OSKALOOSA — Trees Forever, The Tallgrass Prairie Center, various County Conservation Boards and Roadside Programs are offering Stewards of the Beautiful Land for a sixth year, starting Thursday, June 22nd . Stewards of the Beautiful Land – Mahaska has 4 field days, meeting monthly, geared for the outdoor enthusiast who wants to learn more about prairie plants, trees and forests, and the environments they thrive in, and how to advocate for native landscapes.

“This is going to be a great Stewards season; we will have the in-person field trips so participants can learn together in some fantastic outdoor classrooms and learning labs. Plant identification, establishment, and management as well as tree care and more will be taught,” says Trees Forever Field Coordinator, Peter Lundgren.

The field days are complimented with monthly webinars featuring guest presenters which lay the groundwork and knowledge base for where to find native plants on the landscape, the various landforms of Iowa, invasive species identification and management, pollinator habitat enhancement and protection and more.

Each month will also feature the in-person meeting to learn from one another, walk through the woods or prairie identifying native plants and trees, and hands-on skills like how to properly plant and care for natives. In-person field days are being hosted in Mahaska, Dickinson, Story, and Carroll counties.

For more information contact Peter Lundgren at plundgren@treesforever.org or via phone at 319-640-2883. Registration is live on the Trees Forever events calendar found at this link: https://treesforever.org/stewards/.