Chapters in Minnesota

Registration required

Join Minnetonka Natural Resources staff for an afternoon stroll to look and listen for birds at Civic Center Park. The path is stroller- and wheelchair-friendly, and this program is open to participants of all ages. Brought to you by Wild Ones Prairie Edge in collaboration with the City of Minnetonka.

Our Spring Wildflower Walk will be Wednesday, May 7 at 6:00 pm at the Partch Woods Scientific and Natural Area.  (A couple of scheduling notes--I have selected an earlier time than most of our meetings so that we have sufficient light in the woods.  Also, please reserve Weds, May 14 as an alternate date, which may be necessary given the vagaries of weather and actual Minnesota spring.  I give you as evidence our forecast for tonight and tomorrow.)  The walk will be led by Kyle Rauch, who is the site steward for the Partch Woods SNA.  In addition to showing us around, Kyle can tell us what the job of an SNA site steward involves.  I hope you can make it.  As always, bring a friend.  Directions and more info about the site can be found at the following link:  Partch Woods SNA  Note that you will be parking on the shoulder of a county road, and there are no rest rooms, trails or water available on this site.

Some general information about this and other outdoor meetings:  The ground at this site is level (other than the access from the ditch)  but it may be muddy so wear appropriate footwear. There may be mosquitos and ticks, so prepare accordingly.  Bring anything you might need (water, snacks, etc) for an hour or so in the woods.  Given the challenges in rescheduling, we would probably meet in a drizzle, or even in the event of possible rain.  In the event of steady rain all day, very high probability of bad weather, etc we will probably cancel and I will send out an email at least an hour in advance of our starting time.  If you hear nothing, assume we are meeting.  Of course, make a good decision based on your own travel situation and tolerance for poor conditions!  In this case, I'll also confirm our May 7 date or change to the 14th in the meeting reminder. which I will do on or about the 5th.

TBD

 Urban Meadows: a novel approach to urban prairie restoration
Prairie restoration has become an increasingly common practice in urbanized landscapes. Highly visible examples can be found on corporate campuses, public parks, and even large rooftops. Unfortunately, many high profile examples exist where restored prairies that once replaced large lawns of turgrass were ultimately returned back to turf grass. In these cases, particular spatial and aesthetic issues motivated the removal of the prairie. Environmental perception research indicates a number of key factors that affect how a naturalistic landscape is perceived by the general public. This presentation will explore those perception factors and suggest an alternative approach to creating meadow plant communities in high profile locations that will appeal to a wider audience and ultimately be more sustainable as a result. 

Michael is a landscape architect and co-founder of Urban Ecosystems. 

Our annual native plant sale