Annual Friends Gathering plus "Damsels & Dragons of Wisconsin" presentation

Join us for our annual member meeting and gathering of friends at Gundersen's Integrated Center for Education (ICE). No registration is required!

Please bring a friend and your favorite baked goods to share at 8:30. The official program starts at 9:00. We'll provide coffee, tea, and water.

Feel free to contact us with questions. Call (608) 784-3606 ext.1 or email [email protected].

 

PROGRAM

8:30 - Sharing of baked goods, coffee and conservation conversation

9:00 - Conservation Close to Home – Carol Abrahamzon AND New Lands Protected – Abbie Church

9:30 - GUEST PRESENTATION : Damsels & Dragons of Wisconsin

Presented by Dan Jackson, renowned wildlife photographer and Conservancy volunteer

Join us for an incredible photographic journey through the native habitat of the Driftless as we examine the amazing world of dragonflies and damselflies through Dan's lens.

10:30 - AWARDS

Recognition of outstanding volunteers and partners from 2024

 

MORE ABOUT OUR PRESENTER:

Dan’s presentation “Damsels and Dragons of Wisconsin” is designed to be a fun, informative introduction to the insect order Odonata which includes Dragonflies and Damselflies. A co-author of the latest edition of the “Dragonflies of Wisconsin” field guide, Dan will lead a discussion on the biology and life history of this order as well as pointers for their identification. In addition to sharing more than 60 brilliant, close-up photos of these fascinating insects, Dan will also talk about the importance of protecting habitat and conserving land in the Driftless Area for the future health of our insect friends.

A lifelong outdoorsman and conservation advocate, Dan is an avid birder and more recently a wildlife photographer and dragonfly researcher. He has studied and surveyed dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) for the past 16 years throughout Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, western North Dakota, and elsewhere as opportunities arose. Passionate about sharing his expertise, Dan has spent countless hours leading field trips and sharing what he knows with others. Dan’s photos have been published in magazines, birding publications, newspapers, field guides, websites, and journals around the world, and he is a past President and the current Treasurer of the Wisconsin Dragonfly Society, and a past President and past Treasurer of the Coulee Region Audubon Society.

(Photo - A Halloween Pennant perched in a twig in a local wetland, by Dan Jackson.)