Old Growth Ecosystems: Hidden Knowledge and Ancient Stories
Our annual online conference will take place February 17-19, 2027.
Photo of Mounds View Grassland by Rob Baller.
Old Growth Ecosystems: Hidden Knowledge and Ancient Stories
Photo of Mounds View Grassland by Rob Baller.
Our annual online conference will take place February 17-19, 2027.
Old Growth Ecosystems: Hidden Knowledge and Ancient Stories
Virtual Conference, February 17-19, 2027
Virtual Conference, February 17-19, 2027
Prairies, grasslands, oak savannas and more. Explore the thousands of years of natural history and learn from the people who shaped our landscapes.
Our annual virtual conference brings together people of various prairie and savanna knowledge-levels. Whether you have deep roots in prairie restoration or your passion for these habitats has just begun to bloom, there’s a place for you to learn with our community.
Old Growth Ecosystems: Hidden Knowledge and Ancient Stories features two days of concurrent sessions and one day dedicated to our Burn School. Our conference includes multiple sessions through our Seeds of Discovery, Rooted in Research and Meandering Path tracks. You can enjoy hearing from keynote speakers Karen Oberhauser, Professor Emerita at UW-Madison Department of Entomology, and Michelle Nijhuis, Author, Editor and Journalist.
Special sessions this year include a Land Management Panel made up of longtime Prairie Enthusiasts, biodiversity trivia where you can flex your knowledge, Chapter Coffee Chats where you can connect with other nature lovers, prairie videos featuring The Prairie Enthusiasts’ sites in full bloom, and more!
Our conference is completely virtual, meaning you can join from anywhere.
Anyone who registers has access to recorded presentations for up to three months after our conference ends.
Register for the Conference
Tickets launch November 19. Register before December 31 for early-bird pricing.
| Early Bird | Standard | |
| General Admission | $70 | $85 |
| Burn School | $40 | $50 |
| Conference and Burn School Bundle | $95 | $115 |
| Student General Admission | $30 | $40 |
| Student Burn School | $30 | $40 |
| Student Conference and Burn School Bundle | $55 | $65 |
To be informed when tickets launch, sign up for our Organizational eNewsletter HERE.
Academic Partners
For $750, Academic Partners from academic institutions will be able to offer their students free tickets to the conference and receive recognition for their support of conservation efforts. For an additional $250, Academic Partners will be able to send their students to the virtual Burn School program attached to the conference. For further information, please contact Mission Advancement Coordinator Reid Bartholomew (Email).
Monarch Butterfly Biology and Conservation in a Changing World
Opening Keynote, Karen Oberhauser
Monarch butterfly populations have been declining over the last 25 years—essentially the entire time that we’ve been monitoring them. It is important to move beyond documenting this decline and focus on the challenge posed by monarch conservation and insect conservation in general. Karen will describe the amazing biology of migratory monarchs, how data collected by scientists and the public show us what is driving monarch numbers, and what we can do with that information. The take-home message will be how we can address species conservation in the face of climate and other human-driven changes, and how the work of The Prairie Enthusiasts–to educate about, protect, and restore prairies and savannas of the upper Midwest—is exactly what is needed.
Karen describes her research field, conservation biology, as the science of hope. The challenges we face as we work to preserve biodiversity are steep, but our collective concern for monarchs and, by extension, the thousands of species with which they share habitats can provide a glimmer of hope in a complicated and rapidly-changing world.
You can enjoy “Monarch Butterfly Biology and Conservation in a Changing World” presented by Karen Oberhauser on Wednesday, February 17, 5:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CST.
Learn more about Karen and her work HERE.
Karen Oberhauser, Professor Emerita at UW-Madison Department of Entomology
Finding Hope in Conservation History
Keynote, Michelle Nijhuis
This talk about the history of the modern conservation movement features stories about some of its most memorable characters. Through these characters, Michelle discusses the accomplishments and oversights of the movement over the past century and consider what today’s conservationists can learn from both, emphasizing the importance of community-led and Indigenous-led stewardship to the future of conservation.
You can enjoy “Finding Hope in Conservation History” by Michelle Nijhuis on Friday, February 19, 3:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. CST.
Learn more about Michelle and her work HERE.
Find deals on Michelle’s books including the recent Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction HERE.
Michelle Nijhuis, Author, Editor and Journalist
Sponsor the Conference
For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Mission Advancement Coordinator Reid Bartholomew (Email).
Questions?
info@theprairieenthusiasts.org / (608) 676-0985
If you would like to attend the conference but need financial assistance, we can provide a discount. Please contact Mission Advancement Assistant Cassidy Coulson (Email) for more information.
Refund Policy: Conference presentations and materials will be available on Whova for 3 months after the conference ends. Since you will be able to access all the presentations and materials whether you can attend live or not, conference tickets are non-refundable.