EVENTS

Tuesday, January 17?Children's author Phyllis Root discusses her books
Plant a Pocket Prairie 
and 
Big Belching Bog
Tuesday, January 17th, 2016, 6:30-8:30 pm
FamilyMeans Building, 1875 Northwestern Ave.,  Stillwater Click for a Map

Author and Hamline University faculty member Phyllis Root will describe how she creates award-winning children's  books that feature unique natural landscapes and the plants and animals that inhabit them.
 

Plant a Pocket Prairie ireceived the 2015 John Burroughs Riverby Award given for outstanding nature books for young readers.

If you liked the woodcuts that Betsy Bowen produced to illustrate the books Phyllis read and discussed, this the website for Betsy's studio in Grand Marais.

Conversations of the Valley is a public affairs luncheon series sponsored by the St. Croix Valley Foundation.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The Lowell Inn, 102 N. Second Street, Stillwater
Please note our change of venue with ramp parking validation!

Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center was founded on the dreams of Thomas and Edna Carpenter who wanted to share their land along the St. Croix River with future generations. Today the Nature Center is one of the premier environmental education facilities in the region, encompassing 725 acres of protected habitat on sites in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The nature center is visited by 7,000-10,000 school children each year, and an additional 25,000 visitors of all ages. Students learn about the interconnections of the natural world through active, outdoor programs. CNC also hosts summer camps, public programs and events such as the Fall Raptor Release which draws 2,500 visitors to the St. Croix Valley.  Throughout its long history, Carpenter Nature Center has only had two Executive Directors. Jim Fitzpatrick retired in January 2013 after serving as Executive Director for 32 years.

Jennifer Vieth has worked in the non-profit field for twenty-three years. She began her career with the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, Missouri training Andean Condors, African Pied Crows and White-tailed Sea Eagles. Her adventures included appearing on Larry King Live, working at Sea World of Texas, and setting up free-flight education programs at zoological institutions around the United States. She relocated to Hastings, Minnesota in 2002 with her husband. Jennifer worked as the Program Director for a few years at the renowned Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota before landing at Carpenter Nature Center as Development Director and ultimately Executive Director. Jennifer is a native of Kingston, Ontario. She earned a biology degree from Queen?s University in Canada. In her free time between work and raising two children, Jennifer serves on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Ornithologists? Union, and is a regional U.S. Curling Association Instructor.

The cost of the lunch and program is $17 and must be paid in advance to guarantee your reservation. (Any payments received on the day of the event will be charged $20 a ticket, if seats available.)

To make a reservation (due in SCVF offices by noon prior to the day of luncheon):

1. Mail your check to: SCVF, 516 Second St. #214, Hudson, WI 54016

        or

2. Make your reservation by credit card online. There is a $1.00 processing fee per person using PayPal.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2017
Anderson Student Center. University of St. Thomas
St. Paul Campus

Save $15 by registering before January 28th!
REGISTRATION CLOSED WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 8th
Click here to REGISTER BY MAIL
Click here to REGISTER ONLINE

 
HELP OUT AT THE CONFERENCE
THIS ON-LINE TOOL LETS YOU PICK YOUR VOLUNTEER
DUTIES AND SCHEDULE
--- CLICK TO VOLUNTEER WITH SIGNUPGENIUS ---

Design With Nature: Planting Matters
What plant??? .....Which plant??? .....Why???

Which to choose?native plant or cultivar? 
Does it matter to the life I want to attract?
How many species is enough to be bio diverse? 
Does it really make a difference? 
How do I select and plant for success?

We all face these questions and more whether planting for a small lot to large acreage, or staring at the bewildering array of nursery plants. 
Join us in learning and sharing insights on planting matters.
What you plant makes a difference!
 

KEYNOTE:
Douglas Tallamy?Are "Alien" Plants Bad?
Professor & Chair of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology,
University of Delaware, author of Bringing Nature Home.

Forest Isbell?What Is the Value of Biodiversity?
UMN Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve

Nathalie Shanstrom?The Nuts and Bolts of Selecting and Planting Trees
Registered Landscape Architect, Kestrel Design Group

ADDITIONAL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Your day will be filled with networking and lively discussions with native plant growers, native plant landscape professionals, watershed, conservation and ecological organizations, invasive species experts and Wild Ones members and guests from throughout the region.
Also, several authors will be signing books, including Heather Holm, releasing her new book, Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide at our event.
Add a silent auction, video featuring community gardens and spring fever for a full and action packed day. Ticket price includes refreshments and buffet lunch with organic options.

TICKETS ON SALE ON LINE OR VIA MAIL
EARLYBIRD RATE (CLOSED JANUARY 28)
$55 MEMBERS | $65 NON-MEMBERS
$92 TICKET PLUS MEMBERSHIP | $20 FULL-TIME STUDENT
AFTER JANUARY 28 (REGISTRATION CLOSES FEBRUARY 8)
$70 MEMBERS | $80 NON-MEMBERS
$92 WITH NEW MEMBERSHIP | $20 FULL-TIME STUDENT

Douglas Owens-Pike: "The Lawn of the Future: Low maintenance alternatives to Kentucky bluegrass"

Tuesday, March 21, 2017, 7:00 to 8:30 pm

FamilyMeans building, 1875 Northwestern Ave S, Stillwater, MN 55082

Link to program handout 

Tired of mowing, watering, fertilizing, raking to keep up with your neighbors? This lawn of the future will free you from those chores while staying within the rough conventions of lawn appearance. There are many ways to transform common Kentucky bluegrass turf into low maintenance alternatives. Douglas will present examples of "No Mow", where it will thrive, and how to get it established. He will also offer several alternatives for sites where "No Mow" lawn seed mix will not survive. He has been testing a variety of sedge (Carex) and rush (Juncus) species. He will show us examples of these alternatives and answer your questions about establishing these new options as well as how to care for them.

Douglas Owens-Pike used his early lawn care income to study ecology of plant communities. His first garden instructor was his grandmother, Tilly. He is a Wild Ones member, ecologist, environmental educator, founder of EnergyScapes, and author of Beautifully Sustainable (2013).

Local author and garden writer Lynn Steiner will discuss her latest book, Grow Native: Bringing Natural Beauty to Your Garden. Lynn is well-known as the author and photographer of several books that advocate for the effective use of native plants in the typical home landscape. She also writes a column for the Northern Gardener magazine titled "Northern Natives." Lynn lives with her husband and two cats on a 115-year-old farmstead in northern Washington County, where she enjoys tending her gardens and watching the progress of her restored prairie, savannah, and oak woodland.

Local author Heather Holm will discuss her new book  BEES: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide 

Heather Holm is a Wild Ones member, author, landscape designer, and consultant specializing in pollinator landscapes and native landscape restorations. She is a passionate advocate for the use of native plants to attract and support pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife. We?ll have copies of Heather?s book for sale at a discount. Heather is generously donating a portion of the book price to our Wild Ones chapter.

?It would be hard to imagine a book more chock full of the information we need to save our native bees . . . This is the book pollination biologists and homeowners alike have been waiting for!? ? Doug Tallamy

Malcolm and Rosemary MacFarlane have found and photographed all of Minnesota's native orchids in their natural habitats, a decade-long obsession. In this presentation they share photos and stories of their quest. 

As native plants enthusiasts, photographers, and acknowledged experts on some of Minnesota's rarest species, they have served as DNR volunteers for over 20 years doing fieldwork on Minnesota's federally listed species. Since 2011, they have contracted with the Minnesota Biological Survey to find and document rare species of Botrychium ferns, and have prepared and contributed hundreds of specimens to the collections of the University of Minnesota Herbarium at the Bell Museum.

Below LEFT: Western Prairie Fringed-Orchid, a federally endangered species.

 Below RIGHT: Calypso, a rare and remote species of northern Minnesota.

Our native woodlands provide benefits such as beauty, shade, screening, wildlife habitat, and stormwater management.  They also face threats, such as insects, diseases, invasive plants, and property development.  Presenter Kathy Widin will discuss how we can care for our native woodlands in ways that keep them healthy and providing benefits year after year.

Kathy holds MS and Ph.D. degrees in Plant Pathology from the University of Minnesota.   After teaching college in the Boston area for several years, she and her husband Greg came back to Minnesota.  Kathy started her business, Plant Health Associates, in 1983, and worked as a consulting Plant Pathologist and Municipal Forester until her retirement in 2015. She is an ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborist and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture in 2003.  Kathy wrote the "Plant Health" column in Northern Gardener magazine of the MN State Horticultural Society for over 30 years.  She has served as President of the St. Croix Oak Savanna Chapter of Wild Ones since 2015.

PLANT & GARDEN BOOKS FOR SALE: Take Home a Bit of Kathy's Library
 

Kathy has decided to cull her professional library. She will have a selection of books for sale at our meeting. Proceeds will benefit our St Croix Oak Savanna Chapter programs. Come enjoy her presentation and take home a bit of her library.  

 
Thursday, November 16th, 2017, 6:30-8:30 pm
FamilyMeans Building, 1875 Northwestern Ave, Stillwater 
Julie Drennen: "Environmental Issues Affecting Our Community"
To join us RSVP to Roger Miller or call (651) 275-0426 to sign up to bring a potluck item.

Celebrate our St. Croix Wild Ones community with good food and company. Elect our 2018 officers. Join chapter members and volunteers, board members, and our guest speaker. Review our chapter accomplishments and new initiatives, get the latest details of our 2018 Design With Nature Conference, and discuss program plans for the coming year.

Guest speaker, Julie Drennen, from Conservation Minnesota, will discuss her work on key environmental issues affecting our community.

Julie has worked for two years with Conservation Minnesota, where she supports local conservation efforts throughout the East Metro, advocating for policies that protect Minnesota?s great outdoors. She addresses conservation issues pertaining to water, energy, pollinators, toxic chemicals, and more. Julie works with cities, communities, and watershed districts. Her current focus includes cities of White Bear Lake, Shoreview, Stillwater, Mahtomedi, and Woodbury.

Before working with Conservation Minnesota, Julie served two years with the AmeriCorps VISTA program, serving with the Minnesota Literacy Council and the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration. She later interned with the Beyond Coal and Clean Energy and Jobs campaigns with the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. She has a BA in political science from the U of MN Morris, and she grew up in Lino Lakes. When she isn?t working on environmental improvement, she?s either going for a run, or riding her horse Queen B at a barn in Hugo.