First Thursdays Live on Zoom. Recordings available following the webinar.
Join Deep Roots each first Thursday at 12pm CST to learn best management practices for large landscapes. Working with landowners, natural resource managers, and conservationists across the Midwest, this series tells the story of native habitat stewardship and restoration efforts. Each episode features practical insight and how-to application from experts with Johnson County Parks and Recreation District (JCPRD) and Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
Lunch and Learn series occurs monthly on the first Thursday of each month at 12pm Central time.
To register for events in this series, please click the button below to sign up:
April 4th – Cedar Niles Park with Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. Join experts from JCPRD and Cydney Ross, Deep Roots outdoor education manager as they hike the trails at Cedar Niles Park in Olathe, Kansas. View spring ephemerals, ferns, and moss-covered limestone bluffs in the woodlands while learning about JCPRD’s natural resource management practices.
June 6th – The Prairies of Shawnee Mission Park with Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. Join experts from JCPRD and Cydney Ross, Deep Roots outdoor education manager as they explore the prairies of Shawnee Mission Park. Learn how JCPRD stitched together old growth, new prairies, and prairie restorations over 2 miles and 200+ acres of habitat. Learn about JCPRD’s natural resource management practices and appreciate the beauty of summertime prairies.
September 5th – Lexington Lake Park with Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. Join experts from JCPRD and Cydney Ross, Deep Roots outdoor education manager as they tell the story of change at this site through glacial rocks, river bluffs, pioneer ruins, and new prairies. Experience the beauty of this public space in DeSoto, Kansas and learn about the the joys and challenges of managing one of the largest intact public woodlands in Johnson County.
November 1st – Nelson Island with Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. Join experts from JCPRD and Cydney Ross, Deep Roots outdoor education manager as they explore Nelson Island located on the Kaw River, a site rich in bootlegging history and migratory birds! Tune in to learn about JCPRD’s natural resource management practices and appreciate the beauty of this gem located in Shawnee, Kansas.
December 5th – TBD
January 4th – Prescribed Burning Practices with Missouri Department of Conservation. Join special guest Cassandra Messer, MDC Private Land Conservationist for Clay and Platte County as she dives into the history and contemporary application of fire as a large land management tool.
March 7th – Callery Pears with Missouri Department of Conservation. Join Private Land Conservationists from MDC as they discuss the challenges of managing non-native invasive species Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) on large landscapes.
May 2nd – Spring-time Invasive Species with Missouri Department of Conservation. Join Private Land Conservationists from MDC as they look at methods of removing non-native invasive species on large landscapes.
July 4th – Prairie Restoration with Missouri Department of Conservation. Join private land conservationists and private landowner as they discuss the journey of reconstructing a degraded site into a beautiful prairie. Teeming with wildlife and blooms, you won’t want this miss it!
August 1st – TBD
October 3rd – Shrub Honeysuckle with Missouri Department of Conservation. Join Private Land Conservationists from Missouri Department of Conservation and local landowners as they tell their story of managing non-native invasive Shrub honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). Learn the challenges and successes in this educational episode.
December 5th – TBD
Previously in this Series…
Goodbye Callery Pear Tree–Smell Ya Later
Presenters: Matt Arndt, Certified Forester and Arborist, Ryan Armbrust, Rural Forestry Program Coordinator, and Matt Garrett, Field Biologist
Supporting a Healthy Soil System 2.0
Presenter: Hilary Noonan, landscape architect and founder of Mad Hatter Compost Tea
Winter Weather and Wildlife Webinar
Presenter: Alaine Hudlin, Wildlife Education Specialist, Kanas Department of Wildlife and Parks
(Photo credit: Cydney Ross)
Bringing Healthy Woodlands via Large Scale Honeysuckle Removal
Presenter: Matt Garrett, Field Biologist, Johnson County Parks and Recreation District.
Pollinator Friendly Neighborhoods
Presenters: Mid America Regional Council; Robert Whitman, Landscape Architect with Gould Evans; and Luke Chesek, Attorney, and Native Plant Advocate.
Spring Native Plant & Wildlife Tour
Presenter: Alaine Hudlin, Wildlife Education Specialist, Kanas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Welcoming Insects into our Gardens: And Why You Should
Speakers: Betsy Betros and Stephen VanRhein
Summer Native Plant & Wildlife Tour in Suburbia
Speakers: Alaine Hudlin, wildlife education specialist, KS Dept of Wildlife & Parks
Out on the Prairie with Larry: Exploring a Reconstructed Prairie
Speaker: Larry Rizzo, Biologist, Habitat Architects
Out on the Prairie with Larry: Exploring a Remnant Prairie
Speaker: Larry Rizzo, Biologist, Habitat Architects
Photo Credit: Courtney Celley/USFWS.
Planning your Native Garden Project
Speaker: Sarah Beier, Owner Oak & Io
Your Yard’s Place in the Ecosystem
Speaker: Sarah Beier, Owner Oak & Io
Digging up the Dirt on Healthy Soils
Speaker: Sarah Beier, Owner Oak & Io
DIY Native Garden Design
Speaker: Sarah Beier, Owner Oak & Io
Native Garden Management Made Simple
Speaker: Sarah Beier, Owner Oak & Io
Removing the Dreaded Callery Pear
Speakers: Ryan Armbrust, KS Rural Forestry Program Coordinator and Matt Garrett, Natural Resources Manager
Are Cultivars Too Much of a Good Thing?
Speaker: Scott Woodbury, Owner, Cacalia Garden Design and Wilding
Loose Park Native Demonstration Gardens
Speakers: Eric Tschanz & Cydney Ross
Art in the Parks!
Speakers: Alix Daniel, Cydney Ross, Susan Mong and Matt Garrett
An Agriculture of Nature
Speakers: Dan Krull and Jacob Canyon of Good Oak, LLC
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-One
Sweet Sixteen: Most Likely to Succeed
Guest speaker: Sarah Beier, Oak and iO designs
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-Two
Branching Out: Selecting the Best Trees and Shrubs
Guest speaker: Sarah Beier, Oak and iO designs
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-Three
Roanoke Park Conservancy
Guest speaker: Chris DeLong
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-Four
Communi-Tree Supported Regenerative Forestry
Speakers: Kristen Bontrager, Director Parkville Nature Sanctuary; Taylor Neff, MDC Community Forester; and A Good Oak LLC
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-Five
Rain Gardens at Mannheim Garden
Robbie Bondi & Steve Sackin
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-Six
Prescribed Burning Practices with Missouri Department of Conservation
Guest Speaker: Cassandra Messer, MDC Private Land Conservationist
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-Seven
A Delicate Weave: Keystone Species
Guest Speaker: Sarah Beier, Oak & iO
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-Eight
Callery Pear Management with MDC
Speaker: Andy Carmack, MDC
Lunch and Learn – Episode Twenty-Nine
Cedar Niles Park with Johnson County Parks and Recreation District
Speaker: Drew Dobbeleare, Natural Resource Technician with JCPRD