THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 20, 2025

Meeting and Panel Discussion | 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Livestream, open to public

Limited in person seating for Wild Ones members

More information on how to attend will be posted on Tuesday, February 11.

What's In a Bee Lawn | Panel Discussion

Moderator | Ren Graham

Panelists | Bonnie Harper-Lore, Heather Holm, Andy Scott and Dan Tix

A panel of experts will discuss the trend of converting turf lawns into bee lawns containing a blend of fescues, Dutch white clover, self heal, and creeping thyme. The Bee Lawn movement arose from multiple incidents of bee kills in 2012 and 2013 linked to improper use of pesticides.

Our moderator, Ren Gram, will open the evening with background on the current Bee Lawn trends. Guest panelists represent different perspectives, including how to meet the needs of Minnesota native bees, native plant landscape design and maintenance, ecological restoration, and historical trends, including how lawns are part of our culture.

Questions we hope to answer: Do Bee lawns support the habitat goals for our native bees and pollinators?  What are the consequences of adding more nonnative clover into our ecosystems? What are some lawn alternatives Wild Ones supports?

A good read to learn more:: Why a Clover Lawn Isn't Helping Nature All That Much - Monarch Gardens

Moderator | REN GRAHAM

Ren Graham is a native landscape experimenter and writer. She had a business restoring urban soils in the Twin Cities after studying with Elaine Ingham, founder of Soil Food Web. As a Wild Ones Twin Cities member, Ren worked with Marty Rice and many others to develop an annual native plant and landscape education event. Over 18 years, the event evolved from a small Expo to an all-day conference, called Design with Nature, bringing in a host of local exhibitors and drawing upon speakers near and far. The event focused on encouraging all to share their insights on native plantings across Minnesota with a special emphasis on the future.

Ren is now focused on writing and supporting legislation in the Minnesota House and Senate on ATV trail planning. The bill to be introduced advocates for the inclusion of local voices and set guidelines to protect natural areas in Minnesota during the trail planning process.

Panelists

BONNIE HARPER-LORE | Restoration Ecologist, Author and Co-editor of Lessons Learned in Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity: Conservation in Action

Bonnie L. Harper-Lore holds a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, in which she focused on the preservation, restoration and management of native plant communities. As a restoration ecologist, she spent 20 years with state and federal roadside programs, providing technical transfers, research oversight and policy support. She spent 15 of those years as Editor of the quarterly newsletter, Greener Roadsides. She is also the author of Roadside use of Native Plants, Roadside Weed Management and Vegetation Management, an Ecoregional Approach.

HEATHER HOLM | Pollinator Conservationist and Author

Heather Holm is a pollinator conservationist and award-winning author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award (2018 and 2022 respectively). Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications.

Heather serves on the boards of the following non-profits: Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary, Friends of Minnetonka Parks, and the new Minnesota Oak Savanna Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts. In her spare time, she is an active community supporter, writing grants, and coordinating and participating in volunteer ecological landscape restoration projects. The latest project is a 13-acre oak savanna restoration that will provide thriving habitat for pollinators, birds, mammals, and passive, nature-based opportunities for people.

ANDY SCOTT | ReWild Native Gardens

In 2017, Andy shifted career focus to pursue his passion for nature and gardening. The result was ReWild Gardens, a Bloomington-based landscape outfit specializing in nature-inspired solutions. ReWild designs and builds habitat spaces that foster native plants, healthy soils and water conservation that balance human needs with those of the local ecosystem. Andy's own property served as a testing ground to better understand how native plant species respond to urban settings and developed a natural approach to convert lawn and stressed landscape into resilient wildlife-friendly gardens. These spaces become havens for beneficial insects, birds and other fauna, contributing to vital wildlife corridors. Passionate about sharing his knowledge, Andy works closely with clients to provide education and resources to demystify the plant-pollinator relationships that their landscape will foster.

Andy has served on the City of Bloomington Sustainability Committee since 2022.

DAN TIX | PhD, CERP - Senior Restoration Ecologist, MNL Corp

Dan is a restoration ecologist with over 25 years of experience working on restoration projects in Minnesota and in the upper Midwest. He prepares Vegetation Management Plans (VMP), completes site assessments, and monitors vegetation establishment. Dan also completes botanical surveys, wetland delineations, plans for wetland mitigation, and will assist with permitting and environmental review. He has spent his career providing technical assistance for projects affecting wetlands, vegetation, and other natural resources and building respect for natural resource professionals and his clients. Dan is the principal investigator for the conservation grazing project on solar sites and seeks to lead additional investigations that further ecological restoration and improve outcomes and management.

Univ. of MN, Ph.D. (Plant Biology) | Grinnell College, BA (General Science [Biology]); Environmental Studies Concentration | School for Field Studies, Center for Wildlife Management Studies, Kenya Certification | Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP):Society for Ecological Restoration


January Workshop

SATURDAY | JANUARY 25, 2025

Open House | 10:45 to 1:30 pm

Demonstrations | 11:00 am and 12:30 pm

Presentation | 11:30 am to 12:30 pm

Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield

GROWING HOME HABITAT 

enhancing life on earth and sense of wonder 

Presenter / Vicki Joy Bonk

Wild Ones has been a pioneer in the growing movement encouraging people to “bring nature home*” wherever they are and however they can. We will explore creating habitat on the home front and surrounding community, sharing some of the movement’s history and how-to resources. Vicki Bonk will give a shortened version of her Grow Monarch Habitat presentation as one example of moving people to bring sanctuary, wonder and hope right out their door. The reality is when we look at the habitat requirements of one wildlife species, we serve many and begin a journey of growing appreciation and understanding of what human partnership with nature can be. By planting native habitat, we can meet the role people can play in the future for a healthier, more biodiverse planet in the midst of it all.

Event highlights include:

  • Last WOTC program at Woodlake Nature Center before the building closes for restoration. 
  • A take home winter sowing starter kit with native seeds and instructions.
  • Refreshments of popcorn, apple cider and cookies
  • A kid’s activity table with Flower Faces photo-op and monarch habitat coloring sheets. 
  • Drawing for WOTC annual membership

Vicki Joy Bonk has been an active homegrown habitat advocate since the mid 1990’s, when she proposed a butterfly garden at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, that became the Nokomis Naturescape, a 4-acre native planting. She has been the volunteer stewardship and outreach coordinator since then, generating more community projects including Grow Monarch Habitat Workshops and Minneapolis Monarch Festival. Vicki believes joining forces with Wild Ones in 2002, a fortuitous connection, that led to an enhanced learning journey with fellow enthusiasts. A Minneapolis College of Art and Design Intermedia Arts major, she considers the documentation and advocacy of native habitat work at home and in community, an ongoing art project.


Wild Ones Twin Cities Member-Only Tour











Snowshoe Tour at Fort Snelling State Park

January 15, 2024 | 3:50 pm

Join Wild Ones members for a fun-filled adventure at Fort Snelling State Park at 3:50 pm on January 15, 2024.  Strap on snowshoes provided, or bring your own, and explore the winter wonderland with Kao Thao, a knowledgeable Naturalist leading the way. Learn about the park's wildlife, history, and ecosystem while enjoying the beautiful snowy scenery. This event is perfect for nature enthusiasts of all ages. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to experience the great outdoors.  Hot cocoa will be provided after the adventure.

Event is limited to the first 20 members that REGISTER HERE.  

If you have questions, contact Ginny Halloran at gkhalloran@gmail.com (612) 210-7177.