by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. — A symposium on native plant life and issues affecting it is set for Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The theme for this year’s Illinois Indigenous Plants Symposium is “Illinois Plants in a Changing Climate.” The event, which is open to the public, is sponsored by the Southern Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society. Registration is required.
Billed as an excellent opportunity for everyone from emerging scientists, nature enthusiasts, native gardeners, land managers and academics, the event begins Saturday, with speakers, researcher posters and presentations at the John C. Guyon Auditorium at Morris Library. Research talks will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, with a student poster session set for 3 p.m. in the first-floor rotunda.
At 4 p.m., Justin Schoof, director of the School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, will give a keynote address titled “Climate Change in Illinois: Updated Historical Trends and Projections of Future Change.”
On Sunday, organizers will host a guided botanical field trip to the Wildcat Bluff area, 1159 Wildcat Bluff Road in Vienna.
For more information, contact Ingrid Felsl at southernillinoisplants@gmail.com.