Wild Ones Events

Onondaga Lake Appreciation Day

This summer, let's love our local lake! Liverpool Public Library, Onondaga Lake Park, and other organizations are teaming up to bring you an evening of activities, science expertise, and joyful celebration.  Visit the tables for resources and fun, then stick around for scheduled activities including crafts, STEM, music, food trucks, and more!

This event is programmed in partnership with Libraries Love Lakes.

Meet near the Salt Museum

In the event of inclement weather, please check LPL.ORG for potential delays or cancellations before heading out.

Activity Schedule

o Food Trucks: 4:00–7:00 pm
o Music by Caleb Liber: 5:30–7:00 pm
o Opening Remarks: 4:00 pm
o Kids STEM Stations: 4:00–7:00 pm
o Bird Walks (30-minute sessions): 5:00, 5:45, and 6:30 pm
o Yoga with Gwen (30-minute sessions): TBA
o Storytimes by LPL: 4:20 and 4:50 pm
o Salt Museum/Film: Onondaga Lake — 4:00–7:00 pm
o Scavenger Hunt with Wild Ones: 4:00–7:00 pm

Special thanks to our participating organizations:

o Onondaga County Parks
o Onondaga Audubon
o Onondaga Yacht Club
o CNY Stormwater Coalition
o DEC
o Onondaga Lake Conservation Corps
o Skanonh Great Law of Peace Center
o Upstate Freshwater Institute
o Joan Cregg, Village Historian
o Wild Ones
o Liverpool Public Library and the Bookmobile

Volunteers Needed! Help us share the exciting world of native plants and habitat gardening. 

No prior experience required - just a love for native habitats

Learn more about our tabling outreach: https://hgcny.wildones.org/event-tabling/

Volunteer to help at this event: https://hgcny.wildones.org/volunteer-for-tabling/

You planted native. Your neighbor has opinions. Maybe your HOA does too. If you’ve ever felt like the hardest part of native plant gardening is the conversations, not the gardening, you’re not alone.

Wild Ones is thrilled to share this upcoming free webinar as part of the 2026 Less Lawn More Life Challenge. Join Lorraine Johnson for a practical conversation on navigating HOA rules, addressing neighbor concerns, and fostering community conversations about native plant gardening and ecological landscapes.

Join Habitat Gardening in Central New York (HGCNY) for a “Show Me, Help Me” garden tour at Sue Boettger’s property in Fayetteville.

In Sue's own words:

When we moved to Fayetteville in 1994, the yard consisted of a half-acre of lawn,
shrubs and a few native trees. The yard now contains more than 15 perennial beds, two annual beds, a vegetable garden and a small arboretum. I’ve planted more than 250 species of native plants and I’ve been delighted to see them self-seed and enrich my more challenging perennial beds. I’m especially fond of asters, goldenrods, mountain mints and ferns. This year begins my transformation of the annual beds into native perennial gardens.

This tour offers a wonderful chance to see a mature native plant garden in action, get inspiration for your own yard, and ask questions about what works (and what doesn’t!) in a Central New York landscape.

Registration is required and space is limited to 15 people.  Separate sign up required for each individual interested in attending.

A waiting list will be started once the maximum sign-ups are reached. If this happens, we will request secondary confirmation of attendance via email — otherwise your spot may be given to someone on the waiting list. Full details, exact address, parking instructions, and what to bring will be provided when attendance is confirmed.

Join Habitat Gardening in Central New York (HGCNY) for a “Show Me, Help Me” garden tour at Maria Mogg’s property in Lacona.

In Maria's own words:

We moved to Boylston in 2014 after retirement from the Army. The 25 acres sits on a hill east of Lake Ontario. It’s a plateau and drops steeply on the sides and back to a creek and marshy area. Beaver have been active on and off over the years. 21 acres is typical Tug Hill forest ( Maple, Ash ,Yellow Birch, Cherry). The rest is house, outbuildings and cow pasture. We have planted many trees and native flower gardens to naturalize the yard. The field is not mowed and covered with golden rod and asters.

This tour offers a wonderful opportunity to visit a native plant garden on a scenic rural property and gain inspiration for your own habitat gardening projects.

Registration is required and space is limited to 20 people. Separate sign up required for each individual interested in attending.

A waiting list will be started once the maximum sign-ups are reached. If this happens, we will request secondary confirmation of attendance via email — otherwise your spot may be given to someone on the waiting list. Full details, exact address, parking instructions, and what to bring will be provided when attendance is confirmed.

Native plants are the foundation of habitat, but wildlife need more than food to thrive. Join ecologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Shaun McCoshum, PhD, to explore how nesting sites, shelter, water, soil conditions, and other often-overlooked resources can transform a yard into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round.

Registration link coming soon.

Wild Ones HGCNY is excited to announce we'll have an educational display at the 2026 Great New York State Fair on August 28th and 29th!

Stop by our display to learn about native plants, creating wildlife habitats, and supporting pollinators in your own backyard! We’ll have displays, resources, friendly advice, and lots of inspiration for gardeners of all levels.

Volunteers Needed! Help us share the exciting world of native plants and habitat gardening with thousands of fair visitors. 

No prior experience required - just a love for native habitats

Flexible shifts available on August 28 & 29

Parking pass and entrance will be free for tabling volunteers!

Ready to join us? 

Learn more about our tabling outreach: https://hgcny.wildones.org/event-tabling/

Volunteer to help at this event: https://hgcny.wildones.org/volunteer-for-tabling/

Or message us directly if you have any questions!

The full Great New York State Fair runs August 26 – September 7, 2026. Get your tickets now!

We can’t wait to see you there — whether as a visitor or a volunteer!

Wild Ones HGCNY is excited to announce we'll have an educational display at the 2026 Great New York State Fair on August 28th and 29th!

Stop by our display to learn about native plants, creating wildlife habitats, and supporting pollinators in your own backyard! We’ll have displays, resources, friendly advice, and lots of inspiration for gardeners of all levels.

Volunteers Needed! Help us share the exciting world of native plants and habitat gardening with thousands of fair visitors. 

No prior experience required - just a love for native habitats

Flexible shifts available on August 28 & 29

Ready to join us? 

Learn more about our tabling outreach: https://hgcny.wildones.org/event-tabling/

Volunteer to help at this event: https://hgcny.wildones.org/volunteer-for-tabling/

Or contact us directly with any questions!

The full Great New York State Fair runs August 26 – September 7, 2026. Get your tickets now!

We can’t wait to see you there — whether as a visitor or a volunteer!

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

We're excited to return to the Grow Native! Native Plant Festival & Sale - a fantastic event dedicated to native plants and wildlife habitat!

When: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 9 AM–3 PM 

Where: Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, 3395 US-20, Seneca Falls, NY

This popular festival features native plant sales, expert talks, guided tours, vendors, and more - drawing crowds of gardeners, birders, and conservation enthusiasts eager to support pollinators, birds, and biodiversity. It's the perfect opportunity to reach a new, highly motivated audience already committed to natives - we can share Central NY-specific tips, highlight habitat benefits, and introduce HGCNY programs and Wild Ones resources.

Volunteer to help spread the word! 

We need enthusiastic members to staff the booth (flexible shifts throughout the day - no experience needed, just passion!). Great chance to connect with like-minded folks and inspire more native-focused action in our region.

Learn more about our tabling outreach: https://hgcny.wildones.org/event-tabling/

Volunteer to help at this event: https://hgcny.wildones.org/volunteer-for-tabling/

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Registration link coming soon.

Monarch butterflies depend on a network of habitats stretching across North America, and home landscapes can play an important role in their survival. Join experts from Monarch Joint Venture to explore the science behind monarch conservation, including the importance of milkweed, nectar resources, and regionally appropriate habitat. Learn practical ways to support monarchs through native landscaping and help sustain one of the world's most remarkable migrations.
 

Registration link coming soon.