News from the Naturalist

Text and photos by Deb Ford Newport has a very active bird feeding station and a newly-established songbird garden. They are located adjacent to the park office at the entrance to the park. These resources are supported and maintained by NWS volunteers and funding.  We would like to purchase some additional […]

Text by Maureen Flatley, Master NaturalistPhotos by Deb Ford A small group of volunteers (Deb Ford, Mary O’Grady, Kari Hagenow and myself) were scouting the trails of Newport State Park in search of invasive species on a cold sunny March morning. Garlic mustard and forget-me-nots were already greening up along […]

by Andy Orf President, Northern Door Astronomy Club The Great North American Total Solar Eclipse will occur April 8, 2024.  A solar eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun.  Astronomers call this an occultation – an interruption of light from a […]

Park Naturalist Beth Bartoli recently spoke with Bob Dolan, host of Wisconsin Icons, about our iconic Dark Sky Park. Top photo of the Newport Dark Sky © Denny Moutray

Park Naturalist Beth Bartoli recently talked with 106.9 The Lodge about Newport and the (then-upcoming) fall color scene at the park. Learn about what makes Newport special and which trails she recommends for great color viewing.

The next time you are visiting Newport, stop in at the Nature Center for some bird-centric fun. How does your wingspan compare to some of our favorite feathered friends? Here’s our little superhero Ezra Scattergood-Keepper, reaching as far as he can. We think he is pushing Broad-winged Hawk dimensions…a nearly […]

By Beth Bartoli, Newport SP Naturalist Harvey was a man of quick wit, extending his warm smile and the twinkle in his eye to all. He was also a lover of nature and the outdoors, which he shared with the many visitors he came in contact with during his 32 […]

Newport Park staff and volunteers work to control poison ivy, but we will never completely eradicate it. We occasionally have interpretive programs about poison ivy and other nasties in the park. We encourage all visitors to be aware of their surroundings and to be careful where belongings/pets/footsteps are placed! The […]

Text by Beth Bartoli, Naturalist at Newport SP Since 2007, Newport volunteers have been friends and helpers of the declining eastern bluebird population. NWS volunteers built and placed nesting boxes in appropriate habitat from Highway 42 down County Road NP and into the park. The number of boxes varied over […]

By Andy Orf, Northern Door Astronomy Club The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the comet Swift-Tuttle. This comet takes 133 years to make a highly elliptical orbit around the Sun. It returns again in the year 2125.  As the Swift-Tuttle comet travels around the Sun, it leaves a trail […]

Text and photos by Beth Bartoli, Naturalist, Newport SP Although the recent snow and sleet tells us otherwise, spring is slowly showing its face in northern Door County. Early ephemerals are peeking their heads out of the ground, and wild leeks, also known as ramps, are dotting the forest floor […]

Newport Naturalist Beth Bartoli worked with Brett Kosmider of Peninsula Filmworks to narrate this beautiful video which showcases the magic of the dark sky that we are fortunate to enjoy at the park. The video was a project of Destination Door County, and part of a wider-ranging article about stargazing […]

As Newport Naturalist Beth Bartoli mentions in this video, 2020 has been an atypical year at Newport State Park. We have had a record number of visitors to the park, but we have been unable to offer our always-popular public events and programs. However, the work of the Newport Wilderness […]

The votes are in and Newport State Park has won a 2020 Gold Seal Award in the category Best State Park System to Snowshoe! Annual Gold Seal Awards are conferred by the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks (FWSP). Members of the public vote for their favorite state park in a […]

Text adapted from report prepared for IDA by Beth Bartoli, NSP Naturalist What strange and trying times we live in. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this annual report from Newport State Park for the International Dark Sky Association contains vastly different information than our reports from previous years. In […]

When a visitor arrives at Newport State Park during the summer, they may (or may not) notice the pollinator habitat gardens located around the park office. What might look like a patch of unruly shrubs to the untrained eye is actually a Monarch Butterfly ‘way station’. Once a week, from […]

Newport Naturalist Beth Bartoli shows us around the Monarch Butterfly monitoring station just outside Newport State Park’s Visitor Center. We’ll learn about the Monarch’s 30-day journey from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly. She’ll also release a newly emerged adult Monarch. Beth began filming these short videos during the […]

Naturalist Beth Bartoli takes us out checking Eastern Bluebird nest boxes. Last week, this box had just a few sticks in it. This week, there is compelling evidence that a bluebird family is renesting. Beth began filming these short videos during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Although Wisconsin State Parks […]

Newport Naturalist Beth Bartoli last visited this Black-capped Chickadee nest on June 16th and found it contained 5 or 6 new hatchlings. We’ll see how things are progressing today. Beth also discusses issues of nest box predation, both by mammals, snakes, and other bird species. Beth began filming these short […]

Newport Naturalist Beth Bartoli takes us out to check on a known Black-capped Chickadee nest box. This is their second attempt at nesting after their first nest was apparently destroyed by a predator. Let’s see how they are doing… Part 1 Part 2 Beth began filming these short videos during […]

Beth Bartoli, Newport State Park Naturalist, takes us out to find Dwarf Lake Iris that are in bloom in and around the park. It requires very specific habitat to grow and is confined to the northern Great Lakes shoreline in Wisconsin and Michigan. It is listed as a threatened species, […]

Park Naturalist Beth Bartoli has been taking us along on her weekly check of bluebird nest boxes as part of the monitoring data that she collects for BRAW (Bluebird Restoration in Wisconsin). Let’s see what’s happening in box 3.14 this week. Cover photo: Male Eastern Bluebird bringing food to nestlings […]

Beth Bartoli, Naturalist at Newport State Park, is checking bluebird nest boxes today and she has some interesting discoveries which she shares with us through video and photos.

We’ve been out with Beth Bartoli, Newport State Park’s Naturalist, a few times since the end of April looking at spring ephemeral plants and flowers. Let’s see what’s happening with them as we get closer to the end May. You can find her previous videos at these links: Spring Ephemerals; […]

In a previous post, Beth Bartoli, Naturalist at Newport State Park, checked on a couple of bluebird boxes as part of her Eastern Bluebird monitoring program. Today, we take another look inside box 3.14 to find out how things are coming along! Beth began filming these short videos during the […]

Beth Bartoli, Newport State Park’s Naturalist, takes us out for a closer look at Bloodroot, one of the Newport’s many spring ephemeral plants. There is a bit of wind noise at the beginning of this video; we apologize. Beth began filming these short videos during the COVID-19 public health emergency. […]