3-7-17 gottfried pairie aboretum-forum

Join the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum with Jed Meunier, ecologist and research scientist with the Wisconsin DNR, to explore Aldo Leopold’s advocacy of prescribed fire to conserve and restore native systems on Wednesday, March 15, at 7:00PM, Room UC114, UW-Fond du Lac, 400 University Drive, Fond du Lac.   Aldo Leopold became an early advocate of fire as a management tool and initiated some of the first formal restoration attempts of fire-dependent communities.  Many groups now are heavily invested in using prescribed fire to conserve and restore systems, primarily prairie and savanna, which are greatly diminished.  Rarely, however, do we put our work into the context of regional or statewide opportunities and challenges.  This talk, led by Jed Meunier, shares a statewide fire needs assessment which aims to prioritize prescribed fire to maintain a full suite of fire-dependent communities in Wisconsin over the coming decades.  Jed will also explore how Leopold’s Shack and Sand Counties fit into this picture.    In addition to this FREE monthly educational program, the Gottfried is holding its second annual native plant sale.  New plants have been added  so there are more than 60 kinds of wildflowers and grasses available this year.  These plants are native to the southeastern region of Wisconsin, are well adapted to our climate, and will grow well with minimal care in the right soil type.  These native wildflowers make great butterfly gardens and provide much needed habitat and food for birds as well.  Four garden designs are available including two garden types for butterflies, one rain garden design, and another design for shorelines.  Prepaid orders will be accepted until March 24^th.  Plants will be ready for pickup at UW Fond du Lac on Saturday, May 13 from 9 am until noon.   For more information about the March 15^th program and the plant sale, please review the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum’s website at http://gottfriedprairiearboretum.org/.   The mission of the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum is to create, manage, preserve, and promote the restored prairie and representative plant communities for education, wildlife habitat, and public enjoyment.