Events

In recognition of Arbor Day, this will be the initial WOPB planting event for a demonstration garden in Pelican Park in the Groves area. Six native trees will be planted under the supervision of John Broderick and Celie Bateman.  This area has a pond with a sidewalk and raised boardwalk. It currently houses the Master Gardeners native plant pollinator garden. As it develops, it has potential to be further connect  a natural area of the park into a functional ecosystem.

WOPB monthly board meeting

Explore how native gardening can address climate challenges in our next Wild Ones national webinar, “Cultivating Change” with author and activist Lorraine Johnson. Johnson has been researching and writing about environmental issues for three decades. Learn about the pivotal role of gardening as an act of stewardship in the face of climate and ecological challenges. Discover the profound connections between individual gardens and the broader world and learn how these green spaces can serve as catalysts for positive ecological and social change.  Join Wild Ones for a practical and insightful discussion on gardening's positive impact on the environment and our future. 

Virtual registrants will receive a link to watch the talk live as well as a link to the recording. The recording will only be available for a limited time. 

Quarterly meeting with Propagation Workshop led by Wendy Rihner and Charlsie Shaver. Specific location TBA.

Monthly Board Meeting

Amber King of WO- GBR will give a presentation on the upcoming City Nature Challenge Talk to both WOPB members and the public at Pelican Park.  City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a bioblitz-style competition where cities are in a friendly contest with each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people.

Monthly board meeting

Registration for this event is now closed, and registrants have been emailed about attending. Please contact [email protected] if you have any issues getting in.

This will be a paid event for both in-person and remote viewing. Virtual registrants will receive a link to watch Dr. Kimmerer's talk live as well as a link to the recording. The recording will only be available for a limited time. 

Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Ecological restoration can be understood as an act of reciprocity, in return for the gifts of the earth. This talk explores the ecological and ethical imperatives of healing the damage we have inflicted on our land and waters. We trace the evolution of restoration philosophy and practice and consider how integration of indigenous knowledge can expand our understanding of restoration from the biophysical to the biocultural. Reciprocal restoration includes not only healing the land but our relationship to land. In healing the land, we are healing ourselves.

Wild Ones is excited to cohost this event with the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh's Earth Week 2024 and the Wild Ones Fox Valley Chapter. 

Monthly board meeting

Hannah March, native of Slidell, is a Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries agent in the Kisachie National Forest. She will give a presentation on natives in St. Tammany Parish.

Monthly board meeting

Meeting and presentation. 

Dive into the depths of Southeast Louisiana's bayou with artist Eddie Lanieri. Discover "Reliquary of the Bayou," a research grant funded by Platforms Fund Art, platformsfund.org . This Photography project explores the interaction of art, environmental crisis, and community advocacy. Antenna Gallery

Bio: Eddie Lanieri (Long Island, NY) currently works as a photography-based artist in NOLA. Lanieri's academic background in anthropology, with specializations in forensic anthropology and funerary archaeology, deeply informs her nuanced interpretation of grief and loss. Lanieri's notable contributions to the field have been recognized with a fellowship at the Salzburg Global Seminar and a 2023-24 Platforms Research Grant. Her work has been supported by prestigious organizations such as the Mellon Foundation and the Louisiana State Division of the ARts. Her projects and series have been featured in esteemed venues including the Lucie Foundation, The center for Fine ARt Photography, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Lowe Museum and The Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans. Her art is held in both private and public collections.

"Reliquary of the Bayou," employs Polaroid film maniulations, photographic destruction and chemical treatments to explore the environmental crisis impacting Southeast Louisiana's biodiversity. This work, which sits at the intersection of art and environmental advocacy, encapsulates the fragile interplay between life and death and acts as a poignant reflection on habitat destruction, climate change and invasive species. It is through this lens of artistic resistance and remembrance that Lanieri engages communities in dialogues around the legacies of place, loss and the critical environmental challenges facing the Gulf Coast.

"Reliquary of the Bayou" casts native species as poignant emblems of shared grief. By disrupting the delicate emulsion, Lanieri wants that loss to be part of the image-making process. These spectral fragments, unpredicatbly in their final form, become poignant witnesses to what remains, what is on the verge of being lost and the consequences of environmental degradation.

Monthly board meeting

Weed management Zoom meeting presented by Jennifer Prout. Outline of presentation TBA. REGISTRATION WILL BE REQUIRED.

Monthly board meeting

Mark Pastorek will present a Zoom talk on Native Prairies, Savannahs and Grasslands to include site preparation and optimal planting schedule.

Monthly board meeting

Quarterly meeting that will include a ZOOM presentation by Johnny Armstrong regarding his book Rescuing Biodiversity. A request will go out in May for the public to read the book prior to his presentation. REGISTRATION FOR THE ZOOM CALL WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THOSE NOT ATTENDING THE MEETING.

Monthly board meeting

Native Wild and Medicinal plant presentation to include cultural and historical perspectives on their use.

Guided tour with experts on the ecosystem of the Abita Flatwoods Preserve, such as Lattimore Smith and Nelwyn McGinnis or Matthew Herron. Registration will be limited (TBA) to protect the ecosystem of the area.

Monthly board meeting

Quarterly meeting with presentation on Native Soils and Soil Surveys by retired Soil Scientist, Ren Clark. Participants will be encouraged to bring their laptops to learn how to research the soil surveys for their own properties.

Monthly board meeting

End of the Year Membership Only and Holiday Meeting

Monthly board meeting