Minnesota Native Plant Society

Minnesota’s North Shore
2023-05-04 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
Presenter: Chel Anderson, retired botanist & plant ecologist.
A hybrid in-person (Dakota Lodge) and on-line Zoom meeting. The recorded Zoom presentation is available on the Videos page.

7:00 PM Meeting starts, doors will open sometime after 6:30 PM
This will be our first in-person meeting for the plant society in over three years and we hope some of you are able to join us once again! For those who are unable to be there, the option of viewing the presentation through Zoom will continue to take place.
Talk Summary: Northeastern Minnesota straddles the extreme edges of two major North American biomes: the Eastern Deciduous Forest and the Boreal Forest. At this crossroads we find the Lake Superior watershed and MN North Shore. A whirlwind tour of this place—from origins and climate to the diversity and relationships of lands, communities of plants and animals and waters, including Lake Superior— will give you an introduction to one of Minnesota‘s marvel-filled landscapes just as winter relinquishes its firm grip.
About the Presenter: Chel has lived and worked in northeastern Minnesota since 1974. She began her career with the USFS on the Superior National Forest, then transitioned to a consulting botanist, forest and plant ecologist. Before retiring to the rest of her life in 2019, she thrived for a couple of decades as a lead plant ecologist and botanist with the Minnesota Biological Survey. She is co-author with Adelheid Fischer of, North Shore—A Natural History of Minnesota’s Superior Coast.
Other Plant Society Business
Board Member Elections: We will have an in-person vote at the May meeting. Those who are current members of the society will be able to vote. The board of directors has suggested the following slate:
John Arthur (Incumbent)
Jennifer Kamm (Incumbent)
David Remucal (Incumbent)

Geology, Birds, and Plants of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
2023-05-07 09:00 - 12:00
Join Bruce Galer and Jennifer Kamm for a discussion of the geology and natural history of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge and hike the Blue Hill Trail.
This field trip is for members of the MN Native Plant Society only and will be limited to 25 registrants. Contact field trip coordinator Jennifer Kamm to register: jennifer.kamm@stantec.com
Download the flyer for more information: MNNPS Field Trip – Sherburne Nat’l Wildlife Refuge May 7

Spring Butterfly Trek
2023-05-13 09:00 - 16:00
This trip is scheduled for May 13 -OR- May 20, depending on weather.
For a dozen years now, Stillwater butterfly enthusiast Dean Hansen has led a day-long trip to look for spring butterflies in the jack pine/oak barrens in northwest Wisconsin’s Burnett County.
This field trip is for members of the MN Native Plant Society only and will be limited to 8 registrants. Contact field trip coordinator Ken Arndt to register: ken.arndt@mnrinc.us
Download the flyer for more information: MNNPS Field Trip – Spring Butterfly Trek May 13 or 20

Tiffany Bottoms Train Ride
2023-09-09 13:00 - 17:00
Where: On Highway 25 about 4.5 miles south of Durand, Buffalo County, Wisconsin
When: Saturday, September 9th, 1-5 p.m.
Leaders: Steve Eggers, Jennifer Kamm
Come join your fellow MNNPS friends on Saturday, September 9th for the unique experience of an open air, antique train ride into an expansive, high quality floodplain forest of the Chippewa River. The event is hosted by the Chippewa Valley Motor Car Association. Enjoy stops with short hikes into floodplain forests, savannas and prairies.
Please see the flyer for more details.
You must be a member of the Minnesota Native Plant Society to participate. Register for this trip by emailing Jennifer Kamm at Jennifer.kamm@stantec.com

Discussion on Welby Smith’s newly published book, Ferns and Lycophytes of Minnesota
2023-10-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
Presenter: Welby Smith, State Botanist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The recorded presentation is available on the Videos page.

Please join us for the upcoming monthly meeting with our presenter, Welby Smith, who will discuss his newly published book, Ferns and Lycophytes of Minnesota. Welby will share some interesting stories about ferns and discuss the book itself and the key people behind this great new resource!
Terrace Horticultural Books (Kent Petterson) will have Welby’s new book available for sale at the meeting, so this will give folks an opportunity to both purchase the book and support a local business. The cost for Welby’s book will be $40 (tax included). Kent from THB will be able to accept payment by credit card, cash, and check.
The following is a book review of Welby’s book by Kent.
Book Review: Ferns and Lycophytes Of Minnesota
A new flora for Minnesota from State Botanist, Welby Smith, has been added to his impressive list of work on plants in Minnesota. Ferns and Lycophytes of Minnesota is the first new field guide on ferns, (more on Lycophytes a bit later) in over 40 years. The book is published by the University of Minnesota (ISBN978-1-5179-1466-0) @ $39.95. Editors have repeated the format of Smith’s 2018 Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota, for this updated flora that incorporates rapidly advancing DNA understandings of these plants.
A previous flora, Ferns of Minnesota by Rolla Tryon was last updated in 1980. An aborted attempt at an update by Warren Wagner of the University of Michigan in partnership with Smith ended in 2000 with the death of Wagner.
With this new flora, Welby Smith has not gone alone with this addition to the Minnesota Biological Survey. Support from the Minnesota DNR, specimen photography by Richard Haug, and also help from a long list of contributors produced this fine addition to our flora. A new complete field guide of appropriate size and heft to species identification. Two pages for each species showing a distribution map, in several cases color illustrations by Smith that are actually photos that look like water color paintings, and color specimen ID photos by Haug for 80 fern species, plus 8 orders of 20 Lycophyte species.
Per Welby Smith, “At the beginning of each chapter is a page showing a collage, then the chapter is broken up into genera. At the start of each genus “subchapter” is a page showing 2-dimensional images of a leaf of each species. All the images on the order and genus pages are photographs that I took. Using photo editing software I placed the images side-by-side to show the differences – in typical field-guide style. Every image in the book is a photograph. For each species in the book, there is a page of field photos. That is, photos of the species in their natural habitat. Rick Haug took maybe 90 percent of these field photos (He’s the best field photographer I have ever seen.) A number of other people including myself took the rest of the photos.”
You will learn a lot about these plants and find ID help for sure in this clear and well written book. There is no doubt, Welby Smith is a giant in his field. His flora work with books on Orchids, Trees & Shrubs, Grasses and Sedges, and now Ferns and Lycophytes, together represent 40 years of field work and research. This book is a must have for any plant enthusiast.
Kent Petterson
Terrace Horticultural Books

Minnesota's Peatlands: Climate Change, Carbon, and Cool Plants
2023-11-02 19:00 - 20:30 | Dakota Lodge, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN, 55118, United States
Presenter: Laura Reuling, Research Scientist, University of Minnesota
The recorded program is available on the Video page.

Laura Reuling is a researcher scientist at the University of Minnesota in the silviculture program. Her research explores applied questions about forest ecology, forest stand dynamics, and regeneration. Current projects include exploring stand development and forest composition in peatland forests, forest response to fire in northern Minnesota, and the impacts of biochar as a soil additive on seedling survival and growth.

2023 Symposium: Minnesota's Forests, Today and Tomorrow
2023-11-11 08:30 - 15:30 | Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska, MN, 55318, United States
Speakers and Topics

8:30-9:00 Registration
9:00-9:20 Welcome to the Symposium and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
9:20-10:20 White Pine: The Natural and Human History of a Foundational American Tree. John Pastor, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota Duluth
10:20-11:20 Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change. Dr. Windmuller-Campione Lab: Abby Daniel, MS Student, Catherine Glenn-Stone, MS Student, and Nick Parrott, MS Student
11:20-11:35 Minnesota Plant Watch Program Announcement
11:35-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:25 Giving Nature a Nudge: How National Forests in Minnesota are Incorporating Assisted Migration and Other Climate Adaptation Techniques into Forest Management. Katie Frerker, Climate Adaptation Specialist, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, US Forest Service
1:25-2:20 Defining Plant Ecological Specialists and Generalists. Matthew A. Kaproth, Associate Professor, Minnesota State University
2:30-3:30 The Future of Boreal Forests. Lee Frelich, Director, The University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology

Payment Options
Register online or download and mail in the 2023 MNNPS Symposium Registration Form & Brochure
Direct any questions regarding registration to: Shirley Mah Kooyman, smkooyman@gmail.com, 763-464-8323.
Event Sponsors
Plant Conservation Program at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and Terrace Horticultural Books

MN PlantWatch
2024-02-01 19:00 - 20:30
Presented by: Angela Miner and Deanna Leigh.
The recorded Zoom presentation is available on the Video page.
MN PlantWatch is a new community science initiative that supports the conservation of Minnesota’s rare native plants. Volunteers search for plants in their natural habitats, collect important data about species location, population health and potential threats, and contribute to conservation seed banking. We will share stories and accomplishments from the 2023 inaugural field season. Learn what it is like to volunteer, future goals for the program and how you might become involved.
Angela Miner is the Conservation Botanist for the University of Minnesota’s Landscape Arboretum (UMLA). She works with the UMLA’s Plant Conservation Program to conserve, research, and bank seed for MN’s rare plant species. She holds a degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota, has worked with habitat management and restoration with The Nature Conservancy, and began working with the MN PlantWatch program in the spring of 2023.
Deanna Leigh is a Community Science Program Coordinator with the DNR’s Minnesota Biological Survey. She holds a BS in Environmental Studies from Trinity Western University and a MS in Environmental Science from Western Washington University. She pursued various natural resources and field research opportunities across North America before returning to her home state of Minnesota in 2017 for a position with DNR Parks and Trails. She joined MN PlantWatch in April 2023 and is thrilled to be working with rare species.

Seminary Fen SNA Volunteer Event
2024-03-03 09:00 - 12:00
Please join your fellow MNNPS members in an effort to remove buckthorn that is encroaching on a rare plant population at Seminary Fen SNA on Sunday March 3, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. We will be cutting and treating the buckthorn and stacking the cuttings. We will have plenty of tools for everyone. We will go get coffee when we finish. Download the flyer for further details.
This event is for members of the MN Native Plant Society only and will be limited to 20 registrants. Please register by February 28.
To register for the event, contact Jennifer Kamm at Jennifer.kamm@stantec.com.

Comparing the impacts of patch-burn grazing on vegetation in two northern tallgrass prairies
2024-03-07 19:00 - 20:30 | 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.

Seminary Fen SNA Volunteer Day
2024-04-14 08:00 - 12:00
Please join your fellow MNNPS members in an effort to remove buckthorn that is encroaching on a rare plant population at Seminary Fen SNA on Sunday April 14, 2024, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. We will be cutting and treating the buckthorn and stacking the cuttings. We will have plenty of tools for everyone. We will go get coffee when we finish. Download the flyer for further details.
This event is for members of the MN Native Plant Society only and will be limited to 20 registrants. Please register by April 12.
To register for the event, contact Jennifer Kamm at Jennifer.kamm@stantec.com.

Collaborating to Conserving Native Characeae in Minnesota Lakes
2024-05-02 19:00 - 20:30
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

Schueler Wildlife Management Area Field Trip (Rescheduled)
2024-05-04 10:00 - 17:00
Where: Schueler Wildlife Management Area
Located 1 mile north of Rushford, MN west of Highway 43, Fillmore County
When: Recheduled – Saturday May 4th, 2024 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m.)
Leader: Michael Lee, Botanist with Minnesota Biological Survey
Please join your fellow MNNPS Members on a fun field trip to Schueler WMA. The tour will include a rich diversity of spring ephemerals including snow trillium and squirrel corn, as well as rare ferns and sedges, on a large north-facing bluff along Rush Creek. Further details are provided in the flyer: MNNPS – Schueler WMA Field Trip-4May2024
The trip is open to all MNNPS members but pre-registration is required. To register for the event, email Jennifer Kamm at Jennifer.kamm@stantec.com

Tettegouche State Park
2024-07-13 10:00 - 15:00
A day of touring the State Park
Where: Tettegouche State Park 5702 MN-61, Silver Bay, MN 55614
When: Saturday July 13th, 2024 (10:00 AM to 3:00 PM)
Leaders: Kurt Mead, Head Naturalist at Tettegouche State Park, Author of Dragonflies of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and Joe Walewski, Naturalist at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center and lichen expert.
Come join Kurt and Joe for a tour of the Tettegouche State Park where participants will tour part of the Park in the morning followed by lunch on-site (bring your own) and then another walk to other areas of the property.
Participants will meet at 10AM at the Visitor Center at 5702 MN-61 in Silver Bay. As always, this field trip is for members of the MN Native Plant Society only and will be limited to 20 registrants. In the event of potential bad weather, participants will be notified of any changes to the day.
To register for this field trip, email Ken Arndt at ken.arndt@mnrinc.us

Judge C.R. Magney State Park
2024-09-14 10:00 - 14:00
A day of touring the State Park.
Where: Judge C.R. Magney State Park 4051 MN-61, Grand Marais, MN
When: Saturday September 14th, 2024 (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM)
Leader: Chel Anderson, Retired DNR Botanist and Plant Ecologist, Minnesota Biological Survey and co-author of North Shore—A Natural History of Minnesota’s Superior Coast.
Come join us as we say goodbye to summer and embrace fall while enjoying the scenic Judge C.R. Magney State Park. The field trip will be led by Chel Anderson and will involve a discussion of local natural history, late summer botany, and the scenery of one of Minnesota’s great State Parks.
Participants will meet at 10AM at the Visitor Center at 4051 MN-61 north of Grand Marais approximately 15 miles. As always, this field trip is for members of the MN Native Plant Society only and will be limited to 10 registrants. In the event of potential bad weather, participants will be notified of any changes to the day.
To register for this event please contact:
Scott Milburn at scott.milburn@mnrinc.us
Download the flyer: MNNPS FIeld Trip Judge C.R. Magney State Park 091424

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
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
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
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.

Rare Plant and Plant Community Phenology at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve
2025-07-11 09:00 - 16:00
When: Friday, July 11th from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Where: Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, 2660 Fawn Lake Drive NE, East Bethel, MN 55005
Cost*: $10 for Current Members of the Wetland Professionals Association
$30 for Nonmembers and $10 for students (both include a 1-year WPA membership)
*All money collected goes directly to support the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve
Guide: Jason Husveth, Principal Ecologist at Critical Connections Ecological Services (CCES)
Join us for a full day ecological and botanical field trip to the Bison Enclosure area of the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. This is a unique opportunity to visit and botanize the diverse wetlands, prairies, and savannas within the Cedar Creek Bison Enclosure in a year where there will be no bison present. We discuss landscape setting, surficial geology and soils, hydrology, plant community ecology and rare species autecology. Jason will cover the identification of over a dozen rare plant species of the Anoka Sand Plain, including some of the rarest species in the state.
Pre-registration is required. Please see the July 2025 Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve Field Trip flyer for more details and registration information. Space is limited so please reply at your earliest convenience.

Red Lake Wildlife Management Area History and Habitat Management
2025-10-09 19:00 - 20:30
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
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
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
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
The recorded video is available on the Videos page.
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.

The Evolution of Wetland Seed Mixes, Revegetation and Management
2026-04-02 19:00 - 20:30
The recorded presentation is available on the Video page.
Presenter: Dan Shaw – Sr. Ecologist & Vegetation Specialist, MN Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR)
Program: The Evolution of Wetland Seed Mixes, Revegetation and Management
Description: Minnesota’s wetland plant communities are changing due to climate change, development, increased nutrients, and invasive species. These impacts are contributing to declining pollinator, bird, and other wildlife populations, and decreasing wetland functions. Fortunately, the conservation community in Minnesota has been actively addressing challenges and pursuing new strategies for restoring and managing wetlands and other aquatic systems. This presentation will cover emerging methods for seed mix design, site preparation, seeding, and wetland management; and we’ll discuss future challenges for wetlands and needs for further study and innovation.
Biography: Dan Shaw is the Senior Ecologist and Vegetation Specialist with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). Over the last 30 years his work has focused on plant community restoration, climate mitigation and adaptation, rare species protection, invasive species control and building conservation partnerships. He has also taught ecological design and restoration classes at the University of Minnesota for the past 25 years and authored or co-authored several books on native plants and restoration.
