Minnesota Native Plant Society

Comparing the impacts of patch-burn grazing on vegetation in two northern tallgrass prairies
2024-03-07 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
Presenter: Fred Harris, plant ecologist, MN DNR (retired)
The recorded Zoom presentation is available on the Video page.

Plant of the Month: The genus Phemeranthus “Everything you ever wanted to know about Phemeranthus, but…”
Talk Summary: MN Biological Survey has long term projects to monitor the effects of management on the prairie in two of the earliest and largest patch-burn grazing projects in Minnesota: at Chippewa Prairie and at Hole in the Mountain WMA. This presentation will review patch-burn grazing management, differences in results related to different cattle densities, and overall conclusions regarding the importance of monitoring, adaptive management and research in prairie management.
Presenter Bio: Fred Harris is a plant ecologist who worked for the Minnesota Biological Survey from 1992 to 2024 (just recently retired). He conducted surveys to document what remains of significant natural areas and rare plant populations in 27 counties in Minnesota – mostly in the prairie region but also the Big Woods and a portion of the Blufflands. Since 2010, he has also coordinated several projects to monitor the effects of cattle grazing management in Minnesota prairies. Prior to working for the DNR, he spent a year with The Nature Conservancy and completed a PhD thesis on the physiological ecology of several species of Phemeranthus.

Smokey the Beaver: how beaver dams keep riparian corridors green during droughts and wildfires
2024-04-04 19:00 - 20:30 | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
The recorded presentation is available on the Video page.
7:00 PM Meeting starts, doors will open at 6:30 PM
Talk Summary: Beaver dams and beaver mimicry (e.g. Beaver Dam Analogs) are gaining popularity as a low‐cost, nature-based strategy to build climate resiliency at the landscape scale. Beavers slow and store water in their ponds, canals, and the surrounding soil during wet periods which can then be accessed by riparian vegetation during droughts. As a result, the well-watered vegetation in beaver-dammed riparian corridors is less flammable. My research has shown that these beaver-influenced patches of the landscape stay green and can serve as fire refugia, preserving intact, mature riparian habitat – even during fires here in the Great Lakes Region. Perhaps instead of relying solely on human engineering and management to create and maintain drought and fire‐resistant waterways and riparian zones, we could benefit from partnering with beaver’s ecosystem engineering to achieve the same goals at a lower cost.
Presenter Bio: Emily Fairfax is an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota and an affiliate faculty member at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory. Dr. Fairfax double majored in Chemistry and Physics as an undergraduate at Carleton College, then went on to earn a PhD in Geological Sciences with an emphasis in Hydrologic Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder. She uses a combination of remote sensing, modeling, and field work to understand how beaver ecosystem engineering can create drought and fire-resistant patches in the landscape under a changing climate. Her research has been featured internationally in National Geographic, the New York Times, the LA Times, BBC, Vox, and others. When Dr. Fairfax says she can talk about beavers all day, she’s not kidding.

Collaborating to Conserving Native Characeae in Minnesota Lakes
2024-05-02 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
This will be an on-line Zoom meeting only. MNNPS members, check your email for instructions.
7:00 PM Meeting starts
Program: Collaborating to Conserving Native Characeae in Minnesota Lakes
Talk Abstract
The Characeae, a family comprised of large, morphologically complex, freshwater green algae are among the closest living relatives of the first land plants. Commonly known as “stoneworts”, they are essential components of lakes throughout Minnesota, yet their preservation is hindered by a lack of expertise in identification. The 2015 discovery of “starry stonewort”, the only known invasive member of this family, in a Minnesota lake underscores the importance of studying the distribution, diversity, and ecological roles of native Characeae. Through collaboration among the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and the New York Botanical Garden, our project aims to enhance knowledge and proficiency in Characeae identification and ecology. Employing field surveys, microscopic analyses, and phylogenetic studies, our team has identified numerous native Characeae species and monitored the spread of the invasive. Our collaborative initiative seeks to integrate Characeae sampling into routine lake surveys, train surveyors in Characeae identification, and establish baseline data on Characeae communities statewide. Conducting surveys across 650 waterbodies statewide and intensive searches in lakes within the Leech Lake Reservation, our project will inform lake management strategies, aid in prioritizing lakes for conservation efforts, and facilitate monitoring of changes in lake habitats, thereby bolstering the conservation of Minnesota’s lake ecosystems. In this presentation, we provide a preliminary update of our project.
Presenters
Donna J. Perleberg, Research Scientist II, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Brainerd, MN
Kate A. Hagsten, Plant Program Director, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Division of Resource Management, Cass Lake, MN
Melinda Neville, Earth Systems Science Program Director, Leech Lake Tribal College, Cass Lake, MN
Leanna Goose, Research Student, Leech Lake Tribal College, Cass Lake, MN
Kenneth G. Karol, Ph.D., Associate Curator, The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics, New York Botanical Garden, The Bronx, NY

Euphorbia: how to make sense of the large genus of 2000+ species, and the common members in Minnesota
2024-10-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
The recorded presentation is available on the Videos page.
Presenter: Dr. Ya Yang – Associate Professor, Curator – University of Minnesota Herbarium
Speaker Bio: Dr. Ya Yang grew up in Beijing, China, where she did her undergraduate degree at the Peking University, Beijing, China. She then moved on to do her Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, focusing on the systematics of Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce. During that time she also co-authored treatments for the genus Euphorbia in Flora of North America. Currently, Dr. Yang is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and a curator at the University of Minnesota Herbarium. Her research focuses on the evolution of plant lineages using morphology, biochemistry, and gene sequences, using plants in the order Caryophyllales and Euphorbia. She teaches General Botany at the University of Minnesota.

A Seed’s Journey: Can the Seed Rain and Seed Bank Supply Missing Diversity to Restored Prairies?
2024-11-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
The recorded presentation is available on the Videos page.
Presenter: Dr. Katherine Wynne, Plant Ecologist Midwest Natural Resources Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Katherine Wynne graduated with a Ph.D. in Plant Biology and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from Michigan State University in 2024 and a B.A. in Biology from Kalamazoo College in 2017. Since 2016, she has developed, led, and collaborated on plant-focused research projects at the population and community level. These projects include working with rare Lake Michigan dune plants and restored and remnant tallgrass prairie plant communities in Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

Oak Origins: From Acorns to Species and the Tree of Life
2024-12-05 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
The recorded presentation is available on the Videos page.
Presenter: Andrew Hipp – Author of Oak Origins
Program: Andrew will discuss his new book: Oak Origins, From Acorns to Species and the Tree of Life. From ancient acorns to future forests, the story of how oaks evolved and the many ways they shape our world.
The following is a link to The University of Chicago Press to view Andrew’s book.
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/O/bo236998258.html

Rare Plant Conservation in Wisconsin
2025-02-06 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
The recorded presentation is available on the Videos page.
Presenter: Kevin Doyle – Botanist with the Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Program: Rare Plant Conservation in Wisconsin
This talk will provide an overview of different types of rare plant conservation projects the Wisconsin DNR is working with, including status assessments, hand pollination, outplantings, assisted migration, and citizen science.
Speaker Bio: Kevin Doyle is a botanist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He received a bachelor’s degree in conservation biology from UW-Madison and a master’s in plant biology from the University of Texas at Austin. In his role as DNR botanist for the last 12 years he has conducted botanical and ecological surveys across Wisconsin, working in almost every county in the state. He focuses on rare plants in particular and started the Rare Plant Monitoring Program in 2013 to train volunteers to search for and collect data on rare plant populations to inform conservation efforts.

From Data to Diversity: Modernizing Minnesota's Native Plant Community System
2025-03-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
The recorded presentation is on the Videos page.
Presenter: Alaina Berger, NPC Classification Coordinator, Division of Ecological and Water Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Program: From Data to Diversity: Modernizing Minnesota’s Native Plant Community System
Minnesota DNR’s Native Plant Community Classification is a dynamic tool for conservation, vegetation management, and land-use planning, evolving with new data and user experiences. This talk will highlight ongoing efforts to integrate two decades of vegetation data and address knowledge gaps in various plant communities across Minnesota.
Speaker Bio: Alaina Berger is an experienced Forest Ecologist with a passion for understanding and preserving forest ecosystems. With a BS degree in Environmental Science and a Master of Science in Forest Ecology at the University of Minnesota, she has dedicated over 30 years to studying plant communities and how they respond to changes in their environment. Alaina has worked on various projects, from mapping natural habitats to developing guidelines for forest management. Her past research has focused on understory flora response to forest stand structure and disturbance from management activities. Alaina has extensive experience with the Native Plant Community Classification, including 12 years in various roles at the MNDNR, where she was part of the initial launch of the Native Plant Classification. Currently, she serves as the Native Plant Classification Revision Coordinator with the Minnesota Biological Survey (MBS) at the DNR. She coordinates a 3-year project to modernize the DNR Native Plant Community Classification system. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to maintaining the health and diversity of Minnesota’s natural landscapes.

A Dozen of My Favorite Minnesota Plant Stories
2025-04-03 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
The recorded presentation is available on the Videos page.
7:00 PM Meeting starts
MN PlantWatch Update by Angela Miner, Conservation Botanist with the MN Landscape Arboretum.
Program: A Dozen of My Favorite Minnesota Plant Stories
Presenter: Dr. Stephen Saupe, Emeritus Professor (Plant Taxonomy, Secondary Metabolism of Plants and Fungi) – St. John’s University

Lessons Learned in Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity
2025-05-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
Note: This meeting is rescheduled from Thursday, May 1 to Monday, May 12 and will be a hybrid meeting both in-person at Dakota Lodge and on-line through Zoom. MNNPS members, check your email for instructions.
Presenters: Bonnie Harper-Lore & Gary Lore
Program: LESSONS LEARNED IN PROTECTING AND RESTORING BIODIVERSITY, a new book by 85 scientists, educators, practitioners, policymakers and citizen scientists, published 9.13.24 by Cambridge Scholars Press.
Gary Lore and Bonnie Harper-Lore collected a network of conservation stories, written in the authors’ own voices to share with the next generation, when time and money will continue to be short to solve conservation problems, impacted by climate change, development, invasives and public policy.
Readers, including students, professionals and advocates can build on these lessons learned at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Some 52 disciplines are represented because it takes a multidisciplinary approach to do conservation work. These are the actions we took to get it done.
Gary K. Lore holds a BA in environmental ethics, economics, and communications from Metro State University, Minnesota. The majority of his career was in integrated vegetation management for the Colorado Department of Highways, followed by consulting in the midwest. Gary spent 12 years as a federal public affairs officer. Over time he edited and wrote features and columns for Colorado Streamside Quarterly, Trout magazine, “Outdoor Lore”, Minnesota Vietnam Veterans Quarterly, The Metropolitan (Editor) and more. Gary grew up on the prairie of the Nebraska sand hills.
Bonnie L. Harper-Lore holds a MS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she focused on preservation, restoration and management of native plant communities. As a restoration ecologist she spent 20 years with State and federal roadside programs, providing technical transfer, research oversight and policy support to 50 State Departments of Transportation. During that time, she served as editor of a quarterly newsletter, Greener Roadsides. She also co-authored Roadside Use of Native Plants, Roadside Weed Management and Vegetation Management, an Ecoregional Approach. Bonnie grew up in the driftless area of Wisconsin with a goat prairie behind the barn.

Red Lake Wildlife Management Area History and Habitat Management
2025-10-09 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
The recorded presentation is available on the Videos page.
Presenters: Charlie Tucker– Manager at Red Lake Wildlife Management Area
Program: Charlie will discuss the settlement history of the Red Lake WMA area, and how it relates to current land ownership. He will also talk about using Native Plant Community information to manage for a variety of forest habitats. Ongoing WMA habitat management projects will be discussed.
Bio: Charlie Tucker grew up in Saint Paul before pursuing an undergraduate degree in wildlife ecology from UW-Madison. He worked for various conservation entities before attaining a Master of Science in biology from Missouri State University. His project focused on the breeding ecology of ornate box turtles where he was fortunate to conduct research on large remnant sand prairies in the driftless area of Illinois. After working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a couple years, he returned to Minnesota as the assistant wildlife manager at Red Lake WMA. For the last two years he has been the manager at Red Lake WMA, the largest Wildlife Management Area in Minnesota.

Fire behavior and tree mortality, by Dr. Lee Frelich
2025-11-12 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
The recorded presentation is available on the Video page.
Presenter: Dr. Lee Frelich – Director of the Center for Forest Ecology, University of Minnesota
Presenter Biography: Lee Frelich is Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology. He has authored 200 publications with 275 coauthors from 25 countries. He is listed among the top 1% of all scientists in the world (Ecology and Environment category) by the Web of Science. His research has been featured in the news media 500 times, including The New York Times, Newsweek and Washington Post. Current research interests include large-scale fire and wind, earthworm invasion, and climate change in temperate and boreal forests.

An Evening of Q&A with Ron Bowen, founder of Prairie Restorations, Inc.
2025-12-18 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
The recorded presentation is available on the Videos page.
Presenter: Ron Bowen – founder of Prairie Restorations, Inc.
Program: Spend an evening participating in a Q&A with special guest Ron Bowen, founder of Prairie Restorations, Inc.
Presenter Biography: Ron began dreaming of and creating what would become Prairie Restorations, Inc. (PRI) in the early 1970s after finishing a forestry degree at the University of Minnesota. His first restorations were created while working as a gardener for Bruce Dayton of the famed Dayton family. PRI was incorporated in 1977 as Ron and his brother John moved the business up to the Anoka Sandplain and ramped up seed and plant production. Over time, PRI has grown to be a leader in the ecological restoration movement, continuing to do meaningful projects and inspiring others to do the important work of restoring native plant communities.
We will be exploring the early days, with stories of challenges and successes, hear about some of Ron’s favorite plants, and what is in store for the future of Ron and PRI.

Active augmentation and recovery of rare species and native orchids – what we’re learning so far
2026-02-12 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
The recorded presentation is available on the Video page.
Presenter: Dr. David Remucal – Curator of Endangered Plants, Adjunct Professor University of Minnesota
Biography: The Plant Conservation Program works to promote the conservation of rare and native plant species of Minnesota, reaching region and nation-wide. Our focus is on individual species preservation, with a focus on applied research and ex situ conservation. We manage a long-term seed bank for rare plants and native orchids. As part of this work, we research the propagation of all of these species, with special attention to the complex propagation and ecology of terrestrial orchids. Our goal is to create a rigorously scientifically-supported set of guidelines and protocols for preserving and restoring some of the most complex species which are not currently restoration material as well as develop the infrastructure to support restoration efforts with these plants with field protocols and scaled-up production of the plants. As climate change and human manipulation of the environment progresses, this work becomes increasingly vital and must extend beyond pure basic research to application.

Peat Keepers: Healing Minnesota’s Carbon-Rich Landscapes
2026-03-12 19:00 - 20:30 | MN
Note date change: Thursday, March 12. This will be online through Zoom only. MNNPS members, check your email for instructions.
Presenter: Meredith Cornett – MNDNR Peatland Resilience Project Planner
Program: Peat Keepers: Healing Minnesota’s Carbon-Rich Landscapes
Description: With more peatlands than any other state in the US outside Alaska, Minnesota has a role to play in sustaining and restoring peatlands as part of a multifaceted climate mitigation strategy. The state’s Climate Action Framework recognizes the power of peatlands, naming the restoration of partially drained peatlands as an important strategy for climate mitigation. The 2023 Minnesota Legislature created the MNDNR’s Peatland Protection and Restoration Demonstration Project as a first step toward implementing the Climate Action Framework’s peatland strategy. We will dive into peatland restoration work being planned for the DNR’s Winter Road Lake Peatland Scientific and Natural Area in Lake of the Woods County, including our approach to monitoring pre-restoration conditions for vegetation, hydrology and greenhouse gases. For more information about the project: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wetlands/peatland-resilience-initiative.html
Biography: Meredith Cornett is the Peatland Resilience Project Planner at Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), a role she has held since January 2024. She has come full circle in returning to the DNR, where she began her professional career in conservation as a Community Forest Ecologist in the Twin Cities Metro Area. For nearly two decades, Meredith served as Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Over the years, she has also enjoyed working with students and faculty at the University of Minnesota through an adjunct appointment in the Conservation Sciences Graduate Program. She lives with her family in Fredenberg Township, where they harvest sunlight, tend beehives, protect pine seedlings from deer browsing, and coexist with human and other neighbors.
