Our October meeting is going to be sensational. We are asking that register in advance so we can plan for all attendees!
See the information below for a link to pre-registration. Please register by Wednesday, October 8 to ensure we have adequate seating for all.
Join our collaborative event with WI Metro Audubon and Milwaukee Southwest/Wehr chapter of Wild Ones
All are Welcome.
October 11 at 1:30 PM Wehr Nature Center
MiCasa Es Su Casa – Plant for Birds with Steve Betchkal
Registration Link: https://forms.gle/nAV4PLCtgi6FHHkq8
WMAS and the Milwaukee Southwest/Wehr chapter of Wild Ones are hosting a presentation by Steve Betchkal on October 11 at 1:30 pm at the Wehr Nature Center.
Learn about planting native plants to support birds and pollinators in our backyards. Birds need four basic natural resources to survive; food, water, cover, and nesting structure. You can ensure that they have a place to build a nest and a way to avoid predators by designing a yard rich in diverse native plants. Ornithologist Steve Betchkal offers a thoughtful blueprint.
Steve Betchkal (BETCH-cull) of Eau Claire has hiked/camped/backpacked/traveled all 50 U.S. states & Puerto Rico, 88 National Wildlife Refuges, 85 National Parks, 55 National Forests, & 4 Canadian provinces in pursuit of wild birds. In 2017 he worked in the Galápagos for Lindblad-National Geographic.
Steve is an ornithologist, ecologist, Eau Claire liaison for Welcome Back Bird Day, and co-editor of Wisconsin’s Favorite Bird Haunts. Over 37 years as a journalist, he has uniquely earned six Emmys, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and induction into the Upper Midwest Regional Emmy’s Silver Circle in Chippewa Valley history.
And mark your calendars:
Our November Chapter meeting –
How to Enjoy your Fall and Provide for Wildlife; Plus Composting
Now that you have a native plant yard, do you wonder how to do fall clean-up?
Our November chapter meeting is Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 and will be addressing this topic – native plant yard cleanup plus composting and worm composting.
Hope to see you all there!
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Reach us at: [email protected]
The Milwaukee Southwest/Wehr chapter is an active & vibrant chapter serving southern Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties. We offer new member support, mentoring, an extensive lending library, excellent programs and field trips, seed exchanges, and native plant sales. We pride ourselves on good communication and quality programming in a supportive, friendly setting. Visit us at an upcoming meeting or click on “Join” to join our chapter.
With it’s “roots” in the “Natural Landscaping Club” founded at the Wehr Nature Center in the early 1980s, our group was the second official chapter of the fledgling Wild Ones organization.
Our long history of association with the Wehr Nature Center, part of the Milwaukee County Parks system, has given us a solid foundation on which to grow our membership and influence in southeast Wisconsin.
We meet on the second Saturday of the month at the Wehr Nature Center, 9701 W. College Ave Franklin, WI 53132 (in Whitnall Park in southwest Milwaukee County).
Programs from October through April offer presentations on native plant landscape design; woodland, prairie, wetland and savanna plant communities; native plant support of wildlife and native plant propagation and much more. These meeting are open to the public at no charge. (The Wehr Nature Center charges a small parking fee).
From May through September we tour yards with native plant landscapes and local natural areas. Generally, these tours are for members-only, but memberships are always available on the day of the tour.
Links to previously recorded meetings:
April 2023: Paul Sparks with Wisconsin Dragonflies. https://youtu.be/tWQrM2cDoEY
Also, here is the link to our February 2022 presentation with Jennifer Lazewski, “Gardening for Birds”:
and the link to our March 2022 meeting with Jeff Kante, “How to Identify Trees in Winter”: https://youtu.be/GrTd63xvPc4
and the link to our April 2022 presentation with Danielle Bell, “The Forgotten Layer”, all about native shrubs: https://youtu.be/D3dyo6qbqUg