Stockholm, Wisconsin

04/08/2025

Once in a while, you'll even see a river boat cruising by the Stockholm pier. photo courtesy Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance

04/07/2025

Laura Ingalls lived just down the road from Stockholm, near Pepin, WI. Here's a chance to experience here life at the little cabin.

04/06/2025

The barges are so fun to watch! Good viewing from the Stockholm Village Park pier.

🚢 The 2025 Upper Mississippi River navigation season is officially underway! On March 19, the MV Neil N. Diehl became the first vessel to reach St. Paul, locking through Hastings with nine barges in tow.

04/05/2025

The baby eagles are hatching!

🦅Bald Eagle Breeding Season🦅

With spring having finally sprung, many animals are getting ready for their own respective breeding seasons. For Bald Eagles, that's already been in full swing.

In the Midwest of the United States, Bald Eagle breeding season typically starts in February. They go through courtship to ensure that their partner is fit enough for them. From there comes mating (which is the least involved part of the whole process) followed by the eggs which are typically laid right around end of February or early March. Those eggs will hatch approximately 35 days later making the first or second week of April a common time to start seeing chicks in nests.

Those chicks are tiny, they are about the size of a baseball, and the bowl of the nest is usually a foot deep. This means we usually don't get to see any heads poking up above the nest until the chicks get a bit older, or you happen to be watching a nest camera that has a good angle into the nest itself. Thankfully, those chicks grow up fast, they go from baseball sized to a foot and a half tall in only six weeks, so it won’t be too long after hatching before folks get to see this year’s youngsters peering out into the wider world.
Photo by Bonnie Johnson 😍😍🦅🤯

04/04/2025

TRILLIUM FESTIVAL
Join us for a weekend of fun, information, and inspiration!
May 9, 2025, 5 - 9 Vino In The Valley (Ticketed event)
Social Hour
Wagon Rides
Dinner & Beverages
Doug Tallamy - Keynote Speaker
Trillium Award Presentation
Door Prizes

May 10, 2025, 8 -5 Rustic Road Gallery (Free event)
Doug Tallamy book signing
Every Garden Tells a Story - Dr Reba Luiben Executive Director Allen Centennial Garden, UW Madison
Design: The Four Ways We Can Build Bird Conservation into Community. Steve Betchkal
Trillium Viewing, Nature Trail, Maple Tasting

May 11, 2025, 10 -5 Rustic Road Gallery (Free event)
Restoration Ecology Darcy Kind, Conservation Biologist, WDNR
Warblers of the Driftless Area - Dan Jackson
Trillium Viewing, Nature Trail, Maple Tasting

Details at www.TrilliumFestival.org

04/03/2025

YMCA Camp Pepin announces two new employees!

Exciting news: Camp Pepin has hired two new staff members – Fitzgerald and Jay Catsby! We’re looking forward to all the skills they’ll be bringing to the job. In their interviews, Fitz expressed an interest in mouse catching, and Jay said that he’s really good at cleaning up any spilled food. When you see them around, be sure to say “Meow!” 🐈🐈‍⬛

04/02/2025

Owls are year round residents and can handle chilly weather. Watch for their babies soon!

As winter begins to fade away, great horned owls have already been nesting across Wisconsin. These year-round residents are well adapted to the chilly temperatures and are able to give their young, called owlets, a head start!

Great horned owlets are one of the first wildlife species to hatch every year, typically from late February through mid-April. They are blind, immobile and covered in down when they hatch, so they rely on parent birds for care during the first few weeks of life.

At around 6 weeks old, owlets have traded a lot of their fluffy down for adult-like feathers and become more independent, often “branching” out of the nest before they are fully developed. It is common to see them on the ground and they will often lift their wings, hiss and clack their beak to scare off predators. They may not fly away if approached because they are still developing their flying skills but will often climb back up the tree or fly away once alone.

Remember: an owlet’s best chance of survival is with their parents! Always contact the DNR or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for advice before intervening if you think an owlet is too young to be out of the nest.

Learn more about what to do if you find a young wild animal: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/orphan.

Photo Credit: lavin photography

04/01/2025

So honored to be on the list! https://www.facebook.com/share/1L6TNscvUP/

Enjoy a nostalgic road trip to dreamy small towns!

Photo credit: Travel Wisconsin

03/31/2025

You can help amphibians in our area by helping them across the road.

03/29/2025

Spring is so exciting in the Village! Check out your favorite eatery or shop for their Opening Day!

Every year, a handful of establishments in Pepin County hibernate for the winter, and it's always an exciting time when they open their doors again in the spring!
Hop Dish & Vine in Stockholm reopened February 6th
Kingfisher Restaurant in Durand reopened March 20th
Harbor View Cafe in Pepin reopened March 21st
Panther Drive-In in Durand will reopen April 4th
Along with these restaurants, Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery 🍎 will reopen their tasting room on April 3rd, and Villa Bellezza Winery & Vineyards will reopen their fountain on April 18th ⛲️
Did we miss any? Let us know!
📸: The Pickle Factory

03/28/2025

Spring openings abound! Time to plan a fun visit to the Village!

"Exciting news! Our Tasting Room at Maiden Rock Cidery & Orchard opens on April 3rd! 🍎🍷 Indulge in our handcrafted ciders and wines, made with love and locally grown ingredients. Join us for a sip-worthy experience! 🗓 Save the date and come celebrate with us. "

03/27/2025

Two amazing nests?!

🦅Eagle 101: Auxiliary Nests🦅

It's a nice spring day and you're out doing some driving, hiking, or birding. You spy a nice Bald Eagle nest in the tree line, and then, suddenly, not very far away you spot another large Bald Eagle nest. You may be met with a feeling of confusion - aren't eagles fiercely territorial and keep a good distance between themselves and other eagles? What is going on? Well, fear not because what you aren't seeing isn't abnormal or unusual at all. You have likely spotted an auxiliary nest!

A good portion of Bald Eagle behavior revolves around the nest site, which makes perfect sense when you consider that almost half of the year involves raising the young or preparing to raise the young. They build nests that can grow to enormous size through the years and they do fiercely guard that territory. And sometimes, ambitious pairs of eagles build more than one nest. Those nests are typically in close proximity to each other. They will only occupy one nest during any given year, making that occupied nest the "primary", and the second nest the "auxiliary", and they may also alternate nest occupation year to year.

We're not entirely sure why eagles do this. Perhaps something happens with the first nest that creates the perceived need for a new nest. Whatever, the reason, the phenomenon is not all that uncommon. Keep your eyes peeled for auxiliary nests the next time you are out doing some nest viewing.

This photo from Minnesota was shared with us by Margaret Maire. While these two nests are fairly close, there are many situations where the nests are practically on top of each other, in the same or adjacent tree. 🦅🪺🪹😯😃👍

03/26/2025

Sandhill cranes visit Stockholm every year. photo credit Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance

03/24/2025

A sure sign of Spring! The Flood Run!

03/23/2025

Make your Lake Pepin Spring fishing plans today! The Stockholm Village Park has a fantastic boat launch and free parking for your boat and trailer.

Make your spring fishing plans today!

Chart your course for the open-water fishing season from the many opportunities statewide.

If you're trying to target a specific species or county, try our Find A Lake webpage. It allows you to find fishing opportunities based on location, waterbody type, boat access and the fish species present.

It also includes maps with information on additional amenities like public restrooms, picnic areas and family-friendly shore fishing sites.

Visit our Find A Lake webpage to get started: https://apps.dnr.wi.gov/lakes/lakepages/

Now is the time to gear up, plan ahead and prepare to make 2025 a great fishing season!