Last Saturday was Rotblatt 145, Frisbee Reunion, Rugby Reunion, and “Birder’s Reunion”, the annual Carleton Arboretum Bird Count that brings back birding alums to campus. At 6am, as people were staggering back from Rotblatt for a nap, a group of birdwatchers, alums and local enthusiasts, gathered at the Arb Office to hear the details of their mission.

Last Friday, the Art and Art History departments hosted their annual Empty Bowls event on the Bald Spot to raise money for the Northfield Community Action Food Shelf. Members from the Carleton community gathered on the Bald Spot to participate in the luncheon event and help support the charity by purchasing ceramic bowls and eating homemade soup.

This past Friday, Myles Bakke led the Arb Naturalists and members of Dan O’Brien’s “Writing the Great Plains” class on a sort of murder mystery tour of the Arb. In the prairie near the flood-plain forest we found the femur (hip ball and socket joint) and lower leg bones of a deer.  It was most likely hit by a car, and then stumbled into the Arb.  But that was not the end of the story.

Carleton students have been the cause of several complaints from Northfield residents in recent weeks. The complaints, received by the Dean of Students Office, Security or Residential Life, are typically related to students causing loud noises at night, walking through residents’ yards or gardens, or travelling in large groups and causing disruptions.

On Friday, May 13 beginning at noon, Carleton will host its seventh annual Empty Bowls Project fundraiser at noon on the College’s Bald Spot. The event will feature homemade soup served in handmade ceramic bowls created by Carleton art students. For a suggested minimum donation of  $15 per bowl, participants will be able to enjoy a variety of homemade soups and keep their handmade bowl. All proceeds from this event will go to the Northfield Community Action Center Food Shelf.  This popular annual event is free and open to the public.

Carleton College’s annual International Festival will take place Saturday, May 7th at 2 p.m. on the campus Bald Spot.  This two-hour event showcases and celebrates the cultural diversity among Carleton students, and is entirely student-run.  There will be live student performances and a display of homemade international cuisine, as well as games, arts, and crafts. This year’s theme is “Quilt of Cultures” and all donations will benefit the Women's Initiative for Self-Empowerment (WISE), a non-profit based in the Twin Cities that helps women from a variety of nationalities and cultures.  In the event of inclement weather, all activities will be moved indoors to the Sayles-Hill Campus Center. Carleton’s International Festival is free and open to the public.

Everyone is invited to celebrate the return of the spring season at the 4th Annual Earth Day Contra Dance, Friday, April 29, 2011, from 7 to 10:30 p.m., at the Northfield Ballroom. No dance partner is required, nor is prior dance experience. The evening begins with a dance lesson at 7 p.m., followed by dancing to the music of Contratopia!, led by famed dance "caller" Beau Farmer. Admission is $9 for adults, $6 for students and youth, with a $25 cap per family. Thanks to the Carleton College Student Association, free admission will be offered to Carleton students with valid identification. Proceeds from the dance will benefit the Cannon River Watershed Partnership.

The gentle golden hills of McKnight prairie emerging through the mist and driving rain were a welcome sight as we drove along the Cannon River on a cold and wet Earth Day. Along with the other Carleton student naturalists and arb director Nancy Braker, I set out into the gale to get a glimpse of what was supposed to be a spring scene at this thirty three acre slice of remnant prairie just eight miles from the Carleton campus. And in spite of the unseasonable weather, as we tromped through the wet grass we were confronted with unmistakable signs of spring.

Carleton College is pleased to host the world-renowned Ragamala Dance Company for a three-week residency focused on bringing the arts and culture of south Indian to residents of Northfield. Carleton students, along with Ragamala Dance Company members, will collaborate with the Northfield School of Arts and Technology (ARTech) to teach an appreciation for south Asian cultural art forms. Along with a series of public lectures, workshops and demonstrations, the residency concludes with a free public performance of Sthree, a contemporary interpretation of the south Indian epic “Silappathikaram,” by the Ragamala Dance Company on Wednesday, May 18, at 7 p.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel.

Now that the snow is melted, we have the opportunity to tromp around the Arb and see what the snow left behind. All of the carcasses that were frozen and buried under the snow all winter are now appearing in various stages of decay.

As the climate has warmed over the last week you may have noticed buds on trees, the grass growing greener, the frolicking of squirrels, or birds singing profusely in the morning sunlight.  But if you are sitting indoors, feeling rather grumpy, like me, about only being able to look out at the cheerful community of plants and animals thriving in Bambi-esque harmony, you may not feel positioned to appreciate such things.  What follows is a list of springtime behavior for the overburdened studentry of Carleton College, who can no longer feel joy.

Lyman Lakes. Lakes? They aren’t necessarily what I look for in a lake, but the name sticks nonetheless. They look great in fog shrouded photographs and surrounded by colorful fall leaves but there is (as always) more to the story. Around campus I’ve heard them called a variety of apprehensive names ranging from uncouth to downright disgusting, yet their history is rooted in the college, as Lyman Lakes haven’t always been Lyman Lakes.