The Wild Things Conference Returns Saturday, March 1, 2025 - SOLD OUT
We’re thrilled to welcome you again to learn and share your expertise with our community. We’ve put together an exciting lineup of workshops and sessions from regional and national experts, plus meet & greets, video content, exhibitors, and sponsors. With over 140 presentations and discussion panels to choose from, the in-person program engages a diverse range of topics, research, and skills, and plenty of opportunities to meet with friends, old and new.
Thank you as well to our sponsors, scholarship supporters, and exhibitors who are all helping to make this another tremendously successful Wild Things.
Tickets for Wild Things 2025 are sold out. For additional information on the 2025 conference, visit wildthingscommunity.org.
**PLEASE NOTE: Some details are subject to change.**
NOTICE: Please be advised that photos and videos will be taken during Wild Things 2025. By attending, you consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded. Your attendance on this event constitutes your agreement to the use of any resulting media by Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves for promotional, marketing, or any other purpose in perpetuity, without further approval or any compensation.
Sign up or log in to bookmark your favorites and sync them to your phone or calendar.
Turfgrass lawns are the number one irrigated crop in North America. Not all lawns are residential, some occur within or alongside parks or natural areas. In many of these spaces, turf is incidental, not required. Turning these lawn spaces into full restorations is often not feasible, but there are options for a “middle ground” – a planting that is short, like lawn, but that delivers ecosystem services over and above those provided by turfgrass. This session will discuss possibilities for lawn alternatives at home, as well as in parks and preserves where lawn alternatives can serve as a 'bridge' between highly developed areas and natural areas. The session will be about 35 minutes of presentations, with 15 minutes for questions and discussion.
