Tag: education

PARTNER EVENT: Indiana Native Plant Society Auction Events

Speakers

Leading up to the live auction on May 22 will be virtual talks by two excellent speakers, live on Zoom.

11:00 a.m.  Top 5 Reasons to Grow Native  Emily Wood, Executive Director of the Indiana Wildlife Federation. A lifelong Hoosier originally from Terre Haute, Emily studied wildlife biology at Ball State University. She loves hiking, birdwatching, photography, and gardening and is working on restoring a 1986 Chevy Truck.

11:30 a.m.  Plant Tips and Live Auction Preview  Sue Nord Peiffer, a veteran of INPS auctions, knows just about everything there is to know about native plants and will clue us in to the fine points of plants offered in the live auction. She oversees the Madeline Elder Greenhouse at Newfields.

Registration

To participate in all that’s planned, you will need to register on two sites:

Givergy at https://givergy.us/indiananativeplants/ Register here to view and bid on auction items. New items are being added weekly! When you place your first bid, you will be asked to enter credit card information.

Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtfuCprzotGtU9iwbT1S-CcNBxEeIZRvH2 This will get you a link to the live event on Saturday, May 22, that includes speakers and the live auction.

If you have questions about the auction, address them to plantsale@indiananativeplants.org.

Auction Bidding

Bidding competition begins with an online silent auction opening at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, and continues through the week. The bidding fun will be capped by a virtual live auction at noon the following Saturday, May 22, followed by the close of silent auction bidding at 2:00 p.m.

Up for bid will be premium native plant specimens from from nurseries and garden centers in the Grow Indiana Natives program, along with select curated items and services specially chosen to entice bidders. A professional auctioneer will encourage bidding on six to ten choice or rare items that will be available only during the live auction.

All auction bidding will be conducted by means of your smartphone or laptop. We are using Givergy as our app to display auction items and track bids.

The pick-up location of each plant or plant package will be clearly designated in item descriptions, and bidders will retrieve their winnings at the donor nurseries.

National Wildlife Federation shares free online content for wildlife education at home.

We believe that connecting children with the wonders of wildlife — online and safely in-person — can help youth thrive during these unprecedented times.

So in addition to providing free access to our educational materials, we are also encouraging the safe and responsible enjoyment of the great outdoors by practicing six-feet of physical distancing (especially in parking lots and trailheads), regular hand-washing, and avoidance of common outdoor surfaces.

Here are a few resources to help inspire young people with the wonders of wildlife and nature:

Even though we’re all working remotely, we’re also continuing to advocate for wildlife with the help of millions of members all across the country. We’re working in Congress to ensure that the various recovery packages, especially infrastructure investments, help restore our natural resources, reduce pollution, and improve community resilience. We’re also working with members to pass the Great American Outdoors Act and the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. We’re also pushing back on the Administration’s efforts to reduce protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, limit the role of sound science in decision-making, and other imprudent activities — at a time when federal agencies should be focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Providing online educational materials and advocating remotely are just two small ways that the COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping the way the National Wildlife Federation conducts its work. We are taking our responsibilities to the public and our staff incredibly seriously even as we work to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world. We have closed all of our national and regional offices during the COVID-19 outbreak and asked all staff to telecommute until at least May 4. We have also suspended all in-person meetings and attendance at meetings convened by other organizations.

Here are the other formal steps the National Wildlife Federation is taking:

  • All domestic and international business travel has been suspended
  • All March and April 2020 meetings have been postponed or canceled
  • Meetings in May and June are being assessed for postponement or cancellation
  • The organization is helping members and activists advocate virtually
  • National Wildlife Magazine, Ranger Rick, and the National Wildlife Federation’s other magazines will continue to publish on a regular calendar.

The threats posed by COVID-19 are unlike anything we’ve seen or experienced in our lifetimes. That’s why the National Wildlife Federation has taken extraordinary steps to not only protect our employees, but also to help connect families with the resources that will help inspire children to love the wonders of wildlife during this difficult time.

We’re all in this together and we’ll be with you every step of the way.

Collin O’Mara
President & Chief Executive Officer
The National Wildlife Federation
703-438-6046 / Collin@NWF.org
www.nwf.orgUniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world

Indiana DNR Grassland Habitat Workshop

FREE ADMISSION AND TOUR: 2 dates/locations to choose from!

DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018
TIME 2–5 p.m. CT
LOCATION: 9522 N State Road 245 Lamar, IN 47550  (Spencer County)

DATE: Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018
TIME: 3–6 p.m. ET
LOCATION: 2750 S Pleasant Grove, Lyons, IN 46443

RESERVATIONS: Register by calling Emily Jacob, DNR, at 812-699-0264 or by contacting your local SWCD office.

LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PROPERTY FOR GRASSLAND WILDLIFE.
• Receive information about technical and financial assistance available to landowners for creating grassland habitat.
• Learn about the Grasslands for Gamebirds and Songbirds RCPP.
• Attend a grassland habitat tour led by a DNR biologist

VIEW | PRINT | SHARE the Flyers!

Snowy Owls

Indianapolis, IN. — Keep an eye to the sky this holiday season and you’ll likely see more than just snowflakes. Packs of rare snowy owls are expected to flock throughout the Midwest.

The snowy owls (bubo scandiacus) will be far from their Arctic home, according to wildlife officials. The famous snowy raptors are native to colder parts of North America and Eurasia, but migrate south from northern Canada every couple of years during a process called irruption.

Owls cycle through irruption – dramatic, irregular migration of large numbers of birds to areas they aren’t typically found – every four to five years. The last time it happened was in the winter of 2013-2014, when thousands of owls wandered down and settled throughout the U.S. East Coast and Great Lakes.

This is far from the first time snowy owls caught national attention. The birds caused quite a hoot when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone first hit theaters back in 2001. As the franchise grew, so too did public interest in these fantastic beasts.

The birds will face some challenges. Developed landscapes and telephone wires pose particular hazards, as do airport runways. Despite their magnificent look, scientists and researchers advise keeping a minimum of 100 yards away from the owls for their own safety.

-Madison Stacey