A Grand Day to Bike

4th annual Nature Valley Grand Prix zips into Menomonie

The annual Nature Valley Grand Prix will take place in Menomonie for the fourth time on Saturday, June 15, between 9am and 5pm.

Will City Go to the Birds?

local birder hopes EC gets feather-friendly designation

Steve Betchkal, an avid birder and chief photographer at News 18 (WQOW-TV), is looking for the support of Eau Claire’s nature lovers to help get Eau Claire designated as a Bird City. “Birds lived here before we did,” Betchkal says ...

No laughing matter?

Look out Simba, rumor has it that the hyenas are in town! The Irvine Park Zoo in Chippewa Falls added two hyenas to its summer line-up last week according to this Chippewa Herald article.

Fishing Downtown Eau Claire

We give a lot of credit to the Chippewa Valley’s rivers for making our home here in northwestern Wisconsin what it is. Heck, we even dedicated an entire issue (and a section of our website) to our waterways ...

Going for Gold

There’s gold in them thar hills” – and rivers and streams. Learn how to pan for gold at the Prospecting for Gold class Saturday, June 1, from 9:30 to 11:30am at the Wise Nature Center of the Beaver Creek Reserve near Fall Creek. Mike Wiersma ...

Empowering Local Kids in the Great Outdoors

Young people in the Chippewa Valley have a lot to look forward to this fall. Kids and Mentors Outdoors (KAMO), a grassroots, nonprofit organization focused on conservation-based mentorships, will be setting up camp in the area ...

The Grape Escape 2013

a Mississippi River wine trail shows off its natural beauty

Started in 2009, The Great River Road Wine Trail was named after the road that sews these nine wineries together. The famous road itself, recognized as a National Scenic Byway, runs from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. This particular stretch ...

Lowes Creek Mountain Biking

Mountain biking at Lowes Creek County Park south of Eau Claire, Wis. (2012). Filmed by Nathan Long with a GoPro HD Hero mounted on handlebars.

Taking a Quick Ride

short drive trips around the state of Wisconsin

We wanted to find the best destinations for a quick weekend road trip around Wisconsin, whether it’s for the gorgeous natural beauty, an interesting educational experience or just a wacky, weird attraction. So we asked you to give us suggestions...