Free Winter Webinar Series: Prairie Reconstruction Initiative (PRI)

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minnesota department of natural resources

Prairie Reconstruction Initiative Winter Webinars

Land managers, biologists, and other conservation professionals standing in front of a remnant prairie

The Prairie Reconstruction Initiative is excited to announce our 2022 winter webinar series. At lunchtime on Wednesdays in February, you are invited to log-into your internet connected device from the comfort of your office, home, or other favorite place to join us as we learn more about birds, bees, and plants and their connection to prairie reconstruction and management. Sit back, eat your lunch, and expand your mind (not just your stomach)!

 

Dates and Topics

DNR Scientist, Mike Worland, admires a beetle on his finger during prairie surveys

February 2, 1:00-2:00 pm, CST

Monitoring effectiveness of prairie restorations for grassland birds

Mike Worland, nongame wildlife biologist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Mike will review southwest Minnesota prairie restoration bird community studies spanning three years and two projects, including a pilot project to evaluate effectiveness of the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan. Mike will present early findings of bird community differences among low-diversity grasslands, remnant prairie, and restorations. He will also provide insights and lessons learned that can be applied to effectiveness monitoring for a variety of ecological responses.

Click here to join this webinar (Microsoft Teams)

 
DNR Ecologist, Megan Benage headshot and BWSR Senior Ecologist, Dan Shaw headshot

February 9, 1:00-2:00 pm, CST

Pollinator friendly solar and prairie reconstruction

Megan Benage, regional ecologist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Dan Shaw, senior ecologist and vegetation specialist, Board of Water and Soil Resources

The Minnesota solar energy industry is growing by leaps and bounds. With that growth is an opportunity to find stackable benefits (such as lower cost energy production, water retention, improved soil health, habitat creation) for pollinators and other wildlife. Megan and Dan will define pollinator-friendly solar and how clean energy development can provide important connections on the landscape.

Click here to join this webinar Microsoft Teams

 

 
Dr. Alex Harmon-Threatt photo of herself in a prairie surveying pollinators

February 16, 1:00-2:00 pm, CST

Pollination ecology, conservation, and prairie restoration

Dr. Alex Harmon-Threatt, associate professor, Entomology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Pollinators play a vital role in plant reproduction, food production, and ecosystem stability but are believed to be declining globally. Dr. Harmon-Threatt's work focuses on identifying and understanding patterns in natural environments to help conserve and restore pollinator diversity. With a particular focus on bees, she investigates how a number of factors at both the local and landscape scale, including plant diversity, isolation and bee characteristics, affect bee diversity in local communities.

 

Click here to join this webinar (Microsoft Teams)

 

The Prairie Reconstruction Initiative is a collaboration of practitioners and researchers from more than 30 conservation organizations, as well as individuals, who have joined forces to improve the prairie reconstruction process.

Questions about registration? Contact Megan Benage at megan.benage@state.mn.us 

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