Save the Date: Interesting Keynote Speaker for Natural Landscapes Conference

I don’t know what Bill Volkert does in his spare time, as I honestly wonder if he has any.

Naturalist Emeritus at the Horicon Marsh International Education Center, when he isn’t teaching groups about the internationally acclaimed Marsh, Volkert is writing for magazines and scientific journals, being honored with awards and travelling to assist in developing conservation projects.

In addition to conservation work locally, two notable examples are his work with the Russia Natural Resource Agency and Russian Academy of Science to protect Lake Baikal, Siberia and developing a National Bird Conservation Education plan for Nicaragua.  Through his travels, this federally licensed bird bander has sighted 25 percent of the world’s bird species.

Even at home in the Kettle Moraines, Volkert and his wife are busy restoring native plant communities around their property, including oak-hickory forest, and prairie and wetlands.

Even with all the demand for his time, this Horicon March expert is the keynote speaker for the upcoming Milwaukee Audubon Society’s 32nd Annual Natural Landscapes Conference: The Horicon Basin’s Water of Life.

This local treasure was given international importance by the Ramsar Convention of the United Nations and has lived up to its name with frequent visits from international scientists coming for professional training and to learn how to improve their country’s conservation programs.

The conference, done in cooperation with Concordia Center for Environmental Stewardship, will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 4 at Concordia University.