Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin

[Reader rails and flat panels within mini-diorama]

Wet, Dry and Wet Again

About half of Necedah National Wildlife Refuge is ALL WET, at least part of the year.  The word “wetlands” is a catch-all term that includes shallow lakes, marshes with low-growing plant, and swampy areas with trees.

Depending on the needs of the wildlife here, Refuge managers may use run-off canals and small dams to raise or lower water levels in certain lakes and marshes.

Who Needs Wetlands?

Birds love—and need—the watery world of Necedah.  Thousands of birds across the Western Hemisphere depend on this Refuge as a resting and feeding stopover on their long yearly migrations.

Every spring and fall, waterfowl, songbirds, and raptors rest and feed here before continuing their incredible journeys.  Their destinations?  Winter habitats in Central and South America, and summer breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada.

Los Adaes State Historic Site, Robeline, LA

Word Portraits from the Past

Could you pick these men from a jailhouse line-up? Many early Los Adaes soldiers were recruited from debtor’s prisons.

In Colonial New Spain, photography did not exist and portrait painters were expensive, so recruiters wrote vivid, easily recognizable “word pictures” of the ethnically diverse men assigned here. 

Try your hand at creating pictures of these two Los Adaes soldiers:

 “Francisco Xavier Cortinas… native of the Villa of Santiago province of Coahuila, tall, robust, white round face, red beard, blond hair, large blue eyes, 22 years old, a scar over the left eye….”

 “Agustin Sanchez… native of the city of Zacatecas, medium build, stocky, light brown complexion, round face, small black eyes, small forehead, dark reddish brown hair, 29 years old….”

Jean LaFitte National Historical Park and Preserve, New Orleans, LA

Visitors discover this informative series of wayside signs as they begin a walking tour of New Orleans at the NPS headquarters in the French Quarter.

The French Quarter:  One of a Kind

The French Quarter, properly called the Vieux Carré (Old Square), is one of the most unusual architectural districts in the world.  

 A 300-year blending of French, Spanish, Caribbean, African, and colonial and modern American influences, the Vieux Carré has survived fires and flooding, slavery and wars, economic decline and renewal, and about 250 Mardi Gras parades -- not to mention millions of tourists a year.

 Reading History in the Details

If you look closely at buildings in the French Quarter, you can read much of New Orleans history -- and learn much about her people -- in the Quarter’s architectural details. 

How about a quiz?   As you walk through the Quarter, try to spot some of the building components that make New Orleans unique.  Let’s start at the top.

 Up On the Roof

The roofs of French Quarter buildings are usually high and gabled, with small dormer windows to let light into second floor.  If you could see beneath the shingles of some of the oldest buildings, you might find a 16^th-century French rafter-and-post construction called the Norman truss.  Some roofs are double-pitched, with a main roof supplemented by a separate roof projection angling out over the street.  This long overhang, called an abat vent, serves as a sidewalk awning for passers-by, as well as shade for windows and doors.