Environmental Activist Doug Tallamy to Give Talk March 5; Other Events to Celebrate Aldo Leopold

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Feb. 19, 2024

Contact Rick Kyte at 608-796-3704 or rlkyte@viterbo.edu or Jill Miller at 608-796-3615 or jmmiller@viterbo.edu

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST AND AUTHOR DOUG TALLAMY TO GIVE PRESENTATION MARCH 5; OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS WILL ALSO CELEBRATE ALDO LEOPOLD

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Celebrate Aldo Leopold Week with a presentation by environmental activist and author Doug Tallamy at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5 live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/viterboethics.

Douglas Tallamy

A professor, author, and renowned speaker, Tallamy will address challenges within Earth’s ecosystems and offer solutions such as reducing lawns, planting natives, and removing invasive species. He is the founder of Homegrown National Park, a grassroots call to action to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks.

This presentation is part of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership’s Spring Lecture Series and Wisconsin’s statewide 2024 Leopold celebrations. It is free and open to the public.

Other in-person Leopold events happening in the La Crosse area on Saturday, March 2:

  • The Nature Place in Myrick Park will feature Leopold in its Nature Saturday program from 9:30–11 a.m., a free program featuring family activities, crafts, scavenger hunts, and live animals.
  • At the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Visitor Center at N5727 County Road Z in Onalaska:
    • 12 p.m. “Fins, Feathers, and Firebrands: 100 years of conservation on the Upper Mississippi River Refuge.” Learn about the passionate and vocal visionaries who influenced the Refuge’s creation, major events which shaped its physical and social landscape, and how you can help shape the next 100 years to come.
    • 1 p.m. “Prairie Gardening 101: How to Add Beauty to Your Yard or Public Space.” Join retired US Fish and Wildlife Service regional wildlife biologist and conservation planner, Dr. Melinda Knutson, to discover why we care about prairies, how you can get involved in local conservation efforts, and tips and tricks for adding native prairie and savanna plants to your space at home.
    • 2 p.m. Guided Winter Plant Walk: Join a Refuge Ranger for a short walk on the prairie to learn about common native prairie plants in their winter condition. Dress in warm layers for the weather.
    • 12–4 p.m. Native plant giveaway and native seed planting: One of the best ways to help wildlife of all kinds is to grow native plants. Stop by anytime between noon and 2:30 p.m. to pick up a wild bergamot or butterfly milkweed starter plant to take home. From 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m., soil, pots, and seeds will be available for visitors who’d like to drop in to plant their own seed to take home. These recently planted seeds can be transplanted into a backyard garden or larger plant pot later in the spring.   

The La Crosse events are planned each year by representatives of local environmental and conservation groups.

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