March 5th, 2011 was another wonderful Wild Things conference. Here are some comments the organizers have received:
- “Wild Things – I think I LOVE YOU!!”
- “I truly loved the quality and content of the speakers. Remarkable Knowledge!”
- “I especially benefitted from that sense of Community that I feel nowhere so much as at that conference.”
- “First time I’ve come – it was terrific!”
- “The folks that came to listen to my presentation were inspiring.”
- “Saturday night, I kept waking up with snippets from the conference going through my head—in a good way.”
- “I heard so many people talking about how GREAT the conference was this year.”
- “It’s like energy and inspiration in a can that you can sip from in the months to come.”
And some statistics:
- 1131 registrants
- 124 presenters
- 69 sessions plus 2 keynotes and a poster session
- 9 authors
- 36 exhibitors
- 12 sponsors
- 72 volunteer organizers
Thank you all for making it the great day it was!
We have included a copy of the program book—please share it with local groups or individuals who may be interested in our conference or presenters. Please refer to Wild Things Conference Materials for conference resources and handouts given out by presenters.
The people who brought you Wild Things
Conference Co-Chairs
Jane Balaban, North Branch Restoration Project; Mary Lou Mellon, Bird Conservation Network
Program Committee
Karen Tharp, Nature Conservancy; Greg Rajsky, Lone Oak Fen; Judy Pollock, Audubon Chicago Region; Michael and Amelia Howard, Eden Place; Pete Jackson, Deer Grove
Track Shepherds
Benjamin Cox, Friends of the Forest Preserves; Justin Pepper, Audubon Chicago Region; Megan Dunning and Kurt Dreisilker, Morton Arboretum; Karen Glennemeier, Habitat Project; Julie Sacco, Chicago Park District; Stephen Packard, Somme Prairie Grove; Karen Tharp, Nature Conservancy; Michelle Uting, Chicago Wilderness; Abigail Derby and Becky Schillo, Field Museum; Jesse Elam, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning; Marianne Hahn, Friends of Kankakee Sands; Sherry Williams, Bronzeville Historical Society; Sophie Twichell, Chicago Botanic Garden
Publicity Committee
Michelle Uting and Lucy Hutcherson, Chicago Wilderness; Lisa Culp, North Branch Restoration Project; Eric Keeley, Elmhurst Great Western Prairie; Mary Eileen Sullivan, Sungmok Kim and Wanho Kim, Friends of the Park
Logistics Committee
Gina Lettiere (Chair), Loyola University; Keith Olson and Eric Keeley, Elmhurst Great Western Prairie ;Jason Steger, Chicago Park District; Carrie Nutter; Mary Carroll, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
Support Desk
Tom Lang, Habitat Project
Poster Session
Mary Eileen Sullivan, Friends of the Parks
Exhibitor & Sponsor Coordinator
Linda Masters, North Branch Restoration Project
Program Book
Jo Skoglund, Illinois Audubon Society
Book Signing
Kathy Garness, Plants of Concern
Map Maker
Sue Witkowski, North Branch Restoration Project
After-Party Planners
Michelle Parker, Habitat 2030
Packet Stuffers
Cindy Hedges and Volunteers, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
Day of Conference Volunteers
Natalie Bartnik, Whitney Behr, Stephanie Boxel, Melisa Causevic, Christine Evola, Kim Greene, Kelsey Horton, Dan Igoe, Angela Kerber, Eric and Jenny Keeley, Thorntenya (Tenya) Kina, Kara Martin, Elena Krieger, Dick Lanyon Anthony McGeath, Anita Mujkanovic, Sooji Oh, Alyssa O’Malley, Keith Olson, Aspen Sprague, David Steh, Wendolyn Tetlow, Taylor Unwin, Anna Wagner, Caitlin Zerr, Hannah Zillmer
Services Donated
- Web site: Marilyn L. Schweitzer and National Audubon Society
- Publicity: Christine Esposito, Terracom Public Relations, Inc.
- Cover Artwork: Bobby Garro Sutton
- Fox Artwork: Marlene Hill Donnelly
Staff Support
Provided by Judy Pollock and Janis Wesley of Audubon Chicago Region.
Sponsors
- Wildest: Anonymous, Chicago Park District, Chicago Wilderness, The Field Museum, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Openlands
- Wilder: This could have been you!
- Simply Wild: Prairie Moon Nursery, Terracom Public Relations, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Way of the Wilds,
Organized by Audubon Chicago Region in cooperation with the Habitat Project,
the Volunteer Stewardship Network, and Chicago Wilderness through funding from the USDA Forest Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service.
The following sponsors have generously subsidized this conference to keep costs low for participants: The Field Museum, Chicago Park District, The Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Openlands.