Saturday, January 24, 2009 . 13th Annual TOWARD HARMONY WITH NATURE Conference, a day-long seminar on native landscaping sponsored by Fox Valley Area Chapter of Wild Ones. Keynote speaker, naturalist, photographer and painter, Terrill Knaack, will present a visual exploration of several remnant prairies, interwoven with selected readings and the music of native American flutist Christine Bach in "A Prairie Meditation." . Hilton Garden Inn, Oshkosh, WI . Call Karen at 920-987-5587 for more information or e-mail. To download a registration form or register on-line go to Fox Valley Area Chapter webpage

Minnesota -- The Twin Cities and St. Croix Oak Savanna Chapters are hosting the 9th Annual Native Plant Expo on Saturday, February 21st at the Radisson Hotel Roseville with the theme: "Thumbs Up for the Environment: Native Landscaping for Clean Water". We are partnering with the award-winning, local "Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water" program, and our featured speakers are Bonnie Harper-Lore, Restoration Ecologist, Federal Highway Administration, and Rusty Schmidt, Landscape Ecologist, Washington Conservation District in Minnesota. For more information go to Expo

WILD ONES HAS A NEW HOME

In June 2008 we closed on the rest of the Wild Ones Ecology Center site which enables us to move our headquarters to a permanent facility with plenty of space for demonstration gardens and other restoration efforts for the riparian woodland and marsh. But we still have lots of work to do to make the facility handicap accessible before we can move in, so please keep your donations coming in to offset the expenses. To donate.

So celebrate the new year with Wild Ones! Mark your calendar for the introduction of the Wild Ones Ecology Center and Headquarters this summer at the Annual Meeting/Conference August 22-24, 2008.

A RARE OPPORTUNITY has befallen Wild Ones in becoming the owner of this valuable property on the west shore of Little Lake Butte des Morts near our current headquarters. Because this property is located in the area already designated as West Shore Preserves, we are calling this property the West Shore Preserves Environmental Center.

Wild Ones will has been able to assume ownership of this property through grants from the Trustees Council for the Fox River and from the Habitat Area funds from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and very generous donations from Wild Ones members. The overall goal of the Environmental Center is to involve citizens in the protection and restoration of habitats associated with the Fox River ecosystem which is part of the Great Lakes Watershed.

Our purpose in creating the Center is to provide both an indoor and outdoor “home” for organizations, individuals and students who are working on projects and/or learning about about ways to protect and restore the environmental quality of life in our communities.

HELP US MAKE IT HAPPEN!

For more information about this very significant opportunity for Wild Ones, go to Wild Ones EcoCenter.

Please join us in our good fortune to be part of this rare opportunity. If you have questions e-mail us at Preserve.

If you want to volunteer your services in helping to fulfill all the requirements related to opening the center (grant writing, invasive weeds removal, carpentry, gardening, etc) e-mail us at Help Us Make It Happen.

If you wish to donate toward the fulfillment of the amenities (gardens, boardwalk, computer center, laboratory, library, etc) which will eventually be part of the West Shore Preserves Environmental Center please go to Help Us Make It Happen!.