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Are you passionate about educating Wisconsin's citizens on the threat of invasive plants? We need your help! Join the Speaker's Bureau!

Speaker’s Bureau Plan for IPAW Education Committee

From David Bayer, Committee member

In order for the general public to be educated about the environmental threat of invasive plants, it is the hope of the IPAW Education Committee to establish a Speaker’s Bureau throughout the state to present this topic. Therefore it is the goal of this committee to find and train, if necessary, at least one speaker agent in each county to actively seek out opportunities to present this Powerpoint presentation to as many groups as possible. IPAW members are invited to be part of this Speaker’s Bureau, thereby becoming active advocates for educating the public on this important but little appreciated environmental problem.

Groups that could potentially provide speakers:

IPAW members

UWEX Horticulture agents

Master Gardener clubs

Nature Center Naturalist

Wild Ones -local chapters.

Sierra Clubs chapters

Land Conservation Agents

Basin Educators

Retired sciences teachers

DNR agents

Potential audiences:

Service Clubs: Lions, Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Optimists Club, etc.

Conservation organizations: Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited, Rod and Gun or Sportsman’s Clubs, Ruffed Grouse Society, White Tails Unlimited, Sierra Club.

Nature Centers

Garden Clubs

Environmental Science Classes – colleges and high schools

County highway and parks employees

Master Gardener Clubs

At this time there is no funding to support this Speaker Bureau, so expenses will have to be borne by the willing volunteers. Hopefully, such an organized Speaker’s Bureau will find funding through available grants over time. Expenses may include, travel expenses, mailing, copy materials, and in some cases projection rental. In the meantime, hopefully UW Extensions and DNR offices may support some of these needs.

As a retired teacher and UW-Extension seasonal Horticulture Agent, I, David Bayer, have been actively contacting committee groups mentioned above in the Fox Cities and have had nine invitations to present the IPAW powerpoint presentation. The result has had positive impact, motivating private land owners to do eradication work. The most significant result was a presentation to the regional Sierra Club. The Sierra Club has committed itself for the last several years to eradication projects at Bubolz Nature Preserve, Thousand Islands Environmental Center and Kaukauna High School’s forest ravine.

If you have the time and desire to become part of IPAW’s speaker's bureau, please contact David Bayer at bayerdma@athenet.net . If you are already speaking on the subject on your own or in conjunction with your job, it would also be important for us to officially have you on the Speaker's Bureau roster. It will be important for us to measure your progress by knowing what groups have been spoken to, by whom and where. If you know of someone in your community that would be willing to volunteer, you could also pass the name and email address on to me.

The most important tactic for advancing a cause is education. The public cannot appreciate the problem unless they know about it and are encouraged to care. If they care, they will act upon the solution. Please be a part of the solution by being an educator for the eradication of invasive plants.

David Bayer

bayerdma@tds.net

IPAW maintains a list of PowerPoint presentations (Word) available via CD or e-mail.

Current List of Speakers