Native plant enthusiasts, home gardeners, landowners, stormwater engineers, and landscape, land care, and wildlife professionals are invited to the virtual Grow Native! Professional Member Conference on Wednesday, November 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to learn about the benefits of using native plants to create functional, eco-friendly landscapes. The in-person conference will be held at the MU campus and is exclusive to Grow Native! professional members, but a virtual, Zoom option is open to all.
This Grow Native! professional member conference will focus on both the commercial and residential side of native landscaping. Following an introduction from Grow Native! Committee Chair Ronda Burnett, Elliott Deumler of Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries will present his keynote: “Forces of Nature: How Environmental Changes Impact Demand for Native Plants and Seed.”
Plenary speakers Dail Chambers of Coahoma Orchards, Chris Sanders and Neil Eisenberger of Lamar Johnson Collaborative, Missouri Department of Conservation Photographer Noppadol Paothong, Robert Hendrickson of 3G Farm, and City of Columbia employees Eric Hempel, Danielle Fox, and Richard Stone will share their experiences with creating, documenting, and/or maintaining native landscapes for the benefit of people and the environment.
“We have an exciting lineup of speakers who are well-versed in purpose-driven native landscaping,” said Ronda Burnett. “Native plants are and will continue to be important components of more sustainable landscaping practices now and into the future, and we are thrilled to bring the conversation to a wider audience via the hybrid format of our annual conference.”
When: Wednesday, November 8, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A link to the live conference will be sent to registrants prior to the conference for “live” attendance, and a link to the conference recording will be available to those who register and can be viewed on-demand.
Registration for virtual option: $30 for non-members; free for Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members
Register here by November 6, 2023
Not a Grow Native! professional member? Learn more about becoming a member here.
Not a Missouri Prairie Foundation member? Become a member here.
Grow Native! is a 23-year-old native plant marketing and education program serving the lower Midwest. Grow Native! is housed by the nonprofit Missouri Prairie Foundation, a 57-year-old prairie conservation organization and land trust. For more information about this workshop, the Grow Native! program, or the Missouri Prairie Foundation, call 636-303-7418 or send a message to outreach@moprairie.org.
Environmental Echo 