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.

Webinar reflecting on how people of all ages find their place in the native plant movement and why relationships matter as much as resources. https://wildones.org/conversation-with-robin-wall-kimmerer-esther-bonney/

https://foxvalleyarea.wildones.org/thwn/

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2026psc/event/psc2026/

Feb-April zoom classes to get certified as a POLLINATOR STEWARD:

Make a positive difference for pollinators, people, and the planet. 

 Topics include an introduction to the world of pollinators, how they live and thrive, threats to pollinators, and how we all can help. Details will be provided on habitat creation for pollinators in many landscapes including home gardens, parks, rights-of-way, and agricultural landscapes. Additional information on pollinator identification and how to share your knowledge through community outreach will be provided. 

 This course is ideal for home gardeners, land managers (large and small), farmers, organizations, government departments, and anyone who wants to do more to support pollinators. Join the growing community of Certified Pollinator Stewards!

*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.*

Join like-minded gardeners and environmental enthusiasts at this three-day celebration of gardening, landscaping, local food culture and more! Learn from 150+ educational presentations, browse through the exhibitor mall, connect with us at the UW-Madison Extension Horticulture booth, or bring the kids to explore the PBS KIDS Backyard family area. 

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. 

https://www.villaterrace.org/exhibitions_events/upcoming_events/?eid=742

Luke Zoet, Associate Professor, UW Madison Department of Geoscience,  recipient of UW Madison’s 2025 Distinguished Teachers Award

The Great Lakes are not static landscapes; they are powerful, dynamic systems capable of rapidly reshaping their shores. Along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan coastline, this force is on full display. Much of our local coastal landscape is comprised of tall bluffs made of soft sediments. When water levels are high, wave action can erode the base of the bluffs which drives bluff retreat. In this talk we will examine the causes, processes, and implications of coastal erosion in Wisconsin along the Lake Michigan shore.

Professor Zoet studies glacial processes, using tools of geophysics and geology, rock mechanics and geotechnical analysis. He combines field study with computational lab testing to test and develop theoretical treatments that can be applied in the field. Professor Zoet also works on coastal erosion processes in the Great Lakes.  

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

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!