Saturday Field Sessions & Events

Saturday, May 30, 2026 | 6 AM-10 PM

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")

For our indoor events this evening, please come to:

West Monona High School

1314 15th Street

Onawa, IA 51040

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

Learn More

Schedule

Please check back regularly, this schedule is still being edited, but is the most up to date available.

6-7 AM

Birding Walk for All Ages - Mark, Ed, and Lee Brogie and Tucker Lutter

Meet at the campground parking lot for a short bird walk. Some binoculars are provided, personal binoculars and cameras recommended.

7-8 AM

Yoga - Theresa Dehn

Enjoy a morning yoga class in the heart of the Loess Hills.

7-8 AM

Breakfast

Pre-registered rolls and pastries. Coffee for Free Will Donation. Menu information available under the Meals tab on our website. 

8:15-10:10 AM

Breakout Session 1

Bird Tour by Auto - Sessions 1 & 2 (with option to return to camp at 10:15 AM) - Ed, Mark, & Lee Brogie and Tucker Lutter [short walk/driving, hands on, all ages]
Sylvan T. Runkel: Citizen of the Natural World – Larry Stone (camp, older students and adults)
Prairie Photography - Don Poggensee [short walk, hands on, older students and adults]
Loess Hills Bryophytes - Bill Zales [short walk, youth, older students and adults]
Woody Plants for Beginners – Brian Hazelett [short walk, all ages]
Conservation, Collages, & Creative Writing - Amie Adams [campsite, hands on, all ages]
Who’s Your Neighbor? A Plant’s-Eye View of the Prairie – Deb Lewis and Rich Pope [short walk, youth, older students and adults]
Building and Maintaining Sustainable Trails in the Loess Hills – Matt Moles [campsite, older students and adults]
Owls – Mariah Myers and Woodbury CCB Intern [campsite, all ages/kid friendly]
From Fragile Giants to Fragile Earth: A Retrospective – Connie Mutel [youth/older students and adults, camp]
Primitive Techniques – Shayne Benett [Campsite, youth/older students and adults]
Collect and Grow Your own Prairie- Tim Youngquist (campsite, hands on, older students and adults)

10:15 AM - 12:10 PM

Breakout Session 2

Bird Tour by Auto - Sessions 1 & 2 (with option to return to camp at 10:15 AM) - Ed, Mark, & Lee Brogie and Tucker Lutter [short walk/driving, hands on, all ages]
Connecting with the Landscape; Expressing a Sense of Place - Cheryl Buntsma and Kathy Koskovich [short walk/camp, youth/older students and adults]
Reptiles - Mariah Myers and Woodbury CCB Intern [campsite, all ages/kid friendly]
Soils of the Loess Hills – Rich Pope [drive/short walk/campsite, older students and adults]
Digital Images - Don Poggensee [campsite, youth/older students and adults]
Loess Hills Mammals - Bill Zales [campsite, hands on, kid friendly/all ages]
Milkweed Seed Balls – Nancy Crews [campsite, all ages, hands on]
Mann Country School Day – Judy Ehlers (Please sign up ahead of time online) [drive/short walk, hands on, youth, older students and adults] Note: Presenter will lead caravan from seminar site.
Restorative Recreation: Exploration Intersection between Nature Deficit Disorder, Nature Prescription, Avocation, and Creation Care to Human & Ecosystem Health – Patrick Swanson [older students and adults, camp]
Water: Lakota Spirituality and Science – Jerome Kills Small [kid friendly/all ages, camp]
Frogs and Toads of Iowa – Terry VanDeWalle and Marlene Ehresman [campsite, youth, older students and adults]
Butterfly Nature Garlands - Anna Stoysich [campsite, hands on, all ages]

12:10-1:10 PM

Lunch

Provided by Lidderdale Country Store Catering

1:15-4 PM

Breakout Session 3

Kayaking a Loess Hills Pond (Madigan Pond) – Andrea Porter [meet at camp/short drive/short walk, hands on, all ages] Note: Presenter will lead caravan from seminar site.
Fishing Clinic (Madigan Pond) – Katie Hoeppner and IA DNR Seasonal Staff [meet at camp/short drive/short walk, hands on, all ages] Note: Presenter will lead caravan from seminar site.
Slope, Rise, Smoke, Wise: A Reading of New Work by Loess Hills Writers (Madigan Pond) – Kelly Madigan, Amie Adams, Megan Renshaw, Robert Bauer, Kathy Timperley, Jane Daniel, Bridget Lillethorup, Todd Robinson, John Price, Patrick Swanson, Jeff Olson, Angie Vorhies, Deb Lewis, Glenn Pollock [meet at camp/short drive/short walk, older students and adults] Note: Presenter will lead caravan from seminar site.
Introduction to Archery – Butch Bowman [campsite, hands on, youth/older students and adults]
Prairie Flora of the Loess Hills - Dr. Tom Rosburg [long walk, hands on, older students and adults]
South Jordan Cemetery (Drive to Cemetery) – Judy Ehlers [drive/short walk, older students and adults] Note: Presenter will lead caravan from seminar site.
Half Sessions 1:15-2:45PM:
1. Talkin’ Turkeys - Connie Betts [campsite, hands on, kid friendly/all ages]
2. Growing Your Relationship with Creation – Michael O’Connor [camp, older students and adults]
3. Hands-on Handweaving – Natalie Jackson [campsite, hands on, all ages]
Half Sessions 2:45PM-4PM:
1. Birds and Binoculars – Morgan Sauer [short hike, hands on, kid friendly]
2. Hands-on Handweaving – Natalie Jackson [campsite, hands on, all ages]

4:15 PM

Travel for Dinner

Dinner at the West Monona High School

4:30-6 PM

Dinner & Doors Open for General Admittance

Dinner provided by Lidderdale Country Store. Take time to view exhibits and vendor booths and to bid on items in our silent auction to support LHPS.

6-8:30 PM

Children's Programs

6PM-6:50PM: Fantastic Fireflies! - Connie Betts
6:50PM-7:40PM: Children’s Program – Amy McDermott
7:40PM-8:30PM: Children’s Program - Dakota Popp

6 PM

Welcome

6:05-7 PM

Keynote Presentation: Love for the Hills through Adventure, a Prelude to the West and Grassroots Education – Dr. Tom Rosburg

Description TBD

7-7:30 PM

Break

Take time to visit with other attendees and presenters, view exhibits, and visit vendor booths.

Reminder: Silent Auction ends at 7:15PM tonight, please pay and pick up items before leaving.

Checkout begins at 8:15PM-9PM. Please plan to pay with cash or check.

7:30-8:15 PM

Loess Hills Prairie Seminar: Looking Back, Moving Forward

Join Dianne Blankenship as we reflect on 50 years of history at the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar and hear seminar coordinator Tyler Ruge share the planning committee's vision for the future of the seminar.

8:30 PM

Head to Campsite - Loess Hills Prairie Seminar Campsite

Parents, please collect your children from our children’s programming at this time.

West Monona High School building will close at 9PM. Everyone needs to leave the building before 9PM.

9 PM

Campground Activities -

Join us back at the LHPS campsite for nighttime activities, music, & s'mores!

9-11 PM

Campsite activities

Campfire and S'mores
Campfire Music - Kevin Harrington and Walt Peterson

11 PM

Campsite Quiet Hours Begin

LHPS offerings will resume on Sunday at 6 AM.

Download Schedule