Over the past 36 years, the annual Michigan Native Plant Conference (formerly the Wildflower Conference) has presented timely, actionable, and fascinating information about native plants and habitats, landscape design, wildlife, invasive controls and much more.

We are happy to announce that this year we are holding an in-person conference at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. This is a one-day conference on Sunday, March 5, 2023. It will be a full day of opportunities to network, learn and ask questions, be updated on our WAM Grant awardees and participate in the WAM annual meeting. Of course, a delicious lunch will be served. In addition, there will be five webinars presented throughout the year featuring an array of exciting topics. All webinars will be recorded so participants can view them at a later day or refer to them for more information.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Meredith Ann Zettlemoyer will speak on “Extinction in our Backyards: Human Effects on Michigan Prairies.” Dr. Zettlemoyer presents an in-depth study of the decline of native tallgrass prairies in southwest Michigan. She examines the conditions and traits that may influence species vulnerability to local extinctions.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS: Our Sunday series will offer six excellent speakers each offering a fascinating perspective on native plants and our natural world.

Dr. Dan Herms on “As Earth Warms, Nature Feels the Heat: Effects of Climate Change on Biodiversity and Ecological Interactions.”
Jessie Lincoln on “Fire-Adapted Systems in the Huron Manistee National Forest.”
Dr. Kevin Matteson on “Supporting Pollinator Conservation in Cities.”
Julia Kirkwood on “Cutting the Lawns for Lakes.”
Lisa DuRussel on “A Brilliant Disguise: Engineering, Ecology and Experience in Resilient Planting Design.”
Michele Belskour on “Emerging Invasive Plants in the Midwest.”
ADDITIONAL WEBINARS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR: WAM is pleased to offer opportunities to continue to learn all year long. These one-hour webinars feature a wide variety of topics and presenters. All conference registrants will receive Zoom invitations a few days before the presentations. Presentations will be held at 7 pm.