Oregon Nature Alliance

03/27/2026

Check out this upcoming event to learn about easy steps to support birds and native bees in our gardens at home!

Join us for an evening of learning about easy steps to support birds and native bees in our gardens at home!

Get inspired to build up your spring habitat and expand the birds you see in your garden, all while investing in a more natural habitat for all.

When: Wednesday, April 8th from 7 to 8:30pm

Where: Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra building in Madison or on Zoom

Register at https://swibirds.org/all-events/2026/4/8/gardening-for-winged-wonders

This event is co-hosted by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, SOS Save Our Songbirds, and NRF

📸: Jennifer Lazewski

Image: cedar waxwing perched in a berry bush

01/11/2026

This looks like a great presentation - check it out!

Register now: https://wildones.org/conversation-with-robin-wall-kimmerer-esther-bonney/

🌿 Meet our webinar guest, Robin Wall Kimmerer. A botanist, author, educator, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Robin’s work bridges Indigenous knowledge and ecological science to deepen our relationships with land and community. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass, The Serviceberry, Bud Finds Her Gift, and Gathering Moss, and the founder of Plant Baby Plant and the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.

Robin is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, a MacArthur Fellow, and has shared her work with audiences ranging from NPR’s On Being to the United Nations General Assembly. Her research and writing focus not only on restoring ecological systems, but also on restoring our relationships with the living world.

Join Robin and youth leader Esther Bonney for Intergenerational Care for Land and Community, a live conversation exploring belonging, reciprocity, and how people of all ages can take meaningful action with native plants.

🌱 This conversation is presented in partnership with Plant Baby Plant and Nurture Natives. Donations made at registration support community-rooted native plant projects.

Background 📸 by Lewis Ulman, Wild Ones Columbus, OH Chapter.

10/10/2025

Leave the leaves AND leaf-free streets!

“Leaf-free Streets” or “Leave the Leaves”? You don’t have to choose!

Since putting a “Leaf-free Streets” sign in my yard, several neighbors have asked if it conflicts with “Leave the Leaves” messages from Wild Ones and Xerces Society. The good news — these two campaigns can actually work together!

Here’s how:
“Leave the Leaves” → Keep leaves in your yard or compost them in your landscaping to provide cozy winter homes for pollinators and other beneficial insects.
“Leaf-free Streets” → Simply make sure leaves aren’t ending up in the street gutters, especially before it rains. This prevents leaves and nutrient-rich “leaf-tea” from flowing into Lake Wingra and feeding algae blooms with phosphorus.

By leaving the leaves in your yard and keeping them out of the street, you’re helping both local wildlife and Lake Wingra’s water quality.

Why it matters:
• Keeping leaves out of the street is one of the most impactful things you can do to reduce phosphorus and prevent algae blooms in Lake Wingra. Learn more: ripple-effects.com/Leaf-free-Streets
• Leaving leaves in your yard supports pollinators and other invertebrates through the winter. Learn more: xerces.org/blog/leave-the-leaves | madison.wildones.org/leaves/

Let’s work together for healthy lakes and healthy habitats this fall!

09/20/2025

Want to learn about rain gardens, native gardens, seed collection and more?! Come ask questions and learn from the experts! Walk-ins are welcome.

🌱 Join us and Wild Ones Madison for the next 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝘂𝗯 on 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝟮𝟭 at the Lussier Family Heritage Center!

💧 This month’s topic: 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀 & 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀—celebrating WI Stormwater Week. We’ll also cover 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and growing your own plants.

👩‍🌾 Experts will be on hand to answer your garden design questions—species selection, layout ideas, and more.

𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱—register today to save your spot! Cost = $5 per person.
https://lussierheritagecenter.com/Event/Detail/2511

07/11/2025

There are still some pollinator garden kits available to pick up this Sunday! Only $24 for 16 plants! Here is the direct link: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/5FY33JR65KMHM/checkout/5U7WQJDGIRCX7L6W37NQFODI

This year our Environmental Fun Fair will include a Native Gardening Learning Hub area where you can learn from local experts about site preparation, garden design, pollinator friendly yards and more! You can also preorder a pollinator kit and pick it up during this event.

Learn more at: https://lussierheritagecenter.com/Event/Detail/2470

07/07/2025

We are happy to announce that we will again be offering the Oregon S.H.A.R.E.s program! 𝗦.𝗛.𝗔.𝗥.𝗘. stands for 𝗦imply 𝗛ave 𝗔reas 𝗥eserved for the 𝗘nvironment. Through this program, we offer free yard visits to residents in the Village of Oregon to discuss ways to improve wildlife habitat. In addition, we can help residents plan and plant a new native plant garden in their yard.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:
Using the link below, residents of the 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗻 can sign up to participate in Oregon S.H.A.R.E.s. Once signed up, a member of the Oregon Nature Alliance will contact you to set up a 𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁. At the visit we will discuss ways for you to 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁 in your yard, including ways to incorporate native plants. If you’d like a 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 from the Oregon Nature Alliance we can help you determine a good location - preferably in a 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 space such as your front yard, so you can share your garden with your friends and neighbors. You would then 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 (around 30 square feet) so it is ready to plant. Once your garden area is ready, we will supply you with a tray (~32 plants) of beautiful, hardy 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 to plant in your garden.

𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙮𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚!

All we ask from you is to care for and learn about your garden and 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 with it with your friends and neighbors.
Your friends at the Oregon Nature Alliance will visit as many yards and help create as many gardens as we have time and plants available this summer.

𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙙𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚!

𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗨𝗽 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲:
https://forms.gle/anVTQ69Z9vSv5aCK8

Thanks to Adapt: Community Supported Ecology and The Pollinator Partnership for inspiration and information for Oregon S.H.A.R.E.s.

04/29/2025

The weather should be perfect this weekend for the Anderson Farm Park Spring Festival! We'll be there with native plant seeds to start and a fun nature craft!

🌸✨ SPRING FESTIVAL MAGIC IS BACK! ✨🌸
Sunday, May 4 | 1–4 p.m. | Anderson Farm County Park, 📍914 Union Road, Oregon, WI.

Calling all little adventurers (ages 2–9) and their families—join us for an afternoon of fairy door hunts, face painting, kite flying, crafts, music, bubbles, and magical fun in the great outdoors!

🧚‍♀️ Search for 20 hidden fairy doors & 70 painted alphabet - native plant rocks
🎨 Get your face painted by the amazing Desere Mayo
🧵 Make beaded bracelets and fairy wands
🌱 Start a seed at the Oregon Nature Alliance booth
🎶 Enjoy live music by Randy Plunkett
🪁 Take home a FREE kite (while they last) and see how high it can fly!
🦋 Costumes welcome—come dressed as a fairy or woodland critter!
💧Free bottled water provided by Middleton Crossing
🏡 Rock art donated by local artists

🎟️ FREE! No registration required. No rain date.

Spread the word and tag a friend who loves spring fun!

This free, community-powered event is hosted by Anderson Park Friends, Inc., and the Oregon-Brooklyn Optimists Club, with support from the Oregon Wellness Coalitions and the Oregon Public Library. Art contributions are provided by 14 South Artists and others. Local businesses Inkworks Press (Stoughton), Culver's, Wisco Industries, JL Richards, and Kwik Trip are proud supporters.

🔗 More info: www.andersonparkfriends.org

04/20/2025

Here's another opportunity to get help incorporating native plants into your landscape!

Join our staff and Wild Ones Madison volunteers for our next Native Garden Learning Hub!

This month’s learning topic will focus on 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀, such as a lawn or larger property, to native plants and how to make your existing lawn more pollinator friendly:

✱ 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀
✱ 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀
✱ 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝗻𝘀
✱ 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
✱ 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲
✱ 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

Learn more and sign up online at: https://www.danecountyparks.com/Event/Detail/2308