EAST ALTON – August’s Neighbor Nights event at Lewis and Clark Community College’s National Great Rivers Research and Education Center will not only feature a presentation on urban native habitat installations, but an open house and tours of the facility will also be available.

NGRREC Terrestrial Ecologist Lyle Guyon will discuss methods for installing a native habitat in an urban setting, including some techniques for overcoming obstacles often found in more developed areas.

“I’ll share some of the lessons we’ve learned here at NGRREC,” Guyon said. “Folks interested in native plants will be able to hear about some of the practical implications of installing and maintaining native landscaping around their homes and/or workplace.”

Following his presentation, Guyon will lead a guided walking tour of the grounds and green roof. The tour will highlight several distinct zones of vegetation, from the wetter lowland area and the dryer side slopes and terraces, to the rooftop, which mimics a hill prairie.

In accordance with the state’s new COVID-19 safety mandate, masks will be required indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are not required outdoors unless social distancing is not possible.

Neighbor Nights will be held from 6:30-8 p.m., Tuesday, August 17. The open house is from 6:30-7 p.m. that evening, during which time members of the community can view some of the facility’s labs and learn more about the Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station.

Registration is not required for Neighbor Nights, but is recommended. RSVP at https://conta.cc/3x8TvyB.

For more information, contact Director of Environmental Education Sarah Fisher at saafisher@lc.edu.

National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠)

Founded in 2002 as a collaborative partnership between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Lewis and Clark Community College, The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center is dedicated to the study of great river systems and the communities that use them. The center aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education, and outreach related to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds and their associated communities.