2023 Educational Programs
The Seed of an Idea: Starting a Seed Library at the Rockford Public Library & Seed Exchange
November 2023
The annual meeting of WORRV chapter will be held at the Cherry Valley Public Library on Thursday, November 16th starting at 6:00 p.m. We will have reports from our officers and a special program about starting a native seed library at the Rockford Public Library. We will also have our seed exchange starting at 6:00 p.m. Information about preparing and packaging your seeds is below. Snacks will be provided. Read More
Celebrating 60 years of the Colorful History of the Boone County Conservation District presented by Josh Sage
October 2023
The Boone County Conservation District (BCCD) was the first Conservation District to become established in the State of Illinois on November 4th, 1964. Approaching its 60th anniversary, Josh will be presenting the colorful history of the organization, as well as defining its established mission and purpose. The BCCD prioritizes protecting, managing, and creating high-quality habitat in concert with a strong education component.
Read More
Cranes Over Illinois presented by Stefanie Schmidt
September 2023
Stefanie Schmidt helps raise awareness about endangered Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes in our communities to inspire us to care for cranes and support greater protections for these birds. Cranes are facing increasing threats of habitat loss, collisions, and poaching throughout their flyway. Each year in Illinois we will see over 40,000 Sandhill Cranes and 76 Whooping Cranes from November through March, including in our own communities, and the International Crane Foundation aims to ensure these birds are protected on our landscapes for future generations to enjoy and appreciate.
Read More
Gardening With Native Plants Through the Seasons presented by Denise Sandoval
August 2023
Discover the inner and outer beauty of some of Good Natured Landscapes LLC owner Denise Sandoval’s favorite native plants through the seasons. Denise will discuss those plants that she uses most often in her designs because they are beautiful, versatile, and easy to grow. These plants do well in clay soils, are easy to find locally, take a range of conditions, and look good in small-medium landscapes, as well as larger landscapes. Learn about their physical attributes, their behavior, how to use them in the garden, plus some of wildlife they support. A handout with her recommended plant list, design tips, and wildlife information will be provided.
Read More
Wild Ones Member Picnic and Tour of the Oak Savanna Restoration Project at Old Goat Farm
July 2023
Our annual members-only picnic and tour will take place on Saturday, July 22nd from, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Old Goat Farm, located on Belvidere Road east of Roscoe, Illinois. The tour will be followed by a picnic lunch provided by WORRV chapter. Reservations for the tour and picnic are required to help us plan the event (Click the button above). The tour and picnic are open to WORRV Chapter members, their children, and one guest.
Read More
Tying Home Landscapes to Greenways presented by Joel Neylon
June 2023
As Wild Ones members, we know the importance of planting native vegetation to attract pollinators and birds. But, have you tried looking at your property as habitat and part of a larger greenway corridor? Joel Neylon will offer suggestions for how to go about selecting native plants that will help your home landscape fit in to the larger corridor, the types of birdhouses you might want to put in, and logging the wildlife that you attract.
Read More
Gardening with Grasses: Native Grasses for the Home Landscape presented by Erin Garrett
May 2023
Incorporating grasses into your home garden is nothing new – but what are your options? Come learn more about what these four-season interest plants have to offer and get some ideas about which native grasses you can choose to incorporate into your landscape.
Read More
The Ecology of Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers presented by Chris Benda
April 2023
The onset of spring brings beautiful wildflowers to the woodlands of Illinois and Illinois is home to a rich variety of common and rare spring ephemeral wildflowers. They are called "ephemeral" because the flowers typically only occur for a couple weeks in the spring before disappearing for the rest of the year. These plants deploy an amazing array of strategies to deal with the challenges of living on the forest floor. This talk will cure your winter blues by discussing the myriad adaptations by these interesting plants.
Read More
Illinois’ Wild and Wonderful Early Bloomers presented by Cindy Crosby
March 2023
There’s nothing like a blast of beautiful wildflower color after a long winter! Hear stories about our earliest spring wildflowers and their uses throughout history by Native Americans and early settlers as groceries, medicine, and even as love charms. Discover some of the ways these wildflowers inspired art, poetry, and literature. Enjoy beautiful photographs of Illinois’ wild and wonderful early bloomers and be inspired to add some of Illinois’ native wildflowers to your own garden.
Read More
Lessons Learned from a Backyard Prairie presented by Fred Delcomyn
February 2023
In 2003 Fred Delcomyn imagined his central Illinois backyard of two and a half acres, farmed many years for corn and soybeans, restored to tallgrass prairie. Over the next seventeen years, Delcomyn, with the help of James Ellis planned, planted seeds, photographed, and burned these acres to reconstruct a prairie. In this program, Delcomyn and Ellis will recount the lessons learned about prairie restoration through photographs and stories that they chronicle in their 2021 book, "A Backyard Prairie: The Hidden Beauty of Tallgrass and Wildflowers", published by Southern Illinois University Press.
Read More