Upcoming Events

In this special collaboration, Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant, joins youth leader and Nurture Natives founder Esther Bonney for an intergenerational conversation about belonging, reciprocity, and native plant action. 

Together, they will explore questions such as:

How do we create opportunities for young people to have a voice and feel empowered, even when they are not homeowners or decision makers?What kinds of relationships and mentorships help people stay engaged in native plant work over decades?Why do stories, shared practices, and community invitations matter just as much as plant lists?

Robin and Esther will reflect on what invites people into this work, what keeps them here, and what elders and youth have to teach each other.

Our upcoming webinar with Basil Camu explores practical, evidence based ways to heal suburban and urban landscapes by working with trees, soil, and natural systems, drawing on real world practices from Leaf & Limb and community centered models for restoring life where we live, work, and play.!  

Erie Drift Plains Native Plant Summit

A free, virtual gathering for people who care about native plants, place, and community. Join us for the Erie Drift Plains Native Plant Summit, a free virtual event bringing together gardeners, growers, educators, advocates, and curious community members from across the region.

Over the course of the summit, you’ll hear from local and regional voices sharing real-world experiences with native plants — from urban gardens and pollinator meadows to seed starting, watershed health, and policies that support biodiversity. Sessions are practical, approachable, and designed for all experience levels.
Whether you’re just getting started with native plants or have been growing them for years, this summit is a space to learn, ask questions, and connect with others who care about creating healthier landscapes — one yard, neighborhood, or project at a time.

Who this is for:

Gardeners, landowners, educators, students, volunteers, and anyone curious about native plants and caring for the places we call home.

Format: Virtual
Dates: 24-26 February 2026
Cost: Free

Hosted by the Wild Ones Erie Drift Plains Chapter.

Come learn with us — and be part of a growing community helping native plants take root across our region.

Join Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, for a candid Wild Ones National Webinar examining how inherited garden aesthetics shape native plant landscapes. Drawing on field experience and real ecology, Joey challenges tidy design norms and explores why dense, irregular plant communities are often the most resilient and ecologically sound.

This year’s theme is Native Habitat Renewal. This event is focused on connecting  zoo guests to the greater conservation community. To not only inspire learning but to provide tangible next steps that they can take home to their own backyard! 

Now in its sixth year, this Youngstown May Day Festival welcomes more than a thousand care-oriented, labor supporting, earth friendly community members to bring traditions old and new together to celebrate the return of abundance and find new ways to build health and strength together for nature, workers, and each other.

This free event brings together music, art, speakers, workshops, tabling, vendors, arts & crafts, dancing, and food in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Join this community-run celebration of care and people-power that forms a beloved community with a mix of supporters of labor, celebrants of Beltane, those supporting immigrants, climate justice and eco-conscious people, and other supporters of justice, care, and action for a sustainable planet, fair workplace, and inclusive communities.

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!