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.
Jim began his relationship with The Conservation Foundation over twenty years ago. He has worked on prairie and wetland restoration projects at Warrenville’s Johnson School and on several educational endeavors of the Foundation. Jim is also the recipient of the 1999 Paul Butler Memorial Award presented by The Conservation Foundation for outstanding volunteer service. In 2004, Jim joined the staff becoming the new Land Preservation Specialist for The Conservation Foundation.
Jim now works to preserve land as open space for The Conservation Foundation. He lectures all over the region on local environmental issues, and actively works with homeowners and business property owners to improve the environmental conditions of their sites. The Conservation@Home program was his idea to teach about sustainable landscaping practices. Jim currently manages the program.