen species that no one takes time to notice! Join us for a new field trip offering an initial look into the weird world of flies, moths, mites, and the sign that they make on leaves, stems, and branches all around you. Hand lens will be helpful on this field trip, with extra hand lenses available for use during the field trip.
Register for this field trip here: Galls and Leaf Miner Exploration Field Trip
Sunday, September 1
Lichens in the Sax-Zim Bog Field Trip
10:00-3:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 2-3
Northern Minnesota is home to a diverse lichen community. These species cover nearly 8% of the terrestrial surface of the earth, yet are relatively unknown to most of us. Join us on this trip to get firsthand experience in lichen identification, as well as to learn a few of the more common lichens in our area. Unlike winter lichen field trips, we will be able to cover increased habitat diversity, with rock and ground based lichens now exposed!
Register for this field trip here: Lichens in the Sax-Zim Bog Field Trip
Saturday, September 7
Tiger Beetles Field Trip
12:00-5:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 2
Tiger beetles are a colorful, yet overlooked group of beetles that are becoming quite popular to amateur entomologists and naturalists. Often, you find these species very commonly in gravel pits or open sandy areas. Their large eyes, bright colors, and tenacious attitudes are something to experience! Come out to learn a little more about these colorful and fast predators. This field trip will likely encounter all 8 species of tiger beetle in our region, with a chance to document the final species present in our region!
Register for this field trip here: Tiger Beetles Field Trip
Sunday, September 8
Late Season Dragonfly and Damselfly Field Trip
12:00-6:00 pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 2 Dragonflies and damselflies are an easily seen group of bugs and recently have become targets of cameras and nets! “Dragonflying” is becoming a popular hobby across the US and northern Minnesota has incredible odonate diversity. In the Sax-Zim Bog alone, we have documented 87 species of dragonfly and damselfly! This field trip will focus on seeing and catching adult dragonflies and damselflies. The late season offers diversity in darners, meadowhawks, and spreadwings, groups we don’t find during the early part of the summer. All ages and ability levels are welcome! Extra nets will be available for use to those who would like to use them.
Register for this field trip here: Late Season Dragonfly and Damselfly Field Trip
Friday, September 13
In a Patch of Goldenrod
Presented by Larry Weber
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting in the Lois King Education Center at the Welcome Center
Activity Rating- 1
Goldenrods abound in the region. This species rich family of native plants are a great resource as they provide a good amount of nectar for a wide range of pollinators. Goldenrods are both the home for and the meeting location for a wide range of critters. In this presentation, Larry will discuss the insects and spiders found while walking in patches of goldenrods in late summer. Larry’s book of the same name will be signed and available for purchase.
Larry Weber is an accomplished naturalist, writer, and educator in northern Minnesota. Not only has Larry contributed a weekly column in the Duluth News Tribune, but has written a number of books on topics from phenology to spiders.
Saturday, September 14
Fishes of the greater Sax-Zim Bog Ecosystem
10:00 am- 3:00 pm Meeting at the Welcome Center
Activity Rating: 2-3
While field trips allow us to explore and experience an ecosystem and the species found within that ecosystem, there is often not time to delve into the nuance of specific groups. Last winter, we enjoyed a deep dive into Corvids and this summer, we will take advantage of the increased biodiversity to explore two different groups of organisms. No pun intended, our second deep dive of the summer will consider fish! While fish diversity is not particularly high in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem, there are some really cool species to be seen and observed! This field trip will be part introduction to fishes, part how to view/sample/survey fishes, and a great way to see some of the aquatic biodiversity in the region.
Register for this field trip here: Fishes of the greater Sax-Zim Bog Ecosystem
Sunday, September 15
Introduction to Mosses Field Trip
9:00 am- 1:00 pm Meeting at the Welcome Center
Activity Rating: 2-3
Mosses are all around us in the Sax-Zim Bog and make up an incredibly part in the creation and support of bog ecosystems. However, mosses and their bryophyte relatives can be incredibly hard to identify. With a group of species that is hard to identify, it is always important to start by learning the familiar and common species, which is what we will be doing on this field trip! Come and begin your journey into the wonderful world of mosses on this introductory field trip focusing on both natural history and identification of this diverse and difficult to identify group.
Register for this field trip here: Introduction to Mosses Field Trip
Friday, September 27
Five Years of Plant Community Surveys at Sax-Zim Bog
Presented by Kelly Beaster
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting in the Lois King Education Center at the Welcome Center
Activity Rating- 1
Join Kelly Beaster as she recounts her experiences surveying the Sax-Zim properties to classify habitats and document vegetation, beginning in 2019. The Sax-Zim Bog is home to many unique plant communities that provide the foraging, nesting, hunting, and refuge opportunities for the diverse wildlife found in the Sax-Zim Bog. Learn how this data is collected, what characteristics define some of these plant communities, what types of species can be expected in each one, and what the overall health of these communities is. Knowing where to find specific habitats can help view specific wildlife and understanding how to nurture these communities for long-term health and preservation can also help increase the number of these desired species.
Kelly Beaster is a plant ecologist and ballpoint pen artist based out of the Duluth area. She owns her own consulting business that conducts vegetation surveys and has been surveying the Sax-Zim Bog since 2019. She has helped create a planting guide for Lake Superior coastal communities called Ganawenindiwag, Working with plant relatives to heal and protect Gichigami shorelines. She is the president of the Arrowhead Native Plant Explorers.
Saturday, September 28
Fall Migration Field Trip
8:00- 2:00 pm Meeting at the Welcome Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
Migration season offers some difficult bird watching in northern Minnesota, as many of the breeding species rush out of our area on their way south! The last bird-based field trip of the season will hope to experience a little of what migration has to offer in the Sax-Zim Bog! Because of the amount of habitat, it can be quite difficult to find birds in the Sax-Zim Bog and this field trip will hope to show you how to best navigate the Sax-Zim Bog during migration.
Register for this field trip here: Fall Migration Field Trip
Sunday, September 29
Tracking and Animal Sign Field Trip
9:00 am-1:00pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 2 Winter might be the best time to observe tracks and sign in our area, but that doesn’t mean you cannot find tracks and animal sign during the warmer seasons! This field trip will spend quality time in and near muddy stream banks, river crossings, and sandy roadsides to get a different season’s perspective on finding and identifying animal tracks and sign. If you have ventured out on snowshoes during the winter to look for tracks and sign, think about joining us for this “off-season” tracking field trip!
Register for this field trip here: Tracking and Animal Sign Field Trip
Friday, October 11
The History and Basics of Rosemaling
Presented by the Twin Ports Rosemaling Society
12:00- 1:30 pm Meeting in the Lois King Education Center at the Welcome Center
Activity Rating- 1
Twin Ports Rosemaling Society is a non-profit organization whose members are passionate about preserving and promoting the beautiful folk-art tradition of rosemaling, a traditional Norwegian folk art that means “rose painting.” This presentation will provide information about the history of rosemaling and descriptions and examples of some of the many styles of this art form. We also will provide a demonstration of the basic techniques of rosemaling.
Saturday, October 12
Fall Colors Field Trip
9:00 am-1:00pm Meeting at the Lois King Education Center
Activity Rating: 1-2
Mid-October seems to be the prime time to experience peak tamarack colors in the Sax-Zim Bog! This field trip will have a special focus on the biology behind the change of color we see by trees in Minnesota as the seasons change. We will also spend some time in the field, looking at a wide range of non-tree species that change from green to brilliant reds, oranges, or yellows in the fall. Depending on the timing of color change, the exact date of this field trip may be pushed back one week and all registrants will be apprised of any changes to the field trip date!
Register for this field trip here: Fall Colors Field Trip
Directions to the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center
ADDRESS: The address is Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center 8793 Owl Avenue, Toivola, MN 55765
[NOTE: THIS IS NOT A MAILING ADDRESS…but put this address into Google Maps or Apple Maps.]
Directions from Cotton, MN on US HWY 53:
*Go West from Cotton on CR52/Arkola for 11 miles
*Turn South (left) on Owl Avenue
*Go 1.75 miles (second curve) to Welcome Center
Directions from Meadowlands, on CR133…
*Go East on CR133 to CR229/29
*Turn North (left) on CR229/29
*Go North to T at Correction Line Rd
*Turn West (left) on Correction Line Rd
*Road curves North and becomes Owl Ave
*Go North on Owl Avenue for 2.5 miles to Welcome Center