Educational Programs - Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum

Snowshoe the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum
Connie Ramthun
Saturday, January 18th, 2014, 1 pm to 3 pm
Meet at the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum Shelter
Snowshoe through the prairie and arboretum while looking for animal
tracks and other signs of wildlife. We will also examine the arboretum’s
dormant trees and explore ways to identify them by looking at their buds,
twigs and bark. Snow shoes will be provided by the gracious donation
of Attitude Sports of Fond du Lac. Registration is required. Please call
920-533-8939.
Gottfried Prairie
& Arboretum
Restoration Ecology in 2013: A SWOT Analysis
Evelyn Howell
February 19, 2014, 7 pm
UC114 University Center
The restoration of natural ecosystems has become one of the most
widespread conservation techniques in North America and also around
the world. Dr. Howell will explore the Strengths and Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats of the field as it is practiced today, and
suggest how we can all contribute to help the field move forward.
Dr. Howell is a plant ecologist and professor and past Chair of the
Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of WisconsinMadison. She has taught natural landscaping since the mid-1970s in
university classes and in presentations for many other groups. Evelyn’s
research interests are in restoration ecology and she recently coauthored
a publication titled Introduction
to Restoration Ecology.
She has worked
on numerous
restoration
projects
and loves
talking about
native plants
and natural
landscaping!
Since 1991, 42 acres of native prairie and a formal arboretum with
several forest communities have been planted on the grounds of the
U.W. Fond du Lac Campus.
The purpose is to restore native plant communities, create wildlife
habitat, and provide educational opportunities.
Thank you to our education program partners...
Fond du Lac Area Foundation
CONSULTANTS LABORATORY
A
MEMBER
OF
AGNESIAN
HEALTHCARE
From Seed to
Flower
Connie Ramthun
Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 6:30 pm to 9 pm
Room S112 Science Building
Connie will share her expertise about many aspects of growing native
plants, including seed collecting, cleaning and propagation. Examples
will be shown of how seedlings are grown in a greenhouse, cold frames
and wildflower gardens. After the lecture, we will plant several kinds of
wildflowers in flats and receive instructions on how to grow them in your
home. There will be a $10.00 fee to cover costs of flats, potting soil and
other materials. Registration is required. Please call 920-533-8939.
Master Gardeners Association
of Fond du Lac County
Address: University of Wisconsin, FDL
400 University Drive • Fond du Lac, WI 54935
Please join the new Friends of the Gottfried and Arboretum.
Most programs run about one hour and
are free unless otherwise noted.
See our website www.gottfriedprairiearboretum.org for details
or call Connie Ramthun at 920-533-8939
Shelter is located near east parking lot at UW Fond du Lac.
Educational
Programs
April 2013 - March 2014
Program Schedule
Frog Communication
Gerlinde Hobel
Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 7 pm
Room UC114 University Center
How do frogs communicate? What are they saying to each
other? What can we learn about the natural world by studying frog
communication? Get answers to these exciting questions and experience
the sights and sounds of frogs from Wisconsin and across the globe.
Gerlinde has been a professor from the UW-Milwaukee’s Department of
Biological Sciences since 2007. She was born in Ulm, Germany where
she earned her undergraduate degree. She studied Gladiator frogs in
Costa Rica for her master’s degree and North American tree frogs at
University of Missouri for her doctorate degree.
Alternative Lifestyles: Plants That Eat Animals…The
Why, What and Where of Carnivorous Plants
Erica Young
Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 7 pm
Room A-219 Henken Room
Erica will present a profile of these charismatic plants that not only
capture insect prey, but “farm” a range of invertebrates and bacteria to
supplement their nutritional requirements to thrive in nutrient-poor
bogs. The talk will include the natural history with several great pictures
of the plants as well as emerging frontiers in scientific research on these
organisms.
Dr. Young is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological
Sciences at UW-Milwaukee. She grew up among amazingly diverse
plants of Western Australia, and has since lived in Sweden, Ireland and
now Wisconsin. Her scientific research has focused on photosynthetic
phytoplankton, intertidal kelps, nitrogen-fixing symbioses, toxic
cyanobacteria and invasive species. Her current research includes
freshwater algae and nutrient cycling in the Great Lakes, and the ecology
of carnivorous wetland plants in the Cedarburg Bog.
Designing a Native Landscape:
What Do I Need to Know About the Plants?
Carol Bangs
Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 7 pm
Room UC-114 University Center
Carol will discuss reducing your lawn and the importance of choosing
the right native plants for the right environment. She will show us ways
of integrating native plants into your home landscaping and talk about
what to look for when choosing native plants.
Carol is a teacher of landscape design and native plant communities
at the North Campus of MATC and is the principal owner of Carol
K. Bangs & Associates, a landscape design firm in Mequon, WI. Her
passions are teaching and preserving our native plants and their
environment. She has been studying native landscape communities
since 1978. The Mequon Park Board, the Board of the Ozaukee Land
Trust, The Wild Ones, Milwaukee North Chapter, and the MATC
Landscape Horticulture Advisory are some of the service work she has
done for the community.
Prairie Fest
Seed Collection Workshop
Saturday, July 27, 2013, 10 am to 3 pm
Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum
Grounds
Experience the beauty of the Gottfried
prairie at the peak of the summer
bloom at the 12th annual Prairie Fest.
There will be speakers on many naturerelated subjects, children’s activities, prairie
tours and outdoor exhibits as well as the annual
Rain Barrel Auction. The event is free and food will be
available for purchase during the entire event.
Connie Ramthun
Saturday, October 19th, 2013, 9 am to noon
Meet at the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum Shelter
We will begin the workshop with a discussion on seeds, including when
and how to collect your favorite native plants. Participants will walk
through the prairie and learn how to identify wildflowers and grasses in
the seed stage. We will collect and clean the seed heads while learning
how to store and propagate the seed for growing plants.
Connie is the Education Coordinator for the Gottfried Prairie and
Arboretum. She has owned her own native plant nursery since 1983 and
has been part of the Gottfried Prairie and Arboretum since its inception.
Enjoying the Dragonflies
and Damselflies of
Fond du Lac County
Create a Winter Wreath and Swag
Bob DuBois
Saturday, August 10, 2013, 11 am to 2 pm
Room A-219 Henken Room
Bob’s talk and outing will focus on citizen enjoyment of the dragonflies
and damselflies of eastern Wisconsin through understanding the many
fascinating aspects of their biology, ecology, and behavior. He will also
give tips about identifying them and information about how folks can
become involved in Wisconsin’s statewide dragonfly and damselfly
survey.
Bob DuBois is an aquatic ecologist with the Bureau of Endangered
Resources in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He
leads citizen monitoring efforts for dragonflies and damselflies through
the Wisconsin Odonata Survey, curates the collection, manages the
WDNR Odonata website, and recently founded the new Wisconsin
Dragonfly Society. He has published field guides to the Damselflies
of the North Woods and Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Rocky
Mountains.
Writing a Poem with Light
Terrill Knaack
Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 6 pm to 9 pm
Room UC114 University Center
This three hour long class is designed to help the student
gain creative control of the camera. Five physical factors are
involved in the creation of every successful photograph. In
the first hour we look into each of these steps necessary for
the photographer to be successful. Next, we will look into the
language of light itself. The medium of photography is light.
How does it speak to us? Thirdly, how can we engage the
camera in our own journey of “Learning to See”. Class time
will be divided into three parts: lecture, photography in the
field, and review of images.
Terrill Knaack grew up in the Horicon Marsh area and his
love of nature blended with his love of visual arts. Terrill
earned degrees in art and wildlife ecology at UW-Madison.
He pursued a career in painting and was Owen Gromme’s
only student. His paintings have been shown at many of the
nation’s natural history museums. He has enjoyed photography
throughout his life and has recently added large format
photography to his portfolio.
Jackie Scharfenburg
Thursday, November 14, at 1 pm to 3:30 pm & 6 pm to 8:30 pm @ IAC
Wednesday, November 20th, 6 pm to 8:30 pm @ Lakeside Pavilion
Please note that this class will be offered at three separate times.
Because of limited space, the first two will be at the Northern Kettle
Moraine State Forest Ice Age Center near Dundee and the other at
Lakeside Park Pavilion in Fond du Lac. Using a variety of natural
materials, we will create a beautiful wreath and swag that will enhance
your home’s winter decor. Please bring along a pruning shears and
$15.00 to cover material costs. We will use the dried flower and grass
seed heads from the prairie. Registration is required. Please call 920533-8939.
Jackie Scharfenberg is a Forest Naturalist/Natural Resources Educator
with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources the Kettle
Moraine State Forest - Northern Unit. She enjoys teaching all
aspects of environmental education. Her goal is to get people
connected or re-connected with the natural world if it be
through creating a nature craft, learning something about
nature, trying a new outdoor skill or experiencing nature
first hand.
Birds of the Kettle Moraine
Bill Volkert
Wednesday, December 18, 2013, 7 pm
Room UC114 University Center
The Northern Kettle Moraine is a land of glaciated
landscapes and home to over 260 species of birds.
This region of Wisconsin lies on the tension zone,
and therefore represents both northern and southern
plant communities. It is also an area of overlap as
breeding habitat for birds associated with these native
communities.
For more than 30 years, Bill has been watching and
keeping track of the diverse bird life of this area,
where he and his wife Connie make their home. This
presentation will discuss the geography of the Northern
Kettle Moraine and its importance to birds. It will also
provide an overview of some of the area’s unique and
representative bird species, and share a variety of the best
places to observe the birds of the Northern Kettle Moraine
area.