2022 Educational Programs
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![Bats – Beyond the Myths presented by Barbara Williams](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Barbara-Williams.jpg)
Bats – Beyond the Myths presented by Barbara Williams
October 2022
Bats represent one quarter of all mammal species on earth, yet they are widely mis-understood and persecuted. If we look past our prejudices, we see that bats are inextricably linked to the health of our environment and our agricultural systems. Globally they consume huge quantities of crop pests and provide pollination services worth billions of dollars. Locally, bats are busily at work on mosquito control and crop pest reduction, and they ask nothing more than to be left alone to do their work.
Read More![Roots of Sustainability: Jens Jensen, O.C. Simonds, and Other Pioneers in Native Garden Design presented by Bob Grese](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Bob-Grese2021-298x300.png)
Roots of Sustainability: Jens Jensen, O.C. Simonds, and Other Pioneers in Native Garden Design presented by Bob Grese
September 2022
Bob Grese is Professor Emeritus in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and the former director of the University’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.
He formerly taught in the landscape architecture program and is a strong advocate of ecologically based design and ecological restoration.
Read More![Invite Nature to Your Yard presented by Jim Kleinwacher](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jim-Kleinwachter.png)
Invite Nature to Your Yard presented by Jim Kleinwacher
August 2022
Jim Kleinwachter, the Conservation@Home program director for The Conservation Foundation, will talk about the benefits of planting native plants in our yards. Even though many or most Wild Ones members already have natural gardens, Jim insists that we are in the minority and that we can help this to become more mainstream. Jim will tell us how we can use our native gardens to become beacons in our neighborhoods and the community at large.
Read More![Social, Prairie Tour, and Picnic with Ken Keiselmeier](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/KenKeiselmeier-225x300.png)
Social, Prairie Tour, and Picnic with Ken Keiselmeier
July 2022
On Saturday July 16, 2022, beginning at 10:00 a.m., we will be touring the restoration prairie and wildlife habitat that RRVC member Ken Keilsmeier has been working on for several years. The prairie restoration is located on the farm of Ken’s friends Mark and Joyce Long and is located at 5788 W Leaf River Rd., Leaf River. They have been restoring a previous cornfield to a native prairie and adding shelter belts of native trees and shrubs to provide wildlife habitat near the prairie. Ken will take us on a tour of the area from a lovely, benched wagon that will give us a prairie-schooner-like view of the prairie in bloom.
Read More![The Effects of Climate Change on Native Plants and the Wildlife that Depend on Them presented by Dr. Doug Stotz](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dr.png)
The Effects of Climate Change on Native Plants and the Wildlife that Depend on Them presented by Dr. Doug Stotz
June 2022
It is now generally accepted that our climate is changing to the detriment of most of life on earth due to an unnatural rise in CO2. It has caused a change in the timing of such natural events as the budding of trees, shrubs, and forbs as well as insect emergence from winter dormancy which ultimately affects nesting birds that depend on insects to feed their nestlings.
Read More![Identifying the Unknown: Practical Tips to Help You Identify Trees and other Woody Plants presented by Travis Cleveland](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Travis-Cleveland_resize.jpg)
Identifying the Unknown: Practical Tips to Help You Identify Trees and other Woody Plants presented by Travis Cleveland
May 2022
It's a Bird Cherry... It's a Planetree... It's a Superform Maple! We have all encountered unfamiliar plants before. Our curiosity leads us to learn more about them. This presentation will help with the first step, identification. We will start by highlighting several botanical features used to identify trees and shrubs. Then, we will introduce some woody plant identification resources that are available for both beginners and experts.
Read More![Illinois Owls presented by Peggy Doty](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Peggy-Doty-225x300.jpg)
Illinois Owls presented by Peggy Doty
April 2022
Owls are not only at the top of their food chain; they are also at the top of their game. Owls have one of the most unique set of tools in their predator toolkit, from eyes that can penetrate the darkness to rotating toes, and a feathered satellite dish to pick up the smallest of rodent feet hitting the ground. Owls are also masters of illusion and silence. Join Peggy Doty, Extension Educator, as we peer into the world of the Illinois owls.
Read More![44 Winnebago County Forest Preserves in 2022 presented by Rob Clark](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Rob_resize.jpg)
44 Winnebago County Forest Preserves in 2022 presented by Rob Clark
April 2022
Rob Clark has enjoyed photographing nature since his high school days. In 2020, he retired from teaching mathematics for 27 years at Rock Valley College. Throughout college and his career, he spent time outdoors with his camera. He has been a volunteer at the Nygren Wetland Preserve for the last 20 years, and Nygren remains one of his favorite places to photograph. He recently became a member of the Natural Land Institute’s Board of Trustees and is also a Board member with Nature at the Confluence, and regularly volunteers with Severson Dells’ Canoe Convoys.
Read More![Shade Gardens: Native Plants and Ecological Benefits presented by Erin Garrett](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Erin-Garrett-258x300.png)
Shade Gardens: Native Plants and Ecological Benefits presented by Erin Garrett
March 2022
presented by Erin Garrett
You may have heard about the benefits of planting native plants in your home landscape – but what about in that shady spot in your yard? Are there native plants well suited to a shade garden? Learn the ecological benefits of planting natives underneath trees and explore your options when it comes to choosing shade tolerant native plants.
Read More![The Flora and Fauna of Bell Bowl Prairie and Other Gravel Prairies presented by Ed Cope](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Ed-Cope_sm.png)
The Flora and Fauna of Bell Bowl Prairie and Other Gravel Prairies presented by Ed Cope
February 2022
Ed Cope, former Ecologist with the Natural Land Institute, will discuss the flora and fauna of gravel prairies in the Rock River valley, using Bell Bowl Prairie as a specific lens through which to bring the bigger picture of this unique ecosystem into focus. He will review the origin and history of gravel prairies in the area, then discuss the plant and animal species that inhabit them. Particular focus will be given to those species who have disappeared, and those that teeter on the cusp of extirpation.
Read More![Lee Johnson: A Naturalist’s Life with Jerry Paulson](https://wildonesrrvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Lee-Johnson-300x187.png)
Lee Johnson: A Naturalist’s Life with Jerry Paulson
January 2022
Local naturalist, Lee Johnson, turned 90 years old on December 18, 2021, and sat with WORRV chapter president Jerry Paulson and videographer Charles Johannsen to reflect on the changes to the natural environment he has witnessed during his life. A keen observer of nature and a life-long bird watcher, Lee will share his remembrances during the first program of the New Year at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, January 20th.
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