Donna VanBuecken, Executive Director
PO Box 1274
Appleton, WI  54912-1274
Phone:  877-394-9453
Email:  execdirector@for-wild.org

ANNUAL MEETING

The 2008 Annual Wild Ones Meeting will be hosted by Fox Valley Area Chapter during the late summer at the new Wild Ones EcoCenter on the west shore of Little Lake Butte des Morts in Neenah, Wisconsin.

A Photo Contest will be head in conjunction with the Annual Meeting; click here for details on the Photo Contest. Photo entries will be judged by a professional nature photographer, as well as annual meeting/conference participants. Click here for the entry form.

For further information conference.

Additional Conferences

For additional conferences, see the listing below or go to the list maintained by the National Park Service at Plant Conservation Alliance, or the one maintained by The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at national events calendar.

    May 02, 2008 (Fri)    

River Network's 2008 National River Rally will be held May 2-5, 2008 at Sawmill Creek Resort, Huron, Ohio. In a special partnership, Great Lakes United will be hosting its annual general meeting at River Rally and introducing attendees to Great Lakes specifi issues.

Register for River Network's River Rally

Learn more about Great Lakes United

Learn more about our meeting and register for free

    May 15, 2008 (Thu)    

11th Annual Festival of Birds
May 15-18, 2008
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Pre-registration deadline is Friday, May 9th. Early registration is recommended as fieldtrip and workshop space is limited. To register online go to Visit Detroit Lakes web site.

Hear from experts of Minnesota's forests and grasslands as they expose expectations of change and what that means for our bird populations. Author, naturalist and field researcher, Scott Weidensaul will share revelations of his birding travels across the continent.

    May 20, 2008 (Tue)    

The 2008 Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP) Conference will be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, May 20-23. ANREP is the national organization for Extension professionals working on natural resources and environment topics.

The theme of the conference is: Leopold's Legacy: Extension's Response to a Changing World. This conference will seldom take place in Wisconsin so this is a rare opportunity to participate in an event that includes some of the concerns we have about
invasive plants.

The conference is open to all who are interested and you can learn of all that is offered and register for the entire event or single days via this web site. The web site includes the preliminary program schedule, speakers, and presentation titles. The preliminary program includes 60 presentations, including roundtables and workshops; a first-ever skill-building session on Tuesday, a poster session with 50 posters, and 6 field trips. Click on the links on the right side of this page to find all the details of presentations, field trips, workshops, etc.

    May 21, 2008 (Wed)    

Seed Sampling Workshop hosted by Mid-West Seed Services Inc May 21-22nd in Brookings, SD - registration form

Participants completing the workshop will have taken the first step towards accreditation to sample for ISTA certificates. This workshop is an excellent education experience for anyone sampling seed, regardless if you export.

Milt Haugen, Croplan Genetics, participated in a seed sampling workshop and said, "To do justice to your customer and your company's product, everyone should attend a sampler workshop."

The following topics are reviewed:
• ISTA and AOSA sampling rules
• sampling methods
• sealing seed lots
• subdividing samples
• review of ISTA certificates and their use

Registration fees are $100 per person.

Workshop presentations and materials are provided in English. Exams are now available in Spanish for a translation and correction fee of $100. Please make requests for exams in Spanish at time of registration.

For more details on Sampler Workshops call Terry Lemme at 877-692-7611

    May 30, 2008 (Fri)    

Loess Hills Prairie Seminar
Nature In Iowa
May 30, 31, and June 1, 2008
Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area
Onawa, Iowa
For questions, contact Gloria

To see the full program, please visit: Loess Hills Prairie Seminar web site

    Jun 05, 2008 (Thu)    

Native Plants in the Landscape Conference
Location: Millersville University, Lancaster County, Millersville, PA
Dates: June 5-7, 2008
Contact: (717) 872-3030 or e-mail.
For more information.

The 18th Annual Native Plants in the Landscape Conference includes speakers on the 20th century native plant movement, urban environments, garden design for children; operating a green business; biodiversity and landscape pests; controlling non-native invasives; naturalistic gardening; deer control and much more, plus field trips, and a native plant sale. Registration required. Continuing education credits available.

To request a conference brochure and registration information, go to conference website

    Jun 16, 2008 (Mon)    

• Isle Royale Botany Workshop
  This botany workshop is being put on by the Isle Royale Natural History Association. It is open to anyone with beginning/intermediate knowledge of plant identification who would like to learn to identify the early season plants of Isle Royale.
  
  The instructor, botanist Janet Marr, has many years of experience studying plants across Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale.
  
  Workshop activities will be mostly outdoors. You should be capable of hiking up to seven miles a day with a daypack.
  
  Enrollment is limited to 12 participants. Participants need to pre-register and send a $100 deposit to be received by May 1st to the Isle Royale Natural History Association, Attn: Jill Burkland, 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, MI 49931.
  
  To see the actual flier and print a copy go to IRNHA Botany Workshop

    Jun 20, 2008 (Fri)    

The Energy Fair will be held June 20-22, 2008 in Custer, Wsiconsin. Hosted by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association for the 19th year, learn about clean energy & sustainable living, connect with experts, and return home ready to act!

Featured will be:
- hundreds of workshops for the beginner to advanced
- hundreds of exhibits to connect with experts and products
- entertainment, keynote speakers and great food
- activities and fun for the whole family including Clean Energy Car Show, Green Home Pavilion and farmers Market

Details and advanced tickets at MREA website

    Aug 04, 2008 (Mon)    

• 21st North American Prairie Conference
  The Conference will take place August 4-8 on the campus of Winona State University in Winona, MN.
  Because Winona is located next to the Mississippi river and close to a variety of prairies ranging from sand prairie to dry prairie to wet prairie to the special thin-soiled "goat prairie", The Prairie Meets the River has been chosen as this year’s theme to emphasize the importance of water in the prairie environment.
  
  Attendees will range from biologists and botanists to prairie enthusiasts and community members, as well as businesses specializing in prairie seeds and prairie restoration.
  
  Additional information, including registration and vending and/or sponsoring opportunities, can be found Here, or by e-mailing Blandine Berthelot

    Sep 20, 2008 (Sat)    

Maryland Native Plant Society
2008 Annual Conference
September 20-21, 2008
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Edgewater, Maryland
and field trips throughout the Region

Early Registration Fee: (includes lunch)$50 members; $65 nonmembers
Saturday Social Fee: $30 per person (includes dinner)

Focus this year is on the Western Shores of the Chesapeake, from brackish tidal wetlands to the riparian forests of the Patuxent River.

Contact Karyn Molines, Fall Conference Chair by email or phone 410-286-2928

Register by July 1 to take advantage of the early registration price.

    Oct 07, 2008 (Tue)    

6th Eastern Native Grass Symposium
Columbia, SC
October 7 - 10, 2008

The 6th Eastern Native Grass Symposium will be held in Columbia, SC. October 7 - 10, 2008. We invite you to participate in this important forum on the many issues facing our wonderful native grasslands in the Eastern US and Canada. We are planning an excellent array of plenary presenters; oral and poster presentations on research, outreach and experiences; hands-on applied workshops; and a set of field trips into the varied geography of our State. Our cast of plenary speakers is designed to spark thorough-going discussion into many aspects of preserving, restoring and managing our native grassland communities here in the East. A partial list of subject areas includes natural grassland communities, as well as management of grasslands for wildlife, livestock and bio-fuel potential.

For more information about the Symposium, and a call for papers and other participation, see the symposium web site
A registration form will be available in the very near future, as will instructions for commercial, agency or organizational exhibitors. We look forward to your visit to South Carolina, and a wonderful opportunity to talk about native grasslands.

    Oct 18, 2008 (Sat)    

The Milwaukee Area Chaptrs of Wild Ones will hold their annual natural landscaping design conference on October 18, 2008 at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Details will be added as they are available

    Oct 22, 2008 (Wed)    

2008 State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC)
Theme: The Nearshore
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
October 22-23, 2008
Information can be found at the State of the Lakes Conference web site
Important note: U.S. citizens are advised to carry a passport for border crossing