Conference Photos | Lodging | Schedule | Full Agenda | Registration | Instructor Biographies
The Conference is over. Hope everyone who came had a good time, learned some new things, and reacquainted with other MN friends! The website will have some photos from the Conference, classes and field trips soon!
This year’s theme of “We’re All in This Together” relates to the interconnectedness of our natural world. The thread following this theme includes 4 classes and the keynotes: “Growing Caterpillars: A Tale of Bird, Plants and Conservation”; “Plant Symbioses – an Introductory Overview”; “The Interconnected World of Orchids”; “Connectivity: Brookies, Benthics and Us”; and “Cooperation and Competition in our Woodlands.”
The Schedule, Full Agenda, Lodging information and Registration can be found via the drop down links above.
Friday Keynote
“Growing Caterpillars: A Tale of Bird, Plants, and Conservation” — Jim McCormac
There are perhaps 2,600 species of moths and approximately 140 butterfly species in West Virginia. The conspicuous and often showy winged adults are the short-lived finale of a four-stage life cycle: egg, pupa, caterpillar, and adult. It’s caterpillars that make much of the natural world go around, and countless billions become food for other organisms. Without vegetation-eating caterpillars and the native plants that they require, most songbirds would go extinct, botanical diversity would plummet, and our forests would fall silent.
Saturday Keynote
“Our Mountain Peatlands, Why I Think They are Cool and You Should, Too” – Kevin Dodge
An introduction to the high elevation peatlands of the Central Appalachians. The formation and ecology of these wetlands will be discussed, as will some of the unique plants and animals that occupy them.