2024 Events

Jennifer Phillips-Vanderberg is the science director for the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory. Previously, she worked as a life scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency in Chicago, addressing water pollution issues primarily in eastern and southern Wisconsin. Phillips-Vanderberg is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She received her doctorate in Animal Behavior from the University of California-Davis, studying how birds are affected by climate. She grew up in Michigan, which taught her to love the birds and wild spaces of the region. After living for a decade on the West Coast, she loves being back in the Great Lakes Region and spends her free time hiking with her husband and rescue pup, Cisco, both of whom help her dig holes for native plants in her garden in Port Washington.

Zoom meeting details will be emailed to all chapter members one week before the meeting.

Beneficial Backyard Bugs (virtual meeting)

 Patrick (PJ) Liesch, Director of Insect Diagnostic Lab, UW-Madison

Wisconsin is home to 20,000+ insect species—the vast majority of which provide benefits to humans. In this presentation, we’ll discuss the many ways in which insects help us out and also take a look at how common these beneficial creatures can be in our own area.

Registered chapter members will receive Zoom link via email a week before the event.

Discussion of Monarch Trail video and chapter meeting. 

Zoom details will be shared with chapter members via email one week before the event.

Date subject to change due to weather conditions. Recorded program including the spring planting of a native tree donated by our chapter to Woodside Elementary School.

Virtual tour of Mary Jane's woodland yard. Link to recording will be shared with member one week before the meeting. Join the live Zoom session for Q&A with Mary Jane. 

Location to be determined in July and based on status of COVID pandemic. If it is unsafe to gather the membership in person, the tour will be recorded in advance, shared with members on YouTube and then discussed during a Zoom meeting.

Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases experienced in August, this in-person event has been cancelled. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notification of the recorded version of the tour.

Note: This event has been cancelled for 2021 and be rescheduled for late 2022. 

Connie Ramthun, native plant expert from the Kettle Moraine region, will teach the collecting, storing, and planting  of native wildflower and grass seed.  After seed collection and cleaning, participants will have seeds to take home. Location is in Sussex and will be shared with registered participants the week prior to the event.

Space is very limited for this hands on workshop and will be restricted to chapter members only. A registration email will be sent to all MRA chapter members in mid-August. 

Note: Workshop assumes that it is safe to meet in person by Fall of 2021. Chapter leadership reserves the right to cancel or change this event as necessary to ensure the safety of all involved. Face coverings may be required.

Chapter members only. Location to be shared via email with members of record in early November.

Time and location to be determined closer to the event.