BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Flo Inc.//FloSoft//EN BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20250803T000000Z DTEND:20250803T000000Z LOCATION:Kent Park Conservation Education Center DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=BASE64:

Build conservation practices at home by adding native plants to your landscape. Learn from local experts through a new Native Plant Series. Johnson County Conservation will host four native plant sales and a speaker series in the spring and fall of 2025: May 4, June 1, Aug. 3, and Sept. 7.  Each date will include a native plant sale. Our 2025 native plant vendor is Troutleaf Native Plants, based out of Johnson County. You do not need to register to attend the plant sale but registration is required for the native plant series. 

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* Please note: You must register for each date of the Native Plant Series separately. 

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Program Schedule: 

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Session Descriptions: 

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Landscaping for Wildlife w/Stephanie Shepherd

\nThis \npresentation will explore 5 things anybody can do to create a wildlife friendly \nspace at their home and in their town. These actions will help support \npollinators, birds and other wildlife whether you live on an acreage or \napartment building and are highly adaptable for your needs and \npreferences.  Connecting with nature can happen anywhere and this \npresentation will help you do that closer to home!  \n

 

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Iowa's Endangered Plants & Threatened Species w/Tom Rosburg

\nIn the last 200 years, Iowa's native landscape has been dramatically \nand tragically transformed. The impact on native biodiversity has been \nheartbreaking and imperiled many plants and animals. Currently there are over \n400 vascular plants that are imperiled in Iowa, which is nearly 25% of Iowa's \nnative flora. This presentation will provide an overview of these species and \ntheir ecology.  \n

Speaker Bios: 

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Stephanie Shepherd:

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A native of Virginia, Stephanie received a BS in Biology \nfrom the University of Richmond. She landed in Iowa to study prairie \nreconstruction and butterfly communities to earn a Master’s degree in Ecology \nand Evolutionary Biology from Iowa State University. Since then, she’s worked \nin Missouri and Virginia before settling into a job as a wildlife diversity \nbiologist at the Iowa DNR for the last 20 years. She is passionate about \nprairies and the wildlife that depend on them, especially its smaller denizens. \nShe is also an avid gardener and for the last several years she has enjoyed \nmeshing prairie reconstruction, wildlife conservation and gardening in Urban \nand suburban spaces. Her mission is to help more people feel like they are part \nof the natural world no matter where they live.

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Tom Rosburg:

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Tom was born in Sioux City, Iowa and grew up on a farm near \nMapleton on the eastern edge of the Loess Hills. He earned three degrees from \nIowa State University – B.S. in Fish and Wildlife Biology, M.S. in Plant \nEcology, and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He currently has \nappointments as a Professor of Biology at Drake University, a Visiting \nProfessor at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, and Collaborating Faculty in Ecology, \nEvolution, and Organismal Biology, at Iowa State University. Tom and his wife, \nCarman, live on a small farm near Colo, Iowa.

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Thanks to our partner organizations!

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The plant sales and speaker series are being supported by the Johnson County Master Gardeners of Iowa and Troutleaf Native Plants.

SUMMARY:My County Parks - Native Plant Series- Iowa's Endangered Plants + Landscaping for Wildlife PRIORITY:3 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR