| The Lake to Prairie Chapter of Wild Ones in Round Lake Beach is hosting a native landscaping conference, Nature’s Best Hope, on Saturday, November 13, 2021, from 9:00am – 12:00pm. The guest speaker is Doug Tallamy, the author of two books, Nature’s Best Hope and The Nature of Oaks. Doug joined the faculty of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in 1981 where he is now completing his 31st year. He currently serves as Chair of the Department and is also director of the Center for Managed Ecosystems. |
The one-day conference will be held at the Village of Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center, 2007 N. Civic Center Way, Round Lake Beach, IL. The conference will have two main sessions.
Session 1
| Recent headlines about global insect declines, the impending extinction of one million species worldwide, and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Tallamy will discuss simple steps that each of us can- and must- take to reverse declining biodiversity and will explain why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope. |
Session 2
| Once we have decided to restore the ecological integrity of our suburban neighborhoods, we need to decide what plants to add to our properties. Oaks are superior trees for suburban restoration projects because of their many ecological and aesthetic attributes. Doug Tallamy will compare oak species to other popular shade trees in terms of their ability to support animal diversity, protect watersheds, sequester carbon dioxide, and restore lost plant communities. |
For more information and to register for the conference, please visit the Wild Ones website.
