Wondering how to get the most out of your next ecological restoration project? Extension and the Legacy Fund Restoration Evaluation Program host free professional development webinars for ecological restoration practitioners and project managers. Previously recorded webinars are available for viewing here as well.
Find out more about the Ecological Restoration online series
When you select "Register" for one of the webinars below you can register for any combination of the four webinars.
Upcoming events
Webinar series
Webinar recordings and resources
Climate change adds complexity to restoration planning and implementation. Project managers must build contingency plans, especially concerning native vegetation establishment, to account for precipitation, flooding and drought variability.
Hear from state agencies and contractors on how contingency planning has played a critical role in effective stream and wetland restorations.
Presenters
Lucius Jonett has contributed to the restoration of 33 miles of streams and 139 acres of wetlands. He started Midwest Wetland Improvements in 2020 to restore and protect water resources and habitats. His consulting firm designs ecological restoration of degraded stream and wetland systems and integrates stormwater management and green infrastructure in the human-built environment.
Ben Carlson is the wetland mitigation coordinator with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). He works with landowners to establish conservation easements and restore wetlands and prairie on private lands for the Local Government Road Wetland Replacement Program (LGRWRP). As part of the establishment process, he monitors hydrology and vegetation performance standards to ensure the wetland banks are developing properly.
Watch the webinar (April 11, 2024).
In this video, learn how climate adaptation plays a role in forest restorations and hear examples of how land managers support adaptation and restoration goals.
Presenters
As an associate professor in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota, Marcella Windmuller-Campione explores topics of silviculture, forest restoration, adaptive management, forest ecology, stand and plant community dynamics, and forest regeneration dynamics. She explores how conventional and alternative forest management approaches can increase forest resistance and resilience to current and future threats. She mentors graduate students in the Natural Resources Science and Management and Conservation Sciences programs and teaches silviculture at the University of Minnesota.
Neil Slifka is an area resource specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Parks and Trails Division in southeastern Minnesota. Neil's work focuses primarily on habitat management and restoration/reconstruction as well as environmental review. Before working for the Minnesota DNR, Neil spent over a decade in the Pacific Northwest as a field biologist in managed and unmanaged landscapes. He has been involved in research projects related to fisheries, wildlife and forest management.
Watch the webinar (March 14, 2024).
Your prairie restoration can help fight climate change. In this video, you will learn about the relationship between diversity and carbon sequestration in prairie restorations, and how to optimize diversity from a practitioner's perspective.
Presenters
Clarence Lehman is a professor in the University of Minnesota's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. Clarence has researched harvesting restored areas while maintaining the wildlife that also use the areas, and has experience restoring several areas to native prairie.
Ben Carlson is a field steward with The Nature Conservancy’s Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota chapter, working to implement stewardship on TNC preserves and partner lands in the Prairie-Forest Border Ecoregion of Central Minnesota. He leads seasonal stewardship crews, conducts prescribed burns, controls brush and invasive species, and harvests prairie seed. Ben has a degree in environmental studies and biology from St. John’s University and has worked on various prairie stewardship and protection projects throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Watch the webinar (March 28, 2024).
In this webinar, staff from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources will provide some exciting updates on the state seed mixes and discuss how you can use them to improve your restorations. You will also hear how practitioners have been able to capitalize on the state seed mixes as a resource in their work.
Presenters
Dan Shaw is the senior ecologist and vegetation specialist with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). His work focuses on conservation partnerships, restoration and stormwater projects, climate planning, pollinator habitat and invasive species control. He has also taught design and restoration classes at the University of Minnesota and authored several publications on restoration and stormwater project planning.
Jessi Strinmoen is a manager at Shooting Star Native Seeds in Spring Grove, Minnesota. Jessi manages native seed sales for contractors and installers, many government agencies, tribal land agencies, CRP producers, and landowners.
Watch the webinar (Jan. 18, 2022)
This webinar brings together researchers and practitioners to share updates and stories of success on the ongoing challenge of managing buckthorn in restorations. Researchers from the University of Minnesota share new developments in the Cover it up! program, which works to understand if native plants can control buckthorn following removal efforts. Practitioners also share what is working for them in the ongoing battle against this invasive plant.
Presenters
Mike Schuster is a researcher with the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota. His research broadly focuses on the ecology and management of invasive plant species. Mike is currently one of the lead scientists on the Cover It Up! program, which evaluates how land managers can use native plant species to reduce invasion by buckthorn and other species in Minnesota's forests.
Nicholas Snavely is an assistant area wildlife manager for the Minnesota DNR. He has focused a great deal of his work on wildlife habitat management in central Minnesota, where he has overseen multiple buckthorn control projects on state Wildlife Management Areas in collaboration with conservation partners like Great River Greening, The Nature Conservancy and Wildlife Forever.
Watch the webinar (Nov. 5, 2021).
The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) has been working throughout northern Minnesota to complete thousands of acres of habitat enhancements for golden-winged warblers on public lands. In this webinar, ABC staff share the story of how collaborations were critical in the work and how they were able to build a strong network. ABC has also partnered with researchers to document the success of the projects, and you will hear an update on how enhancement efforts have impacted bird populations.
Presenters
Peter Dieser is the Minnesota Public Lands Coordinator for the American Bird Conservancy, where he identifies habitats for restoration and implements conservation projects on the ground. Before joining ABC, Peter worked as a naturalist for the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center. He is based at the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge near Detroit Lakes.
Jeff Larkin is a professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Since 2011 he has worked closely with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to deliver conservation programs to benefit forests, forest birds, and forest owners. Jeff also serves as the Forest Birds Habitat Coordinator for the American Bird Conservancy, where he directs a team of conservation planners and foresters who assist NRCS with the delivery of private lands conservation programs that target forest wildlife including golden-winged warblers, American woodcock, and cerulean warblers throughout the Appalachian and Great Lakes states.
Watch the webinar (Nov. 5, 2021).
In this webinar, two local non-profit organizations share their experiences and ongoing commitment to expanding access and equity in restoration efforts. Through their conservation program, Urban Roots engages youth in restoration work to provide service to the community, develop young leaders and improve health and the environment. Friends of the Mississippi River advances diversity, equity and inclusion in their organization and in the mainstream environmental movement.
Presenters
Sara DeKok is the associate director and development director for Friends of the Mississippi River, where her position marries the organization’s work to raise needed funding for its critical mission with operational management. Sara advances strategic capacity-building initiatives for environmental NGOs. Key among her priorities at FMR is advancing equity—both within the organization and among our sector—through competency building, systems change and strategic partnership work.
David Woods helps lead the conservation program at Urban Roots. He trains and leads youth interns in habitat restoration work in parks in Saint Paul's East Side neighborhoods. He also develops curricula, coordinates with local and regional partners, and assists with securing funding.
Watch the webinar (Nov. 5, 2021).
Implementing minimum design criteria makes for impactful projects. Learn how developing specification sheets with a consulting firm helped one watershed district support and promote natural shoreline restoration.
Presenters
Angie Hong is the coordinator for Minnesota’s East Metro Water Resource Education Program, a local government partnership with city, county and watershed organizations. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the prairies, woods and waterways of the St. Croix Valley. Read her tips and tales about keeping water clean at www.eastmetrowater.org.
Mike Isensee is the administrator of the Carnelian Marine St. Croix Watershed District (CMSCWD) in northeast Washington County. The watershed encompasses 31 lakes, 22 streams, and 18 miles of the St. Croix River. Mike works closely with the East Metro Water Resource Education Program to promote and incentivize natural shoreline restoration to landowners and implement district rules that address shoreline erosion.
Jeff Forester is the executive director of Minnesota Lakes and Rivers (MLR). His book, Forest for the Trees, How Humans Shaped the Northwoods (Minnesota Historical Society Press) examines fire and forestry in northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The MLR Lake Steward program protects and enhances shoreland.
Watch the webinar (April 22, 2021).
Stream restorations can be complex and costly. Having a consistent planning process can help project managers make informed decisions and achieve desired outcomes.
Presenters
Amanda Hillman is the Restoration Coordinator for the Minnesota DNR’s River Ecology Unit. She is involved in ranking, funding and coordinating stream restoration projects across the state of Minnesota.
Molly Tranel Nelson is the regional natural resource specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Parks and Trails division. She manages natural resources on parks and trails in the southwest region of the state through prescribed burning, invasive species management, and native community restoration. She also protects the natural and cultural resources on parks and trails lands through environmental review, sustainable development, and project mitigation. Molly balances the development of recreational opportunities for visitors with the protection of high-quality natural habitats and features.
Karen Gran is a fluvial geomorphologist in the Earth and environmental sciences department at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her research focuses on understanding how rivers respond to changes, from land-use changes to long-term post-glacial adjustments to rivers in the region. She studies river erosion and landscape adjustment and talks about efforts to bring in a wide array of stakeholders during the research process to help develop a consensus approach to reducing sediment loading in a large watershed.
Watch the webinar (April 1, 2021).
Multidisciplinary project teams can bring a wealth of knowledge to your restoration, improving agility and outcomes. Learn how tapping into your available networks can help you solve problems and avoid pitfalls.
Presenters
Kyle Arola is the wildlife area supervisor at Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area. He works with numerous partners to accomplish habitat work on over 100,000 acres of public land. This work covers everything from removing invasive species to protect forests to applying prescribed burning to enhance prairies.
Sue Galatowitsch is a professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota, where she teaches ecological restoration and wetland ecology. In addition to many research publications, she's authored and co-authored three books, including Minnesota's Natural Heritage.
Watch the webinar (March 18, 2021).
Amazing restoration work is happening all across Minnesota, but poor documentation can become a barrier to understanding project goals and tracking successes. Learn about the hidden (and not-so-hidden) values of tracking your projects.
Presenters
Bill Schuna is the MNDNR area wildlife manager for Slayton and Talcot Lake Wildlife Management Area. Prior to that, he was the assistant area wildlife manager from 2001 to 2013 in Marshall.
Matt Kaproth is a plant ecologist at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He investigates prairies and oak systems to understand what management leads to their success and how species have adapted to their environment.
Watch the webinar (March 4, 2021).