You are invited to attend

Minnesota Woodland Owner Weekend

MN WOW!

- Nationally Recognized Keynote Speakers - - Statewide Experts for Concurrent Sessions -

- Field Trips - Networking - Exhibit Hall - Door Prizes - Meals - - Beautiful 2500-acre Abbey Arboretum - Awards -

Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3, 2020

Saint John’s Abbey and University 2850 Abbey Plaza Collegeville, Minnesota 15 minutes west of St. Cloud *We are prepared to offer conference virtually if needed.

Space limited to first 275 participants. Open to anyone interested in woodlands and nature.

Register today to reserve your spot

csbsju.edu/outdooru

Area lodging information on event web page

Conservation of Minnesota’s Big Woods Lee Frelich Friday, October 2 - 7:30 p.m.

Minnesota's Big Woods are highly fragmented and many of the remnants also have invasive species such as earthworms and buckthorn, and high deer populations. These problems lead to the question: can all of the native species survive on a small fraction of the original area? Examine how to quantify this problem and discuss potential solutions for the case of native plant species, which provide the base of ecosystem function.

Lee E. Frelich is Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology. He received a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986. Frelich has authored more than 183 publications with 240 coauthors from 23 countries, including major works for Cambridge University Press, and Oxford University Press. He is

listed among the top 1% of all scientists in the world in the Ecology and Environment category by the Web of Science. His research has been featured in the news media 500 times, including such venues as The New York Times, Newsweek and National Geographic. Frelich has provided consulting services on forest management for the U.S. Army, Air Force, National Forest Service, and National Park Service. Current research interests include large-scale fire and wind, earthworm inva-sion, and climate change in temperate and boreal forests.

Nationally Recognized Keynote Speakers

Nature’s Best Hope Doug Tallamy Saturday, October 3 - 9:00 a.m. Book signing after presentation

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.

Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 102 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 40 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers’ Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Doug’s new book Nature’s Best Hope, released by Timber Press in February 2020, is a New York Times Best Seller. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence, the 2018 AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award, and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award.

Choosing the Best Trees to Plant Eli Sagor, Program Manager, UMN Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative

Know Your Land for Management DecisionsBrian Huberty, Minnesota Forestry Association

Encouraging Native Species / Controlling Invasive PlantsCheryl Culbreth, Landscape Restoration, Inc.

Providing for Pollinators in Your WoodlandsSarah Foltz Jordan, Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, and Karin Jokela, Pollinator Conservation Planner, Xerces Society

Chronic Wasting Disease: Separating Fact from FictionRyan M. Rothstein, Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District

Managing Your Woods with Emerald Ash BorerMatt Russell, Associate Professor/Extension Specialist, UMN Department of Forest Resources

Financial Assistance Programs for Minnesota Woodland OwnersAndy McGuire, Forestry Incentives Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Wild Edible Plants that Might be on Your PropertyRandy Schindle, Cooperative Management Foresters, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Herbicide Use to Control Unwanted Plants Gary Wyatt, Extension Educator, UMN Department of Forest Resources

Highlights of Minnesota’s Forest Products IndustryKristin Bergstrand, Timber Utilization & Marketing Consultant, MN Department of Natural Resources

Complete session descriptions found at csbsju.edu/outdooru

Saturday Concurrent Session Highlights

Friday Guided Field Trips

Oak Regeneration Tour 1 p.m.

Features 20 years of adaptive management including shelterwoods, deer exclosures, matting, and strip regeneration techniques.

Habitat Restoration Project 1 p.m.

Features restored wetland, prairie, oak savanna, decidous forest, and conifer forest in one beautifully biodiverse 1.5 mile loop hike.

Oldest MN Conifer Planting 2:30 p.m.

Planted in 1896 after a tornado, this stand of white pine, red pine, Scots pine, and Norway spruce is the oldest documented conifer planting in the state.

Techniques to Encourage and Engage Children in Nature Play 2:30 p.m.

On an outdoor walk, experience engaging nature play techniques, tips, and staging ideas along the way.

Supported By:

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDSaint John’s University

2945 ABBEY PLAZA | P.O. Box 3000COLLEGEVILLE, MN 56321-3000

CSBSJU.EDU/OUTDOORU | OUTDOORU@CSBSJU.EDU | 320.363.3163

Friday, October 2Registration Opens Noon

Field Trip Session 1 1-2:15 p.m.

MFA/MNWWN Meetings 1-2:15 p.m.

Field Trip Session 2 2:30-3:45 p.m.

Canoeing on Lake Sagatagan 4:00 p.m.

MFA Year in Review 4:00 p.m.

Informal Happy Hour 5:00 p.m.

Dinner (Included) 5:30 p.m.

History of Avon Hills / Saint John’s 6:30 p.m.

Tree Farm Awards 7:00 p.m.

Keynote: Conservation of Minnesota’s Big Woods 7:30 p.m.

Beach Bonfire Social 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 3Registration & Exhibit Hall Opens 7:30 a.m.

Welcome 8:45 a.m.

Keynote: Nature’s Best Hope 9:00 a.m.

Concurrent Session 1 10:15 a.m.

Concurrent Session 2 10:45 a.m.

Concurrent Session 3 11:15 a.m.

Concurrent Session 4 11:45 a.m.

Lunch (Included) 12:05 p.m.

Concurrent Session 5 1:05 p.m.

Exhibit Hall Closes 2:30 p.m.

Join us for Minnesota Woodland Owner Weekend

Register today!

Single Day Registration (Fri or Sat) - $35 Early Registration Two Day Registration (Fri and Sat) - $70 Early Registration $5 Daily Discounts for Members of MFA, MNWWN, and Outdoor U Early registration ends August 28, 2020