Join our comprehensive virtual training focused on integrating native plants into urban landscapes for effective stormwater management. This webinar brings together leading experts from across the Midwest and beyond to share practical knowledge and real-world experiences.

Designed for stormwater program staff, design professionals, urban conservationists, and watershed managers, this training will cover essential topics from rainscaping and green infrastructure applications to pollinator habitat enhancement.

Through case studies from Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, participants will gain valuable insights into design resources, technical guidance, and maintenance best practices that can be immediately applied to their own projects.

Schedule

8:00 – 8:10 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks – Pat Sauer, ISWEP

8:10 – 9:10 AM
Applications of Rainscaping and Green Infrastructure Practices – Jennifer Welch, Polk SWCD

• Ecosystem Services
• Scaling Projects
• Management Strategies
• Funding and Cost Share Opportunities

9:10 – 9:40 AM
Design and Maintenance to Enhance Pollinator Habitat – Mykaylyn Hagaman, ISU Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium

• Keystone Species and Habitat
• Pollinator Concerns
• Design for Pollinator Movement
• Maintenance Considerations

9:40 – 10:00 AM
Iowa Stormwater Management Manual and Other Design Resources – Jennifer Welch, Polk SWCD

10:00 – 10:15 AM
Break

10:15 – 10:45 AM
A Contractor’s Perspective: Establishment and Maintenance – Dan Brouse, Iowa Restorations

10:45 – 11:15 AM
Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Vegetation Selection and Applications of Natural Design – Kate Austin, Lancaster, PA

11:15 – 11:45 AM
Eagan, Minnesota: Lessons Learned, Keep It Simple – Gregg Thompson, City of Eagan

11:45 – 12:15 PM
Polk County: Iowa Experiences with Native Sod – Cassie Druhl, Polk County

12:15 – 12:20 PM
Closing Comments – Pat Sauer

Register here!