CHICAGO — The Wild Things 2023 Conference invites nature enthusiasts from across Illinois and beyond to gather and learn about the flora, fauna, and natural history of Illinois. The biennial conference welcomes the general public and anyone interested in the natural world – from volunteers and hobbyists, to academics and researchers, to conservation and natural resources professionals – to gather in celebration of the Illinois Nature Preserves System. Wild Things 2023 is brought to you by Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves.
Wild Things 2023 will be held Saturday, February 25 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The conference features workshops and sessions from regional and national experts, plus meet & greets, video content, exhibitors, and sponsors. The program runs from 9am-5pm with doors opening at 8am and a celebratory happy hour beginning at 5pm. A virtual program will live-stream a selection of popular presentations throughout the conference. Tickets, the full program, and detailed information are available at wildthingscommunity.org.
General admission tickets are $60 and tickets for the virtual program are $30. Thanks to the support of The Nature Conservancy in Illinois, scholarships are available to Black, Indigenous and Other People of Color (BIPOC), members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Veterans, and People with Disabilities to help cover conference registration fees, lunch, travel, and lodging. There is a hotel block available for the nights of Friday, February 24 and Saturday, February 25. Wild Things attendees will receive access to a negotiated hotel rate when booked by February 6.
Forest Preserves of Cook County is the Presenting Sponsor. Bobolink Foundation is the Piping Plover Sponsor. Blanding’s Turtle Sponsors include Audubon Great Lakes, Field Museum, Illinois Department of Natural Resources/Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, Natural Communities Native Nurseries, Openlands, Prairie Moon Nursery, Shedd Aquarium, Stantec, and The Wetlands Initiative. Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid Sponsors include Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, Forest Preserve District of Will County, Illinois Audubon Society, Tallgrass Restoration, and University of Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. Wild Things 2023 scholarship supporters include The Nature Conservancy in Illinois, Illinois Native Plant Society Northeast Chapter, ILM Environments, Lake Forest Open Lands Association, and Prairie State Conservation Coalition.
“We are proud to be one of the most affordable and accessible conferences about nature in the country,” said Linda Masters, Wild Things Conference Chair. “Wild Things is about building a community for nature. While we’ve kept that community spirit alive online, we are thrilled to gather again in-person and hear all of the scientific and ecological updates that we’ve learned in the past few years, and to renew our dedication to nature and to each other.”
“The Illinois Nature Preserve System protects the state’s finest woodlands, prairies, and wetlands for the benefit of science, the public, and, most of all, for nature itself,” said Amy Doll, Director of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves, a nonprofit organization supporting biodiversity conservation across the state. “Wild Things is the only conference dedicated to celebrating these natural treasures and the volunteers that steward these preserves, so it is the perfect setting to mark this historic anniversary with a specially-curated program.”
About the Wild Things Conference
The Wild Things Conference is the largest conservation conference in Illinois, regularly showcasing over 100 presentations to an audience of 2,000+. The Wild Things Community is recognized as one of the nation’s largest networks of people engaged with nature, made up of stewards, monitors, advocates, educators, volunteers, and staff, all working together to promote and protect the prairies, woodlands, wetlands, wild yards, and natural parks of Illinois, northwest Indiana, and southeast Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.wildthingscommunity.org.
About Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves
Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves supports the Illinois Nature Preserves System by advocating for and finding increased support, resources, funding, and staff for the system and assisting local volunteer communities as they help restore and care for their Illinois biodiversity reserves. For more information, visit www.friendsofillinoisnaturepreserves.org.