Knee Deep in Prairies!

Keynote Speaker Neil Diboll

Wednesday, August 14, 8am - 4:15pm

See below for details!

Registration will be open July 1, 2013 - August 7, 2013

9:10-10:30am

Guided Walks: Enjoy guided walks on the amazing Riveredge prairies. Always a favorite part of the day!

Dan Rambo

Individual Anonymous Donors

Our Community Partner:

Early registration for past participants only (click link) 

Session Descriptions:

Judy Kolosso, Riveredge volunteer, (Habitat Healer) is a published poet and is anthologized widely in Wisconsin and nationally.  Her poetry is often inspired by her rapport with, and astute observations of, the natural world.

What are the interactions between the plants and animals in a prairie?  We will use the concepts of food webs and food pyramids to understand these interrelationships in native prairies compared to planted or restored grassland.  

• Dr. Don Beimborn obtained his Bachelors and Master of Science degrees in biology at UW-Milwaukee and earned a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Minnesota. He has worked at the Milwaukee Public Museum, taught high school biology, was a naturalist at the Science Museum Nature Center in Minnesota and was an editor at Burgess Publishing Company, a publisher of biological texts. Don lives in Minneapolis.  His interests include the history of vegetation, field biology, outdoor photography and fishing.

Session B:  “Integrated Landscape Design Using Complementary Native Plant Communities” led by Neil Diboll.

The combination of native trees, shrubs, prairie flowers and grasses and  wetland plants can create high quality habitat, even in small spaces.  Learn how to create landscapes that are more than the sum of their parts, providing homes for a variety of birds and other wildlife. 

• Neil Diboll received his Bachelors degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Wisconsin in 1978.  He has worked for the U.S. Park Service in Virginia, the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado and the University of Wisconsin.  In l982, Neil began his involvement with Prairie Nursery, producing native plants and seeds and designing native landscapes.  He has since devoted his efforts to championing the use of prairie plants, as well as native trees, shrubs and wetland plants in contemporary American landscapes.  Neil has spoken on these topics in the U.S. and abroad, and is a frequent guest on Wisconsin Public Radio.

Session C: “Insects of the Prairie” led by Dr. Gretchen Meyer

The prairie is home to a diverse array of insects.  We’ll take a walk on the prairie to look for insects and observe how insects interact with plants.  We’ll identify the insects that we find and talk about the roles that insects play on the prairie.   

• Dr. Gretchen Meyer is the Manager of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station.  She is an ecologist who has been studying insects for many years, focusing primarily on the interactions between insects and plants.  Her research has included studies of insect herbivores, insect pollinators and insect-eating plants.

Join nature photographer Kate Redmond for some ideas about developing a “photographic eye.”  After an indoor introduction, we’ll go outside and look for “pictures that need taking.”  Participants are invited to bring their own cameras.  This is not a technical discussion of exposures and f-stops!   

• Kate Redmond is a teacher-naturalist who leads field trips in the Cedarburg Bog and volunteers at Riveredge.  About 40 years ago, Kate’s not-yet-husband put a camera in her hands and taught her which side of the thing to stand on.  They now have 10,000 color slides and probably four times that many digital images.  When Kate photographs a plant or animal, she tries to find out what it is and what its story is; as she learns the individual stories, she starts to understand how the larger systems work.  Kate is also “The Bug Lady” and authors the “Bug o’ the Week” e-mail column.

Session E: “Managing Your Prairie or Natural Area” led by Mandie Zopp

We will discuss various management techniques, why these techniques help to increase biodiversity in your landscape and how to deal with potential threats to the landscape’s integrity.  This session will include a formal presentation followed by a guided walk to specific areas on the Riveredge sanctuary where management is being conducted.  You will also be able to view various types of equipment you can use on your landscape.

• Mandie Zopp is the Riveredge Larsen Legacy Senior Naturalist and is responsible for stewardship of the land, research and adult education for Riveredge.  She has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and Policy with emphasis in ecosystems studies from UW-Green Bay.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER AND TOPIC

Keynote:  “Creating Prairie Gardens and Meadows for Birds, Butterflies and People” by Neil Diboll. 

A native prairie landscape is much more than pretty flowers and grasses.  It is a first class habitat for insects, spiders and a variety of soil micro-organisms that make the whole system run properly.  Neil will address some of your prairie related questions after his talk.

• Keynote Speaker:  Neil Diboll received his Bachelors degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Wisconsin in 1978.  He has worked for the U.S. Park Service in Virginia, the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado and the University of Wisconsin.  In l982, Neil began his involvement with Prairie Nursery, producing native plants and seeds and designing native landscapes.  He has since devoted his efforts to championing the use of prairie plants, as well as native trees, shrubs and wetland plants in contemporary American landscapes.  Neil has spoken on these topics in the U.S. and abroad and is a frequent guest on Wisconsin Public Radio. 

• Deb Reak, a devoted member of the Habitat Healers volunteer group at Riveredge, was drawn to this group after completing Andy Larsen’s adult ecology class many years ago.  That class inspired her lifelong interest in the interconnectedness and complexity of the natural world.  Habitat Healers has provided her with a weekly opportunity to be on the land and to continue hands on learning about the plant and animal communities of Riveredge.

• Kathy Gallick is also a long time Habitat Healer at Riveredge.  She has been gardening for years, including starting plants from seed.  After retiring thirteen years ago, she began volunteering for land management work at Riveredge and at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center.  She has participated in citizen science activities such as butterfly and bird counts and insect studies.  Kathy has a strong commitment to the land, especially the prairies and forests of Riveredge.

• Bill Volkert worked as the naturalist and wildlife educator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at Horicon Marsh for 27 years.  In his personal time he has traveled widely in search of the world’s birds and the wild places they inhabit.  He has worked on ecological projects abroad and has received many awards for his efforts to further conservation in several countries.  Bill lives in the northern Kettle Moraine area where he and his wife Connie Ramthun have restored native plant communities on their land and established a prairie and a prairie nursery.  Bill lectures widely on many subjects and is a frequent guest on Wisconsin Public Radio.

• Kate Redmond (a.k.a. "The Bug Lady") is a teacher-naturalist who leads field trips in the Cedarburg Bog and volunteers at Riveredge.  She is a long-time and keen observer of the insect world and author of the "Bug of the Week" email column.

• Dr. James Reinartz is the director of the UW-Milwaukee Field Station and is a plant ecologist and evolutionary biologist.

Session J: “Managing Your Prairie or Natural Area” led by Mandie Zopp.