Are you interested in reducing greenhouse gases, conserving water and expensive gasoline, reducing the use of toxic chemicals, guarding against flooding, providing habitat for birds and insects, and at the same time enjoying a beautiful and vibrant home landscape? Well, these are a few of the reasons why Wild Ones, a nonprofit organization, promotes the use of native plants for landscaping instead of alien species and turf grasses. To help people accomplish this, Wild Ones is sponsoring a one-day conference called: Natural Landscaping with Native Plants on Saturday, October 18, 2008 from 8:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. at Cardinal Stritch University, (Glendale) Milwaukee.


Landscaping with native plants sustains American birds and insects which depend on our yards for their survival by providing them with food and shelter. Native plant landscapes do not need supplemental watering or the use of fertilizers or pesticides. Deep root systems fix carbon and help to slow the movement of surface water. Best of all, the flowers and grasses that are native to Wisconsin and Illinois are just gorgeous!

Program choices will include presentations by homeowners who have experience with native plant landscapes and professionals with expertise in a variety of areas including insects, propagation, fighting invasive species and plant communities.

The speakers’ schedule is as follows:

8:30 -9:45

           Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat (Dan Panetti)

Or

Wisconsin’s Green Quilt: Patterns of Native Plant Communities

(Dr. Jim Reinartz)

10:00 - 11:15

Our Three Rain Gardens (Carol & Dan Chew)

Or

Insects and Insect Folklore (Bob Ahrenhoerster) (runs to 11:45)

 

11:15 - 12:15                                     LUNCH

 

12:15 - 1:30

Living with the Land (Connie Ramthun)

Or

Life After Buckthorn Removal (Wendy Walcott)

1:45 - 3:00

Measured and Incremental Changes to a Prairie Woodland

(Annette Robertson)

Or

Success Growing Shade-Loving Woodland Plants (Dr. David Kopitzke)

 

 

For further information on the speakers or their topics,

go to

 

www.for-wild.org/conf

or phone 414-299-9888, ext 3

or email seminar@wi.rr.com

 

 

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.