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Native Landscaping Conferences |
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Native Landscaping Conferences |
Donna VanBuecken, Executive Director PO Box 1274 Appleton, WI 54912-1274 Phone: 877-394-9453 Email: execdirector@wildones.orgor visit us personally at the Wild Ones Institute for Learning and Development at the WILD Center at 2285 Butte des Morts Beach Rd in Neenah, Wisconsin
The first 2012 Wild Ones national Quarterly Board Meeting will be held will be held via webconference on February 11 at 9AM. The subject of the meeting will be general operations. Contact the headquarters office for more details.
The second 2012 Wild Ones national Quarterly Board Meeting will be held will be held at a Wild Ones Chapter location on May 12 at 9AM. The subject of the meeting will be general operations. Contact the headquarters office for more details.
The third 2012 Wild Ones national Quarterly Board Meeting and the Wild Ones 2012 Annual Membership Meeting will be held on August 17-18, 2012 at the WILD Center in Neenah, Wisconsin. On Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19, there will be a series of marketing workshops held specifically for chapter boards. All Wild Ones members are invited. Contact the headquarters office for more details.
The 2012 Annual Wild Ones Photo Contest will also be held in conjunction with the Annual Wild Ones Membership Meeting. Go to for details. Entries are due August 3.
The fourth Wild Ones national Quarterly Board Meeting will be held will be held via webconference on November 10, 2012 at 9AM. The subject of the meeting will be general operations. Contact the headquarters office for more details.
If you have a conference you would like to have listed on this webpage, please send an e-mail containing the appropriate text to conference listing.
For additional conferences, go to the list maintained by the National Park Service at Plant Conservation Alliance.
Feb 22, 2012 (Wed)
WWA would like to invite wetland experts and enthusiasts from around the Midwest region and beyond to join them for our 17th Annual Conference, Urban Wetlands, on February 22-23, 2012, at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI.
Online Registration is Now Open!
Early Bird Rates for registrations through January 22, 2012
Online registration ends: February 17, 2012
Conference Scholarships
Application deadline January 8, 2012
Student Scholarships are available to students with demonstrated need to attend the conference. Scholarships cover registration costs for recipients, and may be able to offset a portion of travel costs.
Information Technology Assistant Scholarship is available for someone with demonstrated conference-related information technology skills. This scholarship is open to any qualified person, student or otherwise.
Conference Highlights:
The Wisconsin Wetlands Association will convene members of the regional wetland community in Lake Geneva, WI to discuss the latest in wetland science, management, restoration, and protection issues around the conference theme, Urban Wetlands. This two day conference will include:
• A Plenary Keynote by David Batker, Chief Economist and Executive Director at Earth Economics.
• Conference Banquet & Presentation featuring Tracy Hames, Wisconsin Wetland Association's NEW Executive Director.
• Oral Presentations with speakers from across the region.
• Biologists Without Borders a special session highlighting cross-border collaborations for protection, restoration and management of wetlands.
• Poster session and reception.
• Professional working groups to address today's pertinent wetland issues.
• Field trips to Turtle Valley Wildlife Area & the proposed Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.
Following more than a decade-long tradition, we anticipate that this year's conference will contribute to a growing regional collaboration for protecting and conserving Wisconsin's wetlands. More information can be found on the conference website
Feb 23, 2012 (Thu)
Collaborations for new Solutions -- the 17th Water Conservation Conference & Expo presented by the Xeriscape Council of New Mexico on 23-24 February 2012 at Crowne Plaze in Albuquerque.
The speakers for the 2012 event are diverse in their expertise but similar in their willingness to share their experiences and forge new alliances. You’ve been introduced to a few of them in previous blasts and can learn more at our website.
These events have never been solo ventures. For several years the US Bureau of Reclamation has provided grant money to secure the venues; Intel is inside with advertising funding as well as volunteer help; many nurseries, hardscape suppliers, and landscape contractors have created great exhibits, and some generously provide sponsorship funding as well; master gardeners assist with registration and a dozen other necessary but far from glamorous tasks. We thank all the water conservation collaborators who have shared in the 16 conferences and expo successes and are now supporting the 2012 events.
This year Bookworks, one of Albuquerque’s last remaining local, independent bookstores, who “pride themselves on supporting our community and putting books and people together”, will take over the book sales—look for titles by Stephen Kress and William deBuys as well as many other local and regional writers available for purchase in-store and online before the conference and at the conference and expo. Bookworks collaboration
Friday evening after the conference our guest artist, Chef Clay Chapman, whose Grey Plume in Omaha was named America’s greenest restaurant, will team up with Chef Jonathan Perno at Los Poblanos Inn to prepare a meal …Los Poblanos is known for "seasonally driven fare influenced by haute cuisine and the foods indigenous to New Mexico’s Rio Grande River Valley, a dining experience where the cuisine and ambiance reflect the chef’s aesthetic and the farm’s long established relationship with local farmers." Pairing these chefs is a natural; the meal will be a celebration! Visit lospoblanos.com to learn more and register for one of life’s memorable feasts.
The sum really is greater than the parts. Join us in celebrating the rewards of collaboration… See you in February! Conference website
Feb 25, 2012 (Sat)
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
Tending the Delicate Balance
An intimate relationship exists between the plant and animal world – one cannot survive without the other. A tree will not bear fruit without help from pollinators, a butterfly will not take flight without nutrients from its larval host plant, and a nesting songbird will not have food for her young without an abundance of nearby larvae. The circle of life is only possible when our ecosystem is healthy.
Pressures from forces such as extreme weather and loss of habitat are currently accelerating the natural process of evolution, interrupting this delicate balance and threatening species at a rate never known to humankind.
Wild Ones 2012 Design With Nature Conference will address these pressures and explore opportunities the scientific community is considering to save certain species. Native plants and how we manage our landscapes play a key role, adding both diversity and natural beauty to the world around us.
Speakers include:
Jessica J. Hellmann, Associate Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame
Stan Tekiela, Naturalist, Wildlife Photographer and Writer
Elaine Evans, Professional of Entomology, University of Minnesota; Author of Befriending Bumblebees
Larry Weaner, Natural Landscape Designer and Consultant, Larry Weaner Landscape Associates
Design With Nature Conference
Speakers include Wild Ones honorary board membmer, author, entertaining speaker and expert of native plant ecology Neil Diboll “Landscaping for Birds, Butterflies & People,” research scientist James Nardi “The World Beneath Our Feet: Life in the Soil,” wildlife biologist Chris Anchor “Meet the Urban Coyote: Learn the Facts and Dispel the Myths,” and the WPPC’s Carol Rice & Jim Keenan “100 Yards: Bringing Nature Home to McHenry County.”
Exhibits will feature native gardening services, products, garden art and books.
$30 in advance, $35 at the door and includes lunch.
For registration or information call Nancy at 815-455-9462 or visit WPPC website.
We are excited to bring Stephen Packard to Menomonie as the keynote speaker. Stephen, editor of “The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook,” is the Director of the National Audubon Society in the Chicago Region. He was a major force in creating Nachusa Grasslands, 3000 acres of prairie remnants, restorations, and reconstructions. His work on restoring oak savannas led to a rediscovery of this ecosystem.
Following his opening presentation, concurrent sessions - a technical track and an animal track – will cover such topics as: dragonflies & damselflies, ear training for birding, herbicides and invasives, and prairie/savanna research.
For the first time we offer a track for beginners, the “Planting a Prairie 101” workshop. This all-day workshop offers step-by-step guidance to planting or restoring a native landscape. There will also be ample time to see and catch up with old and new friends during a social mixer, followed by the annual all-chapter Banquet.
We are pleased to announce our banquet speaker, Dr. Doug Tallamy. Dr. Tallamy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology and director of the Center for Managed Ecosystems at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, where he has authored 73 research articles and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, and other courses for 30 years. Chief among his research goals is to better
understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book “Bringing Nature Home; How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens” was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writer’s Association.
details and to register
Feb 27, 2012 (Mon)
2nd Annual Green Schools Annual Conference "Growing Green and Healthly Schools for all Children" will be held in Denver, Colorado February 27-29, 2012.
REGISTER BY NOVEMBER 18 to get Early Bird rates for 2012 Green Schools Natl Conference
Attend the ONLY national gathering of K-12 leaders, administrators and educators coming together to make their schools and districts comprehensive green & healthy centers of academic excellence.
Keynote Speakers:
Featured Speakers include:
BREAKOUT SESSIONS -- Breakout sessions should help attendees answer questions such as
•"What is a Green and Healthy School?"
•"How Do We Become a Green School?"
•"What Else Can We Do to Green Our School"?
•"Who Can We Talk To Help Us/How Can We Connect With Peers?"
•Information
Meet and hear from an incredible array of passionate, like-minded national experts, advocates and peers - ALL IN ONE PLACE OVER 2 1/2 DAYS IN BEAUTIFUL DENVER!
General Conference Questions EMAIL or call 1-800-280-6218 9am - 5pm PCT or to register go to www.greenschoolsnationalconference.org
Feb 28, 2012 (Tue)
The annual TWW Fly-in is sponsored by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the national TWW steering committee in Washington DC. The Fly-in is the coalition's premiere event to inform members of Congress of the value of the State & Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. Below is a brief agenda.
Your $50 registration fee will provide access to all trainings, receptions, lunch on Feb 28th, and leave behind materials. Payment can be made by check either prior to the event or when you arrive on site. For credit card payments contact Liz Skipper for payment process.
Tuesday February 28th, 2012
11am-Advocacy 101
12pm-Lunch (provided)
1pm-5pm-Advocacy Training
6pm-Advoacy Welcome Reception
Wednesday February 29th, 2012
8am-5pm-Meetings with Members of Congress
6pm-9pm-Congressional Reception in Rayburn House Office Building
Mar 04, 2012 (Sun)
Wildflower Association of Michigan Celebrates 25th Anniversary with a Conference Featuring Experts on Pollinators and a Focus on What Gardeners Can Do.
The 25th annual Wildflower Association conference, March 4 and 5 at the Kellogg Conference Center in East Lansing, will bring a stellar cast of experts on pollinators and on how to make your property better habitat for pollinators and for all wildlife.
The keynote speaker will be Stephen Buchmann, co-author of the wonderful book The Forgotten Pollinators. In his keynote talk, "Trouble in Paradise: Are We Losing Our Pollinators?" Dr. Buchmann will provide an overview of pollinator and bee diversity, touch on the honey bee crisis, and then focus primarily on losses to six species of native bumble bees and what is happening with them. He will conclude with things gardeners, naturalists, and homeowners can do to help conserve the forgotten and disappearing pollinators.
There will be four other entomological talks, one of them an additional program by Dr. Buchmann. In addition, Jennifer Hopwood, from the Xerces Society, will speak about how we can all help to conserve pollinators. Rufus Isaacs, entomologist from MSU, will speak about how to use native plantings to provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects in conjunction with vegetable gardens and farm plots. Brenda Dziedzic, author of Learn About Butterflies in the Garden, will help us choose the right plants in order to help the butterflies.
Still other speakers will help us to improve diversity and habitat on our land. Rick Meader, landscape architect, will speak on Making Your Landscape More Native. Catherine Zimmerman, author of Urban and Suburban Meadows, will outline the benefits and techniques of meadow-scaping. An old friend, Steve Keto, will provide an overview of native plants, from A to Z. Middle-school students from Ann Arbor will inspire us with the story of how they and hundreds of other children have, over the years, created the ever-expanding Buhr Park Children’s Wet Meadow.
And there is much, much more, including restoration projects, study of Michigan conifers, an overview of the Eastern Massasagua Rattlesnake (with live viewings); exhibitors and book sales; an all-day educators workshop on Sunday; grant awards; and reunions with good friends.
This is one you don’t want to miss!
Registration for the conference is now open. Go to for full information.
Apr 13, 2012 (Fri)
The Amphibian Taxon Advisory Group’s annual meeting will be held on April 13th in Miami, Florida at the Center for North American Herpetology St. George Island, Florida. In an effort to allot adequate time for presenters, reduce redundancy and stimulate discussion, the steering committee is requesting abstracts from presenters. Both oral and poster presentations will be accepted. All presenters must register for the ATAG meeting. Abstracts should be submitted electronically by 16 March 2012.
Abstract and registration forms. We look forward to your submissions and hope to see you in Miami!
Jun 11, 2012 (Mon)
Isile Royale Botany Workshop, June 11-16, 2012. Experience four days in Lake Superior's Isle Royale National Park and learn to identify the diverse plants that live on this incredible island!
BOTANY WORKSHOP INFORMATION:
This special botany workshop, sponsored by the Isle Royale & Keweenaw Parks Association (IRKPA), and taught by botanist Janet Marr, is open to anyone with beginning/intermediate knowledge of plant identification who is interested in learning to identify the early summer native flora of this species-rich Lake Superior island.
Workshop participants will spend four days on Isle Royale learning native plant species, using such tools as a dichotomous key and hand lens to identify plants. Other topics will include discussion of island plant communities, rare species, ecology, and invasive species.
Most workshop activities will take place outdoors. Optional evening sessions will also be offered to review plants learned earlier. Field trips will include Tobin Harbor, Scoville Point, and Raspberry Island, places that are all located in the vicinity of Rock Harbor.
Workshop attendees will meet in Houghton, Michigan, on Monday (11 June) afternoon and travel from Houghton to Rock Harbor (on Isle Royale) on the Ranger III boat on Tuesday (12 June). Participants will return to Houghton on the Ranger III on Saturday (16 June).
REQUIREMENTS:
Workshop participants should be able to walk up to 7 miles in one day with a daypack on rocky, sometimes steep, trails and bedrock, sometimes slippery, shoreline.
INSTRUCTOR:
Botanist Janet Marr, the workshop instructor, has had many years of experience studying plants across Michigans Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale. Janet taught the 2007 - 2011 Isle Royale botany workshops as well as many botany, aquatic, and wetland plant workshops in Michigans Keweenaw Peninsula. She is co-author of the Isle Royale Natural History Association's Island Life, an Isle Royale Nature Guide.
ENROLLMENT IS LIMITED TO 12 PARTICIPANTS. Past botany workshops have filled up very quickly so sign up soon! Contact Kristine Bradof at 906-482-7860 or kbradof@irkpa.org for more information about workshop registration or to register. Contact Janet Marr at 906-337-5529 or jkmarr@mtu.edufor details about the workshop itself.
BOTANY WORKSHOP FEE:
$675 per person if registered by March 5, 2012 ($25 discount for IRKPA members;
for information on becoming a IRKPA member).
$699 per person if registered after March 5, 2012 ($25 discount for IRKPA members; for information on becoming a IRKPA member).
A $200 deposit is required to reserve your place in the workshop and may be sent to the Isle Royale & Keweenaw Parks Association, Attn: Kristine Bradof, 800 Lakeshore Dr., Houghton, MI 49931. The balance is due by April 17, 2012.
A cancellation fee of $75 will be charged for cancellations between May 1 and May 31, 2012. There will be no refund for cancellations made on or after June 1, 2011.
The fee for the botany workshop covers instruction, camping, meals on the island, notebook, Slavick/Jankes Flora of Isle Royale, and transportation to and from Houghton, MI on the Ranger III. Participants may travel from Grand Portage, Minnesota, on the Voyager at their own expense. See http://www.isleroyaleboats.com/ for Voyager info.
LODGING/CAMPING:
Participants may camp for free at a Rock Harbor group site for the four nights on the island. You may also stay in the Rock Harbor Lodge or Housekeeping units at your own expense (consider sharing a room with another participant or friend to reduce your lodging cost). For information about lodging (at Rock Harbor Lodge or Housekeeping units), boat rentals, etc. or call 866-644-2003 (winter season) or 906-337-4993 (summer season).
If you wish to share a lodge or housekeeping room, contact Kristine at 906-482-7860 or see their home page at For information about Isle Royale NationalPark or call 906-482-0984.
Aug 05, 2012 (Sun)
Those of us who are both ecologists and herpetologists may have already noticed that next year's annual ESA meeting will be 5-10 August in Portland Oregon, while the spectacular one-every-5-years World Congress of Herpetology is 8-14 August 2012, a mere 315 miles (500 km) away in Vancouver. A little creative scheduling may make it possible for us to enjoy both worlds.
The good folks at ESA recognize that some herpetological ecologists will want to attend both meetings (and present at least at ESA), and would therefore need to leave ESA early to attend WCH. Therefore they make this suggestion:
1) submit a poster abstract (ESA deadline is 23 February 2012)
2) choose "reptiles and amphibians" as your highest ranked choice of theme (#1).
They offer to make one or more poster sessions out of such posters and schedule those sessions for earlier in the week. They can't make a similar promise if people submit talks or choose other themes as their top choice because they could end up scheduled in other sessions.
If you plan to present at WCH as well, note that the deadline is for those abstracts and early registrations is 29 February 2012.
Aug 08, 2012 (Wed)
Those of us who are both ecologists and herpetologists may have already noticed that next year's annual ESA meeting will be 5-10 August in Portland Oregon, while the spectacular one-every-5-years World Congress of Herpetology is 8-14 August 2012, a mere 315 miles (500 km) away in Vancouver. A little creative scheduling may make it possible for us to enjoy both worlds.
The good folks at ESA recognize that some herpetological ecologists will want to attend both meetings (and present at least at ESA), and would therefore need to leave ESA early to attend WCH. Therefore they make this suggestion:
1) submit a poster abstract (ESA deadline is 23 February 2012)
2) choose "reptiles and amphibians" as your highest ranked choice of theme (#1).
They offer to make one or more poster sessions out of such posters and schedule those sessions for earlier in the week. They can't make a similar promise if people submit talks or choose other themes as their top choice because they could end up scheduled in other sessions.
If you plan to present at WCH as well, note that the deadline is for those abstracts and early registrations is 29 February 2012.
Sep 06, 2012 (Thu)
The time and place of this year’s Florida-Georgia Sandhill Working Group meeting have been set!
The Jones Ecological Research Center will be hosting the meeting on Sept. 6-7 (Thursday and Friday). The Thursday session is a solid date at this point, and the Friday session may take place depending on the number of presentations and extent of discussion we have. For those of you in Florida, we will be renting a van (or 2 or 3) to take people from Tall Timbers to the Jones Center to help get around out-of-state travel restrictions. There’ll be a small charge to cover the rental, but it will not be very much. The cost will be reduced significantly if we can find an institution that has a van we can use for this purpose.
Additional details and requests for discussion topics will be coming along later this year. Jim Cox
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