Event Description:

In celebration of Latino Conservation Week, the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge invites Latino families (and all other individuals and families) on a self-guided tour of the first site in our new Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, the Turner Tract in Genoa City Wisconsin, just 3.25 miles north of Richmond, Illinois.

Take this self-guided tour from Sunday, July 19- Sunday, July 26.

The Turner Tract is a beautiful parcel which features mature oak woodland, restored prairies and wetlands. The self-guided tour will take you on a 0.6 mile looped trail through a very pretty woodland and along a restored tallgrass prairie. It will take around 30 minutes to complete. On your walk enjoy the sights and sounds that both habitats have to offer. Look closely for any blooming wildflowers tucked within the tall prairie grasses and stand beneath the mature red oak trees in the woodlands. There are many interesting bird species to be seen and heard. If you hear a loud drilling sound, that is the pileated woodpecker that resides in these woods, a large bird that resembles WoodyWoodpecker!

Feel free to explore and discover new and interesting things - just remember to leave what you find for the next person to enjoy.To get to the site from Illinois, travel north on Route 12 and continue through Richmond into Wisconsin. Just after you enter Wisconsin, turn left onto County Road H and stay on H through Genoa City. As you are heading out of town, keep an eye out for a large brown Hackmatack Refuge sign on your left just past a row of houses. This sign identifies the location of a small parking lot to park in and an informational kiosk. Follow the narrow lane past a residence to the hiking trail.From Lake Geneva, take County Road H south and look for the brown Hackmatack Refuge sign on your right as you come into Genoa City for the parking lot.Additional signs will be available on the site to guide you along the trail, which begins just past the gate.

This is a self-guided tour and no registration is necessary. If you do go on the tour we would appreciate a quick note on what you thought of the tour. Drop Pete Jackson a line at beepjackson@comcast.net.

If you visit, it is critically important to follow guidance from the CDC and state and local public health authorities on social distancing, avoiding overcrowding, and exercising good hygiene. If a parking lot is full when you visit, please do not stop. We understand that the outdoors can help relieve stress, but these guidelines must be followed for our public health and safety

Thank you, and enjoy the hike!

For more information about Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of Hackmatack, visit these sites:- Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge website:https://www.hackmatacknwr.org/- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hackmatack website:https://www.fws.gov/refuge/hackmatack/

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