NAC24 Agenda

Overview Agenda

All times are Central Standard Time

Time	Session
Monday, October 7, 2024
Start and end times will vary.	Pre-Conference Workshops (Pre-registration required/Transportation provided) Bike the Historic Flint Hills Trail (Full-Day) Kayaking on the Kaw (Full-Day) Ecological Research at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (Half-Day Tour) Asters and Goldenrods of Kansas: A Primer Emphasizing Species in the Flint Hills (Half-Day ID Workshop) Introduction to Lichens and Lichenology (Half-Day ID Workshop)
5 p.m. - 7 p.m.	Welcome Reception - Flint Hills Discovery Center (across the street from the Hilton Garden Inn & Manhattan Conference Center) Immerse yourself in the wonder, beauty, and history of the Flint Hills as you connect with colleagues old and new. This is a unique opportunity that is not to be missed!
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
7 a.m. - 8 a.m.	Breakfast
8 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.	Welcome & Opening Plenary Session: Grasslands Conservation in a Changing World Welcome to the 2024 Natural Areas Conference Lisa Smith, Executive Director, Natural Areas Association Long-Term Research to Support Prairie Conservation in a Changing World John Blair, Ph.D., Director, Konza Prairie Biological Station/Distinguished Professor, Division of Biology, Kansas State University Long-Term Studies of Restored Prairie Offer Insights into Achieving Conservation Goals Sara Baer, Ph.D., State Biologist and Director, Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research; Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas Ethnobotany and the Engagement of People in Prairie Restoration and Conservation Kelly Kindscher, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research
9:45a.m. - 10 a.m.	Beverage Break
10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.	Concurrent Breakout Sessions Symposium - Prescribed Fire: Management Science and Planning for Smoke
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Lunch - Chow-N-Chat There is nothing better than lunch with your peers in land stewardship. Each table will feature a topic to encourage those with common interests to meet and exchange stories, interests, and ideas.
12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m.	Plenary Keynote Sunny Fleming \| Director - Environment, Conservation, & Natural Resource Solutions, Esri
1 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.	Transition Break
1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.	Concurrent Breakout Sessions
2:45 p.m. - 3 p.m.	Transition Break
3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions
4:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.	Beverage Break
4:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.	Round Table Topic Discussions Round Table: State Natural Areas Programs Round Table: Native Seed Partnerships Round Table: Balancing Acts: Hemlock Conservation and Climate Adaptation in the Wake of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Round Table: Exploring the Landscape Within
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.	Field Workshop Opportunities (Pre-registration required/Transportation provided) Returning Bison to the Prairie: Understanding the Role of Native Grazers in Tallgrass Prairie (Half-Day) Collaborative Research, Management Demonstration, and Learning Opportunities on Natural Areas (Half-Day) Woody Encroachment: New Ways of Thinking About an Old Problem (Half-Day) The Poop Scoop on Rangeland Dung Beetles (Half-Day) Prairie Ethnobotany and Restoration at the KU Field Station (Full-Day) Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie (Half-Day) Bird Identification Walk at Milford Nature Center (Half-Day) Reading the Landscape: The Flint Hills and Beyond (Half-Day) Community-based Conservation in the Flint Hills (Full-Day)
4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.	Transition Break
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.	Poster Reception
Thursday, October 10, 2024
7 a.m. - 8 a.m.	Breakfast
8 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.	Plenary Session Panel: Protecting Productivity & Biodiversity: Community-Based Conservation in the Flint Hills Moderator Rex Buchanan \| Director Emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey Panelists John P. Beckman, Ph.D. \| Wildlife Supervisor, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Tony Capizzo \| Flint Hills Initiative Manager, The Nature Conservancy Mike Disney \| State Coordinator for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program in Kansas Jane Koger \| Owner, Homestead Ranch David Kraft \| Technical Coordinator, Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition Dean Krehbiell \| Natural Resource Conservation Service Roger W. Wells, Tallgrass Legacy Alliance
9:45a.m. - 10 a.m.	Beverage Break
10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.	Concurrent Symposia Advancing Land Management with GIS: Unlocking Opportunities for Impact Seeding Successful Prairie Restoration New Solutions to an Old Problem: Adapting Grassland to Woody Encroachment Managing Midwest Oak Savannas for Biodiversity
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.	Natural Areas Association's Annual Awards Luncheon Join us as we celebrate the 2024 George B. Fell Lifetime Achievement Award and Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award. Lunch is included in the conference registration; however, an RSVP is required.
1 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.	Transition Break
1:15 p.m. - 3 p.m.	Concurrent Symposia Advancing Land Management with GIS: Unlocking Opportunities for Impact Seeding Successful Prairie Restoration New Solutions to an Old Problem: Adapting Grassland to Woody Encroachment Managing Midwest Oak Savannas for Biodiversity
3 p.m.	Conference End

NAC24 Agenda

Overview Agenda

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