98th ESA Annual Meeting (August 4 -- 9, 2013)

August 03 - 09, 2013

FT 10

CANCELLED Ecology and Stewardship of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Greater Theodore Wirth Park

Are you interested in learning more about managing natural areas, parklands, and native plant gardens in an urban setting? Would you like to discover new ways to work in partnership with other organizations to create stewardship-based programs? Have you ever explored the oldest public wildflower garden in the nation? Join us for the day and discover the treasures of Theodore Wirth Park as you learn about stewardship activities that are carried out by staff and volunteers to preserve, protect and enhance them. Theodore Wirth Park, Minneapolis’ largest regional park, is home to a wide variety of plants and animals found in an array of ecosystems and landscape types. At 759 acres, numerous natural and cultural features abound, including the historic Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, the Quaking Bog, Wirth Lake, several wetlands and hundreds of acres of deciduous forests and woodlands. These areas are managed and monitored in a variety of ways, and to varying degrees, by Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board staff and partner organizations. This field trip will provide a compelling glimpse into the history, ecology and stewardship of this urban gem. More specifically, you will tour several areas within the Theodore Wirth Park, starting with the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and surrounding Preservation Zone, to learn about the management practices, goals and challenges for each area. You will hear directly from Friends of the Wild Flower Garden volunteers about the fruits of creating effective stewardship-focused partnerships and you will be able to see the results of this work first hand. A panel discussion over the lunch hour will provide an opportunity to ask in depth questions about the stewardship and vision for Theodore Wirth Park.