Join Plants of Concern staff to learn how to monitor plants in the field. These small group (4-6 people maximum) training opportunities will take place at various preserves in northeastern Illinois and will take 2-3 hours per monitoring outing. Below is a calendar of dates and sites where trainings will be hosted:

• Friday, June 9, from 9am–12pm @ Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, IL

• Saturday, June 10, from 1pm–4pm @ Hosah Park in Zion, IL

• Friday, June 16, from 9am–12pm @ Captain Daniel Wright Woods in Mettawa, IL REGISTER HERE!

• Saturday, August 12, from 9:30am–11:30am @ Loyola Beach in Chicago, IL REGISTER HERE!

• Thursday, August 31 Wednesday, August 23, from 9:30am–11:30am Utricularia ID @ Lake in the Hills Fen REGISTER HERE!

• Wednesday, September 6, from 9am–12pm @ Orland Grassland REGISTER HERE!

Plants of Concern staff will email those who register to confirm date, time, and meeting location in advance of the training session.

Please note that additional training sessions will be added in the coming weeks as the monitoring season progresses.

What should you expect? Everyone who attends a field monitoring training should have taken the Plants of Concern online training in advance. While you don't have to bring any supplies (other than yourself!) to this training, you can also prepare by reviewing the Plants of Concern How-To monitoring page on the Plants of Concern website.

Come prepared! Monitoring takes place outdoors. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing for the weather, and comfortable outdoor shoes, that you don't mind potentially getting dirty. Be prepared to stand for at least two hours and to work around insects and potentially hazardous plants, including poison ivy. Plan to bring water.

Please also bring a charged smartphone with the Plants of Concern app installed if you want to learn how to use the Plants of Concern monitoring app.

Contact info@plantsofconcern.org with questions.