Kaitlyn O’Connor is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner based out of Winona, MN. In her role as a Plant Ecologist at ISG, she collaborates with an interdisciplinary team of engineers, landscape architects, and environmental scientists to restore habitat and integrate native biodiversity into the built environment. With a strong land ethic and dedication to land stewardship, she develops habitat management plans, designs site restorations, incorporates native species into urban landscapes, conducts biological surveys, and creates natural resource reports for local, state, and federal agencies. Outside of her professional work, she considers herself a homesteader and keeps busy with gardening, food preservation, and tending to her small flock of chickens.
Category Archives: chapter_meeting
March 23: Lightning Talks and More – In Person
Our March meeting will include another round of Lightning Talks! We’re looking for several people to give 5 minute talks on something they are excited about and think would be interesting to our members. In the past, presentations have included a favorite native plant, a new project or wildlife in their yards, virtual tours of natural areas, or DIY gardening tips .
This time we will meet in person at Autumn Grove Park, 1365 Lydia Avenue West, Roseville. If you would like to contribute snacks for this meeting, let us know in advance at contact@bigriverbigwoods.org.
This will be a hybrid meeting: zoom link
Feb. 23: Sax-Zim Bog Diversity: Plants and Pollinators
When: February 23, 2023, at 6:45 p.m.
Where: Zoom: link.
Join us for our February Chapter Meeting which is being co-hosted with the Prairie Edge Chapter.
The Sax-Zim Bog is a mosaic of habitats, best known for winter bird and wildlife watching. Upland and lowland conifer forests, riparian woodlands, and even open agricultural lands host a wide diversity of critters, not just during the winter, but during the summer months as well! From May to September the abundance of insect and plant life can truly be appreciated. This talk will consider the greater Sax-Zim Bog and the work done in the region by the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog, as well as take some time to consider the special relationships to the plants and pollinators within the landscape. Join us for a winter respite and get excited once again about warm weather and buzzing bees!
Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus is the Head Naturalist for the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog. He has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Biology from St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN, as well as a Master’s in Environmental Education from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. His interests range far and wide, and like many naturalists, loves anything and everything about the natural world. Specific interests include conservation of rare and endangered species, prairie and bog ecosystems, odonates, orthoptera, moths, spiders, lichens, mosses, fish, amphibians and reptiles…. the list goes on!
Jan. 11: The Importance of Plant Identity for the Conservation of Species Interactions
When: January 11, 7 p.m.
Where: zoom: link
Join us for our January Chapter Meeting, co-hosted with the Prairie Edge Chapter.
Our presenter, Desiree Narango, is a Conservation Scientist at Vermont Center for Ecostudies. Her research focuses on biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration in the face of global change. She primarily studies plants, insects, and birds with a particular focus on multi-trophic interactions, habitat relationships of wildlife with specialized life histories, and mechanistic approaches to applied ecology. Much of Desiree’s work takes place in forests of all types, from naturally regenerating and preserved forests to novel ecosystems significantly altered by people, such as urban street trees, residential yards, and agroforestry.
As a conservation biologist at VCE, Desiree’s ultimate goal is to help land managers and communities implement effective and efficient action to support biodiversity and people in a rapidly changing world. She completed her Ph.D. in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in 2018, an MS in Natural Resources from the Ohio State University in 2012, and a BS in Environmental Biology from SUNY: ESF in 2006.