Friday Evening Events

Friday, June 3, 2022 | 4-10 PM

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For our indoor events this evening, please come to:

Onawa Community Center

320 10th St

Onawa, IA

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The address for our outdoor seminar site is:

Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area

178th St. & Oak Ave

Castana, IA

(On Google Maps, type in "Loess Hills Prairie Seminar Campsite")

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Please click the button below for more information about workshop facilitators/speakers and in-depth event descriptions.

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Learn More
 

Schedule

PLEASE NOTE: This information is still being updated and finalized. Some events may be subject to change.

4 PM

Doors Open

Items for the silent auction can be dropped off and exhibits/vendors can set up booths.

5 PM

Registration

Public can enter and view silent auction items, exhibits, and vendor booths.

6-8:20 PM

Children's Programs

  • 6-6:45 PM: Kids Craft Program - Connie Betts

  • 6:45-7:30 PM: Activity Session - YMCA

  • 7:30-8:20 PM: Animals of the Prairie - Chuck Hopp

  • 7:30-8:20 PM: My Patchwork Prairie - Northwest Iowa Group Sierra Club

6 PM

Welcoming Words

Welcome & Invocation - Kelly Madigan

Welcome - Larry Stone

6:05-7 PM

Loess Hills Organizations Updates

  • Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area and G.R.A.S.S. - Doug Chafa

  • Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation - Kody Wohlers

  • The Nature Conservancy - Graham McGaffin

  • Loess Hills Alliance - Rich Pope

  • Golden Hills RC&D - Lance Brisbois

  • Loess Hills State Forest - Jeff Seago

7-7:10 PM

Break

Check out our silent auction items, exhibits, and vendor booths.

7:15-7:45 PM

From Private Rec Area to State Park: How We Did It - Bill Blackburn

Join Bill Blackburn, president, Friends of Blackburn State Park; former chair, Loess Hills & Heritage Week; former chair,  the China-US Exchange on Loess Landforms, for his speech on Friday night - From Private Rec Area to State Park: How We Did It - in which he will discuss how he worked with various governmental and nonprofit organizations over the last 20 years to develop his 150-acre parcel in the Loess Hills of Fremont County into a state park and wildlife management area, now anchoring approximately 1000 acres of DNR preserved lands at that location.

7:50-8:45 PM

Keynote: Pollinators Breaking Dormancy - Sarah Nizzi

Please join us in learning about the pollinators of the Loess Hills ecoregion. Sarah Nizzi, of the Xerces Society, will give an overview of the status of pollinators, introduce pollinators of the Loess Hills we can all be on the look out for during the LHPS, and discuss how each of us can do our part to support these important organisms.

8:45 PM

Ending Announcements

Attendees can stay and engage with our silent auction, exhibits, and vendor booths, or head to our campground site.

9 PM

Campground Activities - Ron Butler

Join us at the campsite for nighttime activities & s'mores!

9-10 PM

Geocaching After Dark - Cheryl Buntsma

Ready for a challenge? Come explore what it’s like to find a cache in the dark! (Parents: Please accompany your children during this session.)

10 PM

Campsite Quiet Hours Begin

LHPS offerings resume on Saturday morning at 6 AM.