April 2, 2021

Spring is officially here and I am ready to plant my garden!  However, we live in Wisconsin, where winter tends to stick around for a bit longer.  To cure my “Spring Fever” and prepare for the gardening season, I like to make seed tape. This is a very easy process.  Plus, seed tape will help you make nice, straight rows in your garden.  Supplies needed: -Seeds -Elmer's glue -Newspaper or toilet tissue -Scissors Steps: 1. If you are using toilet tissue, very gently separate your tissue into single layers (or use single ply tissue.) Then cut the tissue into 2 long strips.  If you are using newspaper, cut thin strips about 1 inch wide.   2. ...

Adults Nature

March 25, 2021

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led many of us to discover (or re-discover!) our love of the outdoors. According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum report Take It Outside: Pandemic Spurs Outdoor Pursuits, sales of state park vehicle stickers rose by more than 42% last year. The number of fishing licenses sold increased, and Wisconsin residents bought more sporting goods and outdoor gear. Personally, my family spent time visiting state parks that we hadn't been to before, hiking portions of the Ice Age Trail, and I even went backpacking for the first time!  I am eager to continue exploring as the weather gets nicer and I am always looking for new places in Wisconsin to visit.Here are some great...

Adults Books COVID-19 Nature

September 8, 2020

The Central Wisconsin Book Festival will take place Sept. 21-27, 2020. Before it happens, we want to share a bit about some of the guests, so we've asked a few to answer some questions from festival organizers about themselves and their work. Below is a back-and-forth from Charles Hagner and CWBF committee member Chad Dally through email. Charles will join us virtually at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27 to tell us why Wisconsin is a great state to look for birds, and share some tips and techniques to identify birds. He’s the director of Bird City Wisconsin and author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Wisconsin.   What's your background and how did you get involved with...

Authors Books Central Wisconsin Book Festival Community History Nature Wisconsin

July 20, 2016

With temperatures expected to reach into the 90s this week, local officials are urging residents to protect themselves from heat-related illness. One way to do that is by coming to the library! All Marathon County Public Libraries have been designated as official cooling centers -- places where residents without air conditioning can get relief from the extreme heat. We also will have bottled water available. According to the Marathon County Health Department, most heat-related illnesses involve the elderly, individuals who have chronic illnesses, children, athletes and outdoor workers. To prevent risks from excessive heat, the health department suggests people do the following:...

Nature Community

December 10, 2015

This year is the National Audubon Society’s 116th annual Christmas Bird Count, one of the largest (if not the largest) citizen science initiatives in the nation. Volunteers from across the country will count and identify the birds that visit their home feeders sometime between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, and the Audubon Society compiles all that information to track trends in bird populations, migrations and other data. If you are participating (or thinking about participating) in the bird count, the library is a great place to start. We have dozens of different field guides – covering all of North America down to birds of Wisconsin – to help identify the birds you see in the backyard and beyond! You...

Wisconsin Nature Online Resources

May 7, 2015

On Thursday, May 14, residents in our community have the opportunity to learn about and discuss an area of the state many have heard about in the last few years, and an area that is near and dear to me personally: the Penokee Hills region of northern Wisconsin. Tracy Hames, executive director of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, will be at MCPL Wausau to talk specifically about wetlands scattered through the roughly 25-mile Penokee-Gogebic range that stretches through Ashland and Iron counties. Hames will show photos, maps and other graphics and discuss the important ecological role these wetlands play in an area brimming with forests, lakes and streams. The talk begins at 6:30 p.m. If the area sounds...

Wisconsin Nature

April 23, 2014

Despite the snow we've seen this April, spring has arrived in Marathon County, and so has severe weather season! This week is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week, and the library has some helpful tips and suggestions to keep you and your family safe. Remember to Listen, Act, and Live! Listen: When severe weather is in your area, listen to a credible source (such as an emergency weather radio) for updates. Continue to monitor until the storm system leaves your area. Act: When a tornado warning is issued, seek shelter immediately! If you are in your home, head to your basement if you have one, or look for a room without windows, ideally on the lowest floor and in the center of the building. For...

Nature Government Information

July 3, 2012

Due to the extreme heat and heat indexes forecasted to be above the 105 degree mark on July 5, 2012, Marathon County is taking a proactive approach and making the area libraries available for cooling centers for persons needing that service. Cooling centers are locations which allow residents without air conditioning to get relief from the extreme heat. "Staff at each of our locations are prepared to help people without air conditioning weather the heat," said library director Ralph Illick. "We also will have (bottled) water available at each location." City and county officials are working with the libraries to make sure vulnerable populations can find relieve from potentially dangerous heat. "We are...

Nature

April 13, 2011

The week of April 10-16 is National Tornado Awareness Week. The Marathon County Public Library will be taking part in a Tornado Drill this Thursday at the Headquarters Library.  At 1:00 Thursday afternoon, staff will announce  that the Library is taking part in a county-wide Mock Tornado Drill and that a Tornado Watch is in effect. At 1:10, a second announcement will be made stating that a Tornado Warning is in effect. At that time, all public and staff in the Headquarters Building will be directed to the basement level. Public who do not wish to take part in the Tornado Drill must leave the Library at this time. At 1:20, an all-clear will be announced and public and staff can go...

Nature

October 19, 2009

Looking for some deer hunting tips and techniques? If you are, you won’t want to miss Jeffrey Foytek’s free program on whitetail deer hunting at the Library in Wausau this Thursday night (10/22) at 6:30pm. Foytek, who has never missed an opening day, will share some of the wisdom that he has acquired during over 40 years experience successfully hunting deer. He will be talking about his deer hunting strategies and tracking techniques, demonstrating hunting aids, and sharing some hunting stories.  Jeffrey Foytek has written a book detailing his hunting experience titled True Adventure Stories of a Whitetail Deer Hunter: 40 years of Successful Hunting.   His book will...

Events Nature

April 21, 2009

As part of Tornado Awareness Week, the Marathon County Public Library will be holding a Tornado Drill Thursday April 23rd. At 1:10 a mock tornado warning will be issued for Marathon County. At that time, library customers will need to go to the Library's lower level or leave the Library.  Library staff will assist  customers. The drill will last approximately 15 minutes at which time staff and customers can return to the upper floors. We ask for everyone's cooperation in the drill.

Nature

November 13, 2007

It may be to late for you to hunt for a wild turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner, but you still have your opportunity to bag a "thirty-pointer". The time is upon us for hunters to be sitting in their stands waiting for white-tailed deer. Why not pass the time by reading up on hunting a little more? Stock up on some good books before you head to your deer camp.                                              Marathon County Public Library has a hunting display on the second floor of the library...

Nature