About Wild Ones National Organization

Wild Ones® is a national non-profit organization with local chapters that promote the many benefits of landscaping using native plants – wildflowers, shrubs, trees, and grasses. You can learn more about Wild Ones, join or renew membership, find other chapters, and visit the Wild Store.

About Rock River Valley Chapter

Like most chapters, the Rock River Valley chapter holds meetings and other events.

Due to covid-related mitigation measures, we are currently unable to meet in person. Until mitigation measures are eased, all our monthly educational programs will be presented via Zoom, YouTube, or some other online format. Details will be posted regularly regarding how to connect to these programs.

The Wild Ones Rock River Valley Chapter publishes a monthly newsletter for its members which contains informative and timely articles about upcoming events, past events, related events, and other useful information. For a sample newsletter, click here.


Atwood Wild Ones Rock River Valley chapter received the
2014 Seth B. Atwood Award for Parks and Conservation
in the Organzational category by the
Winnebago County Forest Preserve District.
The award was presented on April 28, 2014.

 

 


Visitors and guests are welcome at most events and are invited to join our growing membership.

The Wild Ones Rock River Valley chapter carries out the mission of Wild Ones Natural Landscapers, Ltd. through a variety of activities, which includes the following:

  • Informative Meetings, include how-to-do-it sessions, presentations by experts in prairie, woodland, and wetland native plants and related subjects and members profiling their own projects.
  • Show Me/Help Me Day, a members-only event where we tour other members’ yards, share ideas, and offer suggestions.
  • Native Plant Sales, with orders being taken February through April, for pick up in mid May. This sale offers species for any enviroment and growing conditions in your landscape. The pick up location is just east of Rockford near Caledonia, IL.
  • Native Tree and Shrub Sale, with orders being taken in August. The pick up location is just east of Rockford near Caledonia, IL.
  • Seed Exchanges, we meet in November to exchange native plant seed that members have collected.
  • Seeds For Education Program, a grant and education program. The chapter educates and supports community efforts to establish natural areas and to work with educational institutions and other areas of learning.

Chapter Contact
Email Us

FREC Logo
The chapter is a member of the Four Rivers Environmental Coalition partnering with and supporting their events.

History and Mission

The Rock River Valley Chapter was established in July 1994. Currently we have over 216 household and business memberships. The chapter is lead by dedicated volunteer officers, chairs and coordinators.

Our annual budget is approximately $24,000 and includes expenses for meeting room rent, speaker fees, printing and mailing of publications (newsletter, plant sale brochures), website maintenance and purchasing plants for plant sales. A A percent of our income comes from dues reimbursement from National Wild Ones (all dues paid to the chapter are forwarded to National Wild Ones) and 80% is from our plant sales. The remaining comes from merchandise sales and the generous donations of our members.

Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities. Wild Ones is a not-for-profit environmental education and advocacy organization.

Wild Ones distinguishes itself from other garden organizations by encouraging gardening with native plants and moving away from using chemicals, watering, excessive mowing and other practices commonly used by traditional gardeners. People come to Wild Ones to learn about environmentally friendly gardening—about plants native to our area that have evolved to survive our climate without help from artificial means.