It’s July 4, 1776, at the marsh. The only fireworks were the stars in the night sky before dawn. The only bugling is from trumpeter swans paddling on the water. The only drumming is a pileated woodpecker hammering a tree. The only picnics are elk feasting on bluegrass, clover, willow.

Regardless of our human encroachment here, nature finds a way. As flocks of fans watch Ernie Els play, downy phlox sprouts nearby. As players approach the 18th green, eighteen green frogs sing in the nearby wetland. At the seventh tee, a tree swallow slices the sky. On the fringe, deer. Near the rough, a rough-legged hawk. On a dogleg, a coyote.

For a second year, the American Family Insurance Championship will take place at the TPC Wisconsin golf course (formerly Cherokee Country Club). The tournament and related activities will take place June 1–7. While the Cherokee Marsh–North Unit will remain open to visitors, vehicle access on North Sherman Avenue will be allowed only from 7 pm until the park closes, one hour after sunset. An exception is vehicles with disabled tags or plates, which will be allowed access from