Events

Chapter Board Meeting.  Contact [email protected] to request Agenda.

Speaker:    City of Greenfield Consulting Forester, Dennis Fermenich will present "It takes More Than Trees".  Dennis will talk about his work in Greenfield, including installing pollinator habitats, urban forestry projects and obtaining civic designations like Tree City & Bird City. 

5 officers from the MKE N chapter, the SW MKE Wehr chapter, and the Menominee River chapter met as a meet and greet to get to know one another and share ideas, concerns, etc.  The Johnson donation proposal was also discussed.

NOTE:  There is no appropriate meeting designation for various chapter officers' meetings so I checked on “chaper meeting”

Perhaps National can update this section and add a properly designated description of a meeting when officers from various chapters get together to discuss ideas and share knowledge.

In this special collaboration, Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant, joins youth leader and Nurture Natives founder Esther Bonney for an intergenerational conversation about belonging, reciprocity, and native plant action. 

Together, they will explore questions such as:

How do we create opportunities for young people to have a voice and feel empowered, even when they are not homeowners or decision makers?What kinds of relationships and mentorships help people stay engaged in native plant work over decades?Why do stories, shared practices, and community invitations matter just as much as plant lists?

Robin and Esther will reflect on what invites people into this work, what keeps them here, and what elders and youth have to teach each other.

*Out of the Fire, Into the Smoke: Emerging understanding of the effects of
smoke disturbance on birds by Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot, Cornell University (and UW-Madison alumna)

Wildfire activity is intensifying globally, exposing people and wildlife to
more frequent and intense smoke pollution. Here in Wisconsin, wildfire
smoke from megafires burning in the boreal forest has contributed to
hazardous air quality conditions in the spring and summer. Birds are likely
to be especially vulnerable to increased smoke disturbance due to their
sensitive respiratory systems.

Yet, we have so much more to learn about how wildfire smoke is impacting
birds and the ways in which smoke could be contributing to the decline of
our feathered friends. In this talk, Dr. Sanderfoot will share what we know
so far about how smoke impacts avian physiology, behavior, and reproductive
success and highlight opportunities for you to get involved in critical
research on this urgent conservation topic.

This engaging presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with Dr.
Sanderfoot.

*Co-hosted by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, Northeastern Wisconsin Bird
Alliance, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, Chequamegon Audubon Society,
SOS Save Our Songbirds, Audubon Society-UW Madison, and UW Green Bay Bird
Alliance.*

VISIONS for our Chapter.   Our president, Jo Ann Fritz planned a chapter meeting highlighting the National Wild Ones Organization with the intention of informing members about all the work national does and all the projects chapters all over the country are doing.  Her intention was to inform and inspire our members into positive action and engagement in our chapter.

An edited/shortened version of National's Annual Report was shown followed by 5 speakers, 4 from our community, highlighting their work in promoting native plants and 1 speaker from our membership, Jim Cieslak, who shared with us the work he has been doing as National's Seeds for Education judge.

The four community speakers were:

Quinn Wilder from Food Freedom Milwaukee;

Muhammed Shahzad Hussain from Faith in Place;

Matt Ray, environmental & sustainabiity teacher at Fernwood Montesorri School, Milwaukee;

Lindsay Grace Frost, Director of Sustainability University of WI, Milwaukee.

After the speakers' presentations, our president, Jo Ann, gave an inspiring call to action to the members, noting that in this troubled age, the best antidote to despair, depression, and hopelessness is to take postive action and become engaged in positive activities.  She pointed out that that is what the Wild Ones is all about and that is what we want our chapter to become: a vital organization that is engaged in our community and schools doing the positive work of promoting and planting native plants and in the process, growing children, people and community as well.  She noted that there are many opportunites to become engaged in the non-profits and UWM that were represented at the meeting.

Our Vice President,  Deb Ciesewski, then detailed all the opportunities our members have for active engagement in our chapter.

Jo Ann pointed out the large charts on the walls with the headings of WO's foundational pillars: Education, Advocacy, and Collaboration.  In addition, there were posters with these headings:  Gardening, Media, Chapter Positions, Mentoring, Seed Library, Speaker's Bureau/Ambassadors, and Suggestions.  Members were encouraged to write their suggestions for our chapter on the appropriate poster and sign up for the opportunity/area in which they would like to participate.

Since our meeting was held on Valentine's Day, we combined a celebration of Valentine's Day with the theme of loving the earth.  Members had the opportunity to write on a colored paper heart, “how they show love to the earth”.  These ideas will be shared at future meetings and included in future newsletters as well.

VISIONS for our Chapter.  

Our upcoming webinar with Basil Camu explores practical, evidence based ways to heal suburban and urban landscapes by working with trees, soil, and natural systems, drawing on real world practices from Leaf & Limb and community centered models for restoring life where we live, work, and play.!  

Speakers:  
Mayor Dennis McBride

Danielle Bell and Marian French of Native Roots landscape design

Coe Douglas, Creative Lead, Master of Science in Design + Innovation, UW-Madison

Sherrill Knezel, Meaningful Marks

Participating Partners

Monarch Trail, Save Our Songbirds, Wauwatosa Bird City Wisconsin,
Wild Ones North Chapter, Outpost Natural Foods, Johnson Nursery, Wauwatosa
Sustainability Committee, Wauwatosa Neighborhood Association Council

• Free to attend, please bring a friend or neighbor,
non-Tosans welcome
• No Registration Needed
• Free National Wildlife Federation Gardening
Guides
• Free Tosa Native Species Garden Plans with Plant
List by Native Roots/Wild Ones
• Free stickers, drawings for books and plants

Managing invasive species is no easy feat. Just when you think you know how to identify and control existing local populations, another new invader arrives or is lurking nearby. Join us to learn about the invasive plants, insects and tree diseases emerging as significant threats in southeastern Wisconsin and our neighboring communities. 

Waukesha County Green Team will discuss Doug Tallamy's video "What's the Rush" which details the biodiversity crisis and what steps we can take to help solve it.  Tallamy is the author of Nature's Best Hope and co-founder of Homegrown National Park.

Register for this evening presented with the Delafield Public Library starting on February 12 at 6:30 PM using the link below. Registration is required.

ELIZABETH ADELMAN:  CHASING LEWIS’S MONKEYFLOWER: THE AMAZING AFTERLIFE OF THE LEWIS & CLARK EXPEDITION’S WILD PLANTS  in conversation with MARTHA BERGLAND

Register:  elizabethadelmanmke.eventbrite.com 

Nick Coley 

Native Plant Nursery Owner & Consultant 

The Wild Within Us

Gardening for Homo sapiens habitat

In many ways, our modern Homo sapiens brains are nothing more than “Caveman brains in a modern world.” Join us to explore how we can craft better gardens through understanding our biological selves and our evolutionary past. We invite you to come with your own thoughts and answers to these questions: How would you describe “Us?” What kind of habitat do WE need as the species Homo sapiens? And what do our brains really want out of a native garden?  

Join Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, for a candid Wild Ones National Webinar examining how inherited garden aesthetics shape native plant landscapes. Drawing on field experience and real ecology, Joey challenges tidy design norms and explores why dense, irregular plant communities are often the most resilient and ecologically sound.

Learn about this class of pesticides and their negative effect on our environment, biodiversity and water quality.

Dr. James Crall, UWMadison professor with PhD in organismic and evolutionary biology from Harvard.  

“Neonics” attack the central nervous systems of targeted insects.  But research is beginning to reveal alarming, uninteded harms making their way into water.

Presented by Dr. Nicolas J. Dowdy. Head of Zoology, Milwaukee Public Museum

Tiger moths are among the most colorful, diverse, and captivating insects. They also offer remarkable insights into how animals evolve diverse strategies for survival and communication. 

One theme will be the extraordinary ways tiger moths use chemicals obtained from their host plants. Many species hijack toxic chemicals from plants to defend themselves from predators such as birds and bats. 

Available via zoom by emailing [email protected]

A conversation with Janet McCabe, an environmental policy expert with a distinguished career in public service, law, and academia. From April 2021 to October 2024, she served as the deputy administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she played a key role in shaping the nation's environmental policies and oversaw all aspects of management of the agency and its workforce.

Gardening with native plants is a fun and beautiful way to improve the health of pollinators, birds, AND yourself. With a few basic tools and information, you can create a stunning garden that cares for the earth. Choose one or both of the sessions.

Introduction to Native Gardening for Beginners

Do you want to plant a native garden but don’t know how to start? Learn the importance of native plants and how to use them to attract and support wildlife, birds, and insects to your garden in a way that fits your time and space.

https://secure.friendsofwehr.org/np/clients/friendsofwehr/eventRegistration.jsp?forwardedFromSecureDomain=1&event=3133

Dr Jeff Karron

Professor of Biology at UW Milwaukee

Bumble Bee Queens, Nests, and Spring Wildflowers

Dr. Jeff Karron’s talk features striking slow-motion videography to highlight the interdependence of bumble bee queens and spring-flowering perennial plants.  Early-blooming native perennials provide the essential food resources queens need to survive, establish nests, and successfully raise their first brood.  In turn, many spring flowering plants depend heavily on bumble bees for effective pollination and seed production.  All video and photography featured in this presentation were filmed in high quality prairie and woodland sites across southeastern Wisconsin.  The talk highlights the importance of conserving and restoring early-season floral resources to sustain bumble bee populations.

https://www.villaterrace.org/exhibitions_events/upcoming_events/?eid=739

Introduction to the film and a short Q& A session following with film writer and editor Angie Rayniak.

This documentary follows the co-creators of “Walk to Sustain Our Great Lakes”, Julia Robson & Alyssa Armbruster, as they embark on their 343 mile walk from the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI to Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The two women interview political leaders, educators, activists and professionals to help bring a greater understanding of the issues these Great Lakes face, as well as highlighting the progress that has been made in restoring the lakes since the establishment of the Clean Water Act in 1972.

Angie Rayniak has always had a passion for creativity and science – she couples these to focus on communicating complex scientific topics into easily digestible information through creative visuals, essentially bridging the gap between science and understanding through storytelling. With experience in both environmental fieldwork and creative filmmaking, Angie brings a multidisciplinary approach to communicating earth science effectively to a broad audience. This is what led her to work as lead writer and editor for The Worth of Water, A Great Lakes Story.

SOS Save Our Songbirds launched in March 2023 as an initiative of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership to help bring a bird conservation message to Wisconsin communities at the same time interest in bird watching was increasing.

This volunteer-based, donation based group has directly inspired over 22,500 people at 110 events to take action at home to save declining songbirds by sharing information and starter supplies.

SOS Save Our Songbirds is coordinated by Lisa Gaumnitz, who wrote about nature for the WI Department of Natural Resources for 25 years and helped reporters do the same. Her appreciation for birds and concern over their decline she spurred the creation of SOS Save Our Songbirds.

Through an engaging and interactive presentation set for April 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Wehr Nature Center, Lisa will focus on three actions people can take at home to help songbirds: planting native plants good for birds; protecting birds from hitting home windows; and purchasing coffee and chocolate grown on farms meeting the highest standards for preserving our migratory birds’ winter habitats.

Lisa will discuss how SOS volunteers have reached new and more diverse audiences by offering a “Porch Prairie” container gardening workshop using native plants; Bird-friendly coffee and chocolate tasting parties, and a bird crafting event in which attendees decorated fabric birds to contribute to a national art project raising awareness about window collisions. Partnerships with other bird organizations, Wild Ones chapters, and other conservation groups and businesses have been key to experimenting with these innovative outreach events and spreading the word about home bird conservation. Attendees will receive supplies to jumpstart songbird conservation at home: a free native plant guide good for birds; samples of Smithsonian Bird Friendly certified coffee; and, for a $10 donation, a Feather Friendly window treatment kit to prevent birds from hitting a problem home window.

This event focuses on the connection between native habitat, birds, and biodiversity, and how small, intentional actions at home can make a meaningful difference. Participants will gain a better understanding of how native plants and other natural landscaping techniques support birds, pollinators, and other wildlife, while learning practical steps they can take to create healthier, more resilient landscapes.

The program will be moderated by WUWM's Environmental Reporter Susan Bence, and will feature a keynote presentation by Jen McGuinness of Bird-Friendly Gardening, who will share how home gardens can support birds through the use of native plants, organic practices, and thoughtful design. Her talk highlights what birds need to thrive and how gardens can provide food, water, shelter, and nesting habitat for nectar, seed, and fruit-eating species.

Following the keynote, attendees will choose from a set of breakout sessions, each approximately 45 minutes long with time for questions and discussion. A second breakout session will repeat the first, allowing participants to attend more than one topic. Breakout options include Native Plants: From Turf to Habitat with Danielle Bell, Migratory Birds and the Challenges They Face with Medhavi Ambardar, and Pollinator Conservation in Your Garden with Judy Cardin.

Danielle Bell will share simple, approachable steps for incorporating native plants into home landscapes, including how keystone species can dramatically increase the value of your yard for wildlife. Medhavi Ambardar will explore the incredible journeys of migratory birds, the threats they face, and meaningful actions people can take to help, from native planting to making windows safer. Judy Cardin will share her experience transforming her yard into native habitat and discuss how diverse native plants support bees, butterflies, and other pollinators throughout the seasons.

Together, this event is designed to inspire, educate, and empower participants with achievable actions they can take at home, while supporting Community Wildlife Habitat Certifications and strengthening wildlife corridors across Waukesha County.

Kathi & Michael will teach us how to create a sanctuary for hummingbirds in our own backyards. Through the use of perennial and annual plants, wildflowers, shrubs, trees and feeders, you can discover the magic and excitement of hummingbirds. Their presentation will cover identification of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, ideal habitat, migration, nesting, and feeding. They will explain the importance of water features and how the elements of the best hummingbird feeders and plants can bring you up close to these special birds. 

Join award-winning author, photographer, and educator Rick Darke for What Is Wild and Why It Matters, a free national webinar on Tuesday, April 28th at 10 am CT. Discover how inviting a bit of authentic wildness can create a vibrant landscape that sustains you and local biodiversity. This national event is presented in collaboration between Wild Ones and Homegrown National Park.

Greg shared his personal journey of finding the Wild Ones and discovering native plants that led to the transformation of his yard from grass to  sunny prairie plants in his front yard to his serence peaceful woodland in his backyard.  He shared some personal challenges and solutions as well.  His garden tour was very informative and inspiring.

Greg's yard tour was followed by a peaceful walk through Greenfield Forest where  we all enjoyed a guided tour hosted by Judy (?) .  One could immediately tell we were guided by a very experienced and knowledgeable veteran native gardner, as Judy pointed out many native and a few invasive plants along our path.

It was a lovely serene day where we all enjoyed being in community with like-minded Wild One members.  Our souls were refreshed.

Pre-order forms are expected to be available in early March https://www.friendsofwehr.org/plantsale

Our chapter hosted a table event at the Wehr Nature Center plant sale.  It was the last day of the sale and there were just a few plants left to purchase, so it was a good time to chat abuot our Wild Ones chapter with folks who had come to purchase plants.  There were a number of folks who were not familiar with the Wild Ones, so it was a very worthwhile event.

Our Wild Ones chapter was invited to participate to table at the get together of local area pollinator /environmental groups that would bring awareness of all the groups whose missions are the environment and saving pollinators.  Danielle Bell also spoke about native garden planting and design.

Our chapter is excited to partner with SOS Save Our Songbirds at Johnson's Nursery (W180N6275 Marcy Road, Menomonee Falls, WI, 53051) for this porch prairie planting workshop!

We will not have a regular meeting in June so that you have time to shop the Johnson Nursery plant sale but we invite you to this event scheduled at Johnson’s on June 6.  There is a fee but you will go home with a pot full of plants!  

Register at https://wso.wildapricot.org/event-6613887

Come and shop in the morning and stay for the workshop! 

Plant a mini porch prairie to liven up your porch or balcony while supporting the local ecosystem. Following a presentation about how to create and care for your porch prairie, you’ll plant an 11" container with native plants benefitting birds, bees, butterflies, and more to take home. All materials provided. Co-sponsored by SOS Save Our Songbirds, Eric Manges Nature, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, Milwaukee Southwest/Wehr chapter of Wild Ones, and Johnson’s Nursery. Attendees under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

June 4 - Registration closes

Our chapter participates with Johnson's Nursery during their June, month long, plant sale by hosting a table at the sale.  We are also available to help customers who are shopping for native plants.

Johnson’s Nursery invites volunteers to plant 2,000 native and milkweed plants at Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee.  Our chapter helped to sponsor this event by contributing $1,000 and set up a table event that allowed us to chat with many interested people regarding the value of native plants and sharing with them information about our Wild Ones chapter.

We will tour Greenfield's Pollinator Garden and experience the restoration efforts of wetland systems in an urban environment.  

You planted native. Your neighbor has opinions. Maybe your HOA does too. If you’ve ever felt like the hardest part of native plant gardening is the conversations, not the gardening, you’re not alone.

Wild Ones is thrilled to share this upcoming free webinar as part of the 2026 Less Lawn More Life Challenge. Join Lorraine Johnson for a practical conversation on navigating HOA rules, addressing neighbor concerns, and fostering community conversations about native plant gardening and ecological landscapes.

Learn how to install a rain barrel.

We will visit 2 urbans yards near Lake Michigan.  

Native plants are the foundation of habitat, but wildlife need more than food to thrive. Join ecologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Shaun McCoshum, PhD, to explore how nesting sites, shelter, water, soil conditions, and other often-overlooked resources can transform a yard into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round.

https://www.ci.greenfield.wi.us/1483/Nature-Forestry-Fest

Farmers Market + NATURE FEST, especially for kids.

Our Chapter and Greenfield's Pollinator Committee are planting native plants; both donated by our chapter and their Committee.

Give an hour or 2 to help out

https://www.themonarchtrail.org

Parking: On Discovery Parkway or the old ABB parking lot off Eschweiler Drive. Look for the colorful banner flags!
 
Come Enjoy:

Learn about the monarch life cycle and other incredible critters with educational displays.Enjoy the lively Irish music of "Ceol Cairde" (“Music of Friends”).Face painting and a kids’ activity table.Join a guided tour with Butterfly Barb and Danielle Bell of "Native Roots"(restorative land management) and learn about native plants while exploring the improvements we’ve made along the trail.Cold beer, lemonade and refreshments will be available for purchase.Take home a special monarch keepsake at our "Monarch Market" table.Pack a picnic and make an afternoon of it! Bring a chair or a blanket.Don’t miss this special send-off as we celebrate the monarchs and their journey south.

 
Bring your family, invite your friends, and come help us celebrate these amazing pollinators before they head south!

Help our Chapter plant natives in the library rain garden (exists already).  Give an hour or two to help.  Go to the west side of the building.

Learn how a former 50 acre corn and soybean field returned to the wild and became a grassland birding hotspot.https://gatheringwaters.org/land-trust-days/

September chapter field trip location announced in members emailed newsletter emailed chapter newsletter in August.  Registration requested. 

A total of 23 Wild Ones members attended the native garden of Judy & Bob Cardin.  Judy's garden is a well-establlished bee pollinator garden that has been featured in the Natural Wildlife magazine. 

While we were there we observed many native bees including a Rusty Patch Bee, for which everyone was thrilled to see.

Guests learned about the evolution of the garden and viewed many native plants including the Fringed Gentian.

Many wonderful conversations took place during the visit and at lunch when guests had a lovely time socializing and sharing knowledge and experiences with one another.  

A wonderful result of our get together was that one of our members overheard a conversation and offered her services as a graphic design artist.  Deb and I have expressed to one another how important it is that we have professional help putting together newsletters and add photos and now we have one of our own willing to take on this position.

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

Planting Native for Flood Control, presented by Dennis Fermenich, our speaker in January.

At this FREE seminar, learn how planting native trees can help reduce flooding in your yard, manage stormwater and protect our local environment! This informative seminar will explore how trees naturally absorb rainwater, slow runoff and improve neighborhood resilience. Learn more about:
How trees help prevent flooding
Benefits of native tree species
Simple ways to improve drainage in your yard
Q&A and practical planting tips

BONUS: Attendees will receive ONE FREE native tree from Big Plant (while supplies last!)

Seminar will be held in the Community Room.
FREE & open to all ages!
For more info, contact [email protected]

Our Chapter has partnered with Friends of Wehr/FOW to sponsor the Annual Summit at FAITH IN PLACE for a special showing of Bill McKibben at Wehr Nature Center on 9/29/26, doors open at 5:00pm.  It is free, and so is parking! You need to register by 9/13/26 (below)

Bill McKibben is an author, educator, and environmentalist, who helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, and who has recently helped found Third Act to build a progressive organization/movement for people over the age of 60.  McKibben is an internationally known protestor and has fought the Keytone Pipeline.

Our program begins at 5:45pm.  Speaker is presenting 6:00-7:30.  Doors close at 8pm.

Join your community to watch, connect, and be inspired.  Come to the Watch Party.  If you can't join us for the fun at Wehr, you can watch it from home. You will be sent a link for viewing at home when you register.  

FOW will have a BAKE SALE during the event.

Our Chapter is doing the coolest things, like this program.  We will be tabling the Faith in Place Wehr event, and another one in central Milwaukee to promote native plants.

McKibben's productions:  "This Is Economic Self-Sabotage" - A sober 18 minute MUST WATCH that illuminates an array of negative effects due to the climate rollbacks.   He has authored many books and his fight against Keystone is featured in "Oil and Honey".

Please help us promote this program.  It's our first watch party and we want to be sure there's a great turn-out.

Wehr Nature Center and our Milwaukee SW Wild Ones chapter  partnered to hold this watch party live streaming event presentation of Bill McKibben, the summit's featured speaker.

The Faith in Place Watch party held in partnership with Wehr Nature Center was truly a get together of kindred minds.  After Bill McKibben's inspiring chat,  Brooke Gilley led a very stimulating post talk discussion that provided folks the opportunity to share their passions and ideas for meaningful and effective  stewardship of our earth.  New connections were made and that was the best part!

While I hosted the Watch Party at Wehr Nature, Deb tabled a Watch Party at an inner city church.  These events help our chapter expand our outreach, exposure and connections.  It's fun meeting people interested in native gardens and being a resource to help them get started and/or enlarge the scope of their gardens.

We learned a very interesting fact: the Vatican will be the first nation to run on solar power.

Native plant gardening is such an important  endeavor, but to me one of the greatest ripple effect benefits is the community building that occurs and folks just getting together.

Presentation to LWV

Autumn is often overlooked as a planting season, but it’s actually a fantastic time to plant native plants! Johnson’s Nursery is embracing the season and offering Wild Ones members 15% off native container plants for one week only. Don’t miss this limited-time offer!

The hours are Mon–Fri, 8:00–5:00, and Sat, 8:00–2:00. Wild Ones volunteers will be present at various times to assist members, and the Johnson’s staff will also be on board. Members must show a printed or digital copy of their current membership card. Same-day online registration will generate a membership card that is acceptable for this offer. Plant purchases are final, not guaranteed, and non-refundable.

If you would like to help out and hang out, please sign up for a shift below, thank you! 

Happy Planting!! 

Speaker Dr Esther Shekinah Durairaj, Education Director,  Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, presenting “Soil Health and Management for Urban Situations”

The new member (and all member and non-member ) orientation meeting was hosted by Jo Ann Fritz,  President and featured a brief presentation about the Wild Ones by our VP, Deb C. followed by a presentation by Danielle Bell, a local native plant landscaper and owner of Native Roots.  Danielle showed before and after photos of some of her clients' lawns and conducted a Q&A for folks.

Participants were enthusiastic and engaged in a lively discussion about gardening and native plants.

Jo Ann offered survey for participants to complete regarding their interests, desired involvement, and suggestions for our chapter.

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Speaker Emily Helm, Conservation Biologist, Waukesha County Parks system, with the presentation “Oak Ecosystems”

Planting native species is an important step toward creating habitat, but how can you tell what’s working, what’s missing, and where to focus your efforts next?

Join Wild Ones and Wildr Places for The Habitat Check-up, a free webinar exploring a practical, science-informed approach to evaluating your home landscape. Presenter Zoe Evans will introduce five key areas to consider when assessing habitat and share how thoughtful observations can help guide your next steps.

Whether you’re just getting started with native plants or have been gardening for years, this webinar will help you look at your landscape through a new lens.

In partnership with FRIENDS OF WEHR, we are sponsoring a GARDEN CLASS:

Do you want to plant a native garden but don’t know how to start? Learn why native plants matter and how to use them to attract and support wildlife, birds, and insects in a way that fits your time and space. Walk away with ideas of what to plant and how to plan your native garden.

Fee: $12 per person; $10 for Milwaukee County residents; $7 for Friends of Wehr members; $5 parking fee applies to non-members

Reservations guarantee space. Walk-ins are welcome as space allows.