Last year, Crossroads at Big Creek received a donation of six fully mounted Great Lakes fish.  For most of us, such a gift would end up displayed on the wall at best - or maybe even placed in some dusty corner of the basement.  However, as we've come to expect from our friends at Crossroads, a few small items is all it takes to inspire them to dream up something truly wonderful.

 

This Spring, Crossroads unveiled their new Great Lakes Ecosystem Display.  It is a comprehensive educational exhibit built entirely around the donation of those six mounted fish.

 

Funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation's Arts Fund, an artist in residence was engaged to imagine an exhibit demonstrating the diverse ecosystem that surrounds the Door Peninsula.

 

"Text books are full of facts about dissolved oxygen and turbidity," says Coggin Heeringa, Executive Director of Crossroads.  "Internet savvy students could probably find information on the Internet. But kids who, on the first warm day of springtime, are splashing in the creek, catching insects, snails and crayfish will not only remember the lessons, but also will develop an appreciation for the environment that will last a lifetime."

 

The Door County Community Foundation is honored to have played a role in helping to make the Great Lakes Ecosystem Display a reality thorugh a grant from the Arts Fund.