Drawing Flower Coming Out of Book
A book covering the rich history of Williams Bay's Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy (KNC) will soon be available for purchase — hopefully in time for Christmas, author Jim Killian said.
Killian spoke about his forthcoming book, Kishwauketoe: A Nature Conservancy for the Children of Tomorrow, on Friday, Nov. 5 at an installment of the Geneva Lake Astrophysics and STEAM (GLAS) Education Friday Afternoon Club. A small group gathered for Killian's presentation about this 12-chapter labor of love.
Killian retired just over eight years ago from a long career in healthcare, though his undergraduate studies were in conservation biology.
"I always enjoyed (biology), but never had an opportunity to work in the field," he said. "So when I retired, I wanted to go back to my roots."
As a new retiree, Killian began volunteering at Kishwauketoe. He is now in his fifth year serving the KNC Board, which he first became familiar with during his time as a Williams Bay village trustee.
For six years, Killian acted as the liaison between KNC and the village board. He completed his third term as a village trustee in January 2020.
When Killian decided it was time to write the book on Kishwauketoe, he knew he needed a partner to take on the project with him.
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"I needed a bright young person who could complement me with the skills that I was quickly losing, that mostly being technology," he said.
In fall of 2018, Killian reached out to his good friend Jen Schildgen, a professional photographer and graphic artist. Killian would lead the historical research, while Schildgen would tackle the photography and layout.
They worked steadily from October 2018 onwards, driven not by a timetable but by a dedication to the project and a mutual sense of accountability. The team of two met every couple weeks to report on their progress.
"We did that until the ugly COVID closed everything down in March of 2020," Killian said.
Killian and Schildgen continued their biweekly meetings via Zoom. And now, in late fall of 2021, they are getting ready to present their three-year long project to readers in the village and beyond.
The 12-chapter book offers a careful balance between imagery and text. Many of the pages feature quotes from other authors and naturalists throughout history.
Book sales will benefit KNC, Killian said.
"There is no public funding at all," he said. "So 100% of the funds will go toward continuing restoration and maintenance efforts in Kishwauketoe."
A look inside
The book opens with a geologic history of Geneva Lake and the surrounding area, going back about 20,000 years to the Wisconsin glaciation period of the Ice Age. This section pulls from century-old research, as well as articles from Bay Leaves, a newspaper published in Williams Bay from 1947 to 1948.
Amelia Malling, information and research coordinator at GLAS Education, said she appreciated Killian's use of historical archives.
"They went through the work to get all of those images and documents," she said. "That can take a lot of digging to get to."
The first chapters of the book take care to illustrate the history of the Potawatomi people around Geneva Lake, up until the federal government's forced removal of the indigenous peoples in 1836.
The book reveals a true local history, as Killian takes the reader through early European settlement, the monumental railroad construction and beyond.
Killian eventually moves into an examination of the Kishwauketoe site itself, including its early uses as a village dump site, relentless development attempts, and finally, an important decision made by the village board under Harold Friestad's leadership in the late 80s.
"(Friestad) essentially led a board initiative to purchase the property and conserve it as Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy," Killian said.
The book is dedicated to Friestad, chair of the KNC board for 16 years and counting.
"I'm so humbled." Friestad said. "We all have put so much work into making Kishwauketoe what it is."
Coloring the book from start to finish are stunning moments of nature captured by Schildgen on KNC grounds. The book concludes with a chapter titled "Children of Tomorrow," comprised of Schildgen's work.
In this section, Schildgen's photography takes the reader on a leisurely walk through the conservancy, Killian explained. Schildgen's camera reveals expanses of diverse greenery; a pair of adult sandhill cranes with their chick.
"And then it concludes with just a couple great photographs of area children, who the park is dedicated for," Killian said.
Coming soon
Supply chain issues have delayed publication, Killian said. Publication was originally scheduled for August, then shifted further back again and again.
Everything is done in parts and pieces, Killian said. For example, the book jacket was printed in Indiana, while the pages were printed in Ohio. Both get shipped to the binder, which is located in Massachusetts.
"So every step of the way, when there's shipping involved, that's French for another delay," he said. "Because there is a huge shipping issue in this country."
Killian hopes Kishwauketoe: A Nature Conservancy for the Children of Tomorrow will reach shelves in time for Christmas. The book will be available through the Kishwauketoe website, as well as through local retailers like the Green Grocer, Barrett Memorial Library, Daniels Food Sentry in Walworth, Pier 290, the Geneva Lake Museum and more.
GLAS Education has a couple more events scheduled through the end of this year, including the James Webb Space Telescope Launch Event to be hosted at the Abbey Resort this coming weekend, and a free virtual stargazing night on Friday, Nov. 26.
Winning photos of the Geneva Lake Conservancy Small Nature Photo Contest
Zara Pankau won first place in the 4-12 age group
Zara Pankau won first place in the 4-12 age group. "According to our judge, Zara's photo did a wonderful job of illustrating how 'small nature' is part of a larger whole – her close up of the bee is a common composition with an added element of a larger natural background."
Kristina Emerson won second place in the 4-12 age group
"According to our judge, Kristina's photo is simple and effective – it can be hard to capture a bird, but Kristina did a wonderful job. The surrounding branches are also very visually appealing."
Oliver Thompson won third place in the 4-12 age group
Faith Loback won first place in the 13-21 age group
Faith Loback won first place in the 13-21 age group. "Faith Loback's photo is elegant in the details of the flower as well as the photo itself. The dark backdrop draws all attention to the flower."
Kara Rees won second place in the 13-21 age group
"Kara's photo, like Faith's, does a great job of drawing attention to the elegant bee and the flower with the dark contrasting backdrop."
Ben Hutchinson won third place in the 13-21 age group
"Ben Hutchinson captured the only slug photo to be seen this year – it especially stood out against the dark background and showed a nice framing effect with the wood."
Michael Jeske won first place in the 22+ age group
Michael Jeske won first place in the 22+ age group. "According to our judge, the beauty of the butterfly mid-flight is incredible, and photographing it against the dark background made the photo distinctive in its simplicity."
Joyce McBriarty won second place in the 22+ age group
Tim Kohman won 3rd place in the 22+ age group
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Drawing Flower Coming Out of Book
Source: https://www.lakegenevanews.net/news/local/kishwauketoe-book-coming-soon-written-by-former-village-trustee/article_92a48ca4-2e09-551d-8978-faf95877eb94.html
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