The Sommett Place off Old Big Bend subdivision in Kirkwood was our meeting site.
President Ed Schmidt welcomed 8 guests and 29 members.
Announcements and Volunteer Opportunities
Membership
Betty Struckhoff discussed membership benefits.
St. Louis Earth Day Festival
Fran Glass thanked the 18 volunteers who staffed our educational booth at the Festival and wrapped 400 Missouri Department of Conservation seedlings to give away. There were a total of 26 volunteer shifts.
Little Creve Coeur (Lake) Restoration Project site was our meeting location.
Betty Struckhoff offered the remaining shrub and tree seedlings from our group purchase.
President Ed Schmidt welcomed 23 members and one guest.
Announcements and Volunteer Opportunities
Crossroads School Rain Garden
Earlier this year we awarded a grant for native plants to Crossroads College Preparatory School for a front entrance rain garden enhancement. They need a few volunteers to help plant the garden on April 6 at 9am for one-half day.
Membership Chair Betty Stuckhoff welcomed thirty-two members and guests at The Heights community center of Richmond Heights.
Announcements and Volunteer Opportunities
St. Louis Earth Day Festival in Forest Park – April 21
Seedling wrapping – April 20
Fran Glass circulated volunteer sign-up sheets to staff our educational booth at the Festival and for wrapping MDC seedlings to give-away.
We need plastic newspaper sleeves to wrap 400 Missouri Department of Conservation seedlings. Please bring them to the April meeting.
Vice-President Bill Hoss welcomed 22 guests and 26 Wild Ones members at The Heights community center of Richmond Heights. Membership chair Betty Struckhoff discussed benefits of membership.
Announcements
Bill announced the upcoming “Partners for Native Landscaping Workshop for Homeowners” to be held February 23 at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.
Wild Ones enjoying the November potluck meal
Members were joined by three guests at our annual potluck dinner and seed exchange, held at the First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood.
Copies of our chapter membership list and the 2013 meeting and event calendar were distributed.
Discussion Topic
Several members described successes and challenges of the year in their gardens, including effects of heat and drought.
Touring the Hummels’ woodland garden
Twenty-five members met at Joan and Larry Hummel’s property for our annual Saturday potluck lunch membership meeting. Joan led a tour of her woodland garden and Larry’s prairie. The Hummels purchased their property in 1995. Larry described experiences they have had in restoring the property to a native ecosystem and shared stories of the wildlife they have enjoyed. Ed Schmidt thanked the Hummels for their hospitality and led the meeting.
Continue reading
by Betty Struckhoff
Bubbler to create running water
“I never imagined there was a residential landscape like this in the St. Louis area.” That was one of the comments as Wild Ones members strolled through a buffalo grass lawn, a woodland with a bubbling stream and acres of prairie at the beautiful home of Joan and Larry Hummel on October 6. Continue reading
Forest Park Forever ecologist, Peter VanLinn III, speaking to Wild Ones
Forest Park Forever Park Ecologist, Peter VanLinn, presented a walking tour around the Deer Lake native restoration area which includes prairie, savannah, wetland and an education area with demonstration plants. Management processes were discussed. Ed Schmidt emphasized the importance of supporting projects as this for their native habitat value. Ed welcomed our 23 members and 3 guests.
By Fran Glass
At the University of Missouri-St. Louis our hostess was Jen Fruend of CHERP (Campus Honors Environmental Research Program). CHERP is an urban ecology honors college course studying natural ecosystems to restore wildness to the campus, local parks, and neighborhood. Jen is a CHERP Education and Ecology Instructor and doctoral student in Science Education with focus on plants. She teaches an integrative, sustainable, ecological studies class for non-science majors that fulfills a science credit.