GODFREY – The Grow Native! Southwestern Illinois Event Committee will present an exciting lineup of speakers, featuring national award-winning author Doug Tallamy at its sold out ‘Native by Design: Landscapes Beyond Beauty’ workshop Feb. 26 at the N.O. Nelson Campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Edwardsville.

The event will run from 7:30 a.m. to noon, and will highlight information from the frontline of concepts surrounding the value of native plants in our communities.

“Lewis and Clark’s N.O. Nelson campus is excited to host this important workshop,” said L&C Director of Sustainability Nate Keener. “The Native by Design event will provide information to homeowners, community officials, landscape enthusiasts and professionals about how native plants sustain native pollinators and cherished wildlife.” 

Participants will learn:

• Key concepts and methods for integrating native plants on their land (for homeowners, communities, businesses or institutions)
• Why communities need native plants
• How communities, homeowners, businesses and professionals can promote pollinators and practice sound stewardship

Keynote speaker Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 84 research publications and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, Humans and Nature, Insect Ecology and other courses for 34 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. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence.

Other local and regional presenters include:

• Jean Ponzi, Missouri Botanical Garden
• Rich Macho, Madison County SWCD
• Becky McMahon, DJM Ecological
• Mitch Leachman, St. Louis Audubon Society
• Ellen Nordhauser, Master Gardener and Master Naturalist
• Tom Shirrell, Green Thumb Nursery
• Scott Moss, Lewis and Clark Community College
• Tom Doyle, HeartLand Prairie
• Jesse Riechman, Southern Illinois Prescribed Burn Association
• Bill Klunk, The Gardens at SIUE
• Lyle Guyon, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

The 16-year-old Grow Native! program of the Missouri Prairie Foundation is a native plant education and marketing program. For more information, visit www.grownative.org.

For more information about the Missouri Prairie Foundation, visit www.moprairie.org.

Lewis and Clark Community College is a two-year higher education institution with multiple campuses, a river research center, Community Education Centers and training centers located throughout the 220,000+ person college district, which reaches into seven counties. L&C is dedicated to “greening” its campuses, reducing the college's carbon footprint and providing technical assistance in sustainable practices and education. Learn more at www.lc.edu/green.

The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center is a partnership of Lewis and Clark Community College and the University of Illinois. For more information about NGRREC℠ visit www.ngrrec.org.