Minnesota Zoo Media Contact

If you need additional information or wish to request an interview with any Minnesota Zoo staff member, please contact:

Kelly Lessard
Public Relations
Minnesota Zoo
13000 Zoo Boulevard
Apple Valley, MN 55124
952.431.9217 direct
952.431.9300 fax
kelly.lessard@state.mn.us

 

 

Press Release

Minnesota Zoo Hosts Free Workshop on Buckthorn November 4
Natural Resource Specialist to offer “Managing Woodlands: Buckthorn and Beyond” workshop

Apple Valley, MN – October 21, 2009: Are you one of the many struggling with buckthorn invading and overpowering your yard? The Minnesota Zoo will host a free workshop, “Managing Woodlands: Buckthorn and Beyond” sponsored by The Paul and Suzanne Hanifl Foundation on November 4 from at 6 p.m.

Natural Resource Specialist Janet Van Sloun Larson will talk about everything from woodland structure to buckthorn removal to erosion prevention. Van Sloun Larson has been teaching buckthorn workshops since 2002.

Workshop topics will include:

• Woodland structure
• Why gradual, prioritized buckthorn removal is preferred over an "understory clear-cut" (especially if garlic mustard is present)
• How to save high-value remnant plant species
• How to avoid the most common errors made during buckthorn removal
• How to prevent erosion on slopes
• The importance of ground cover
• How to protect plants from deer
• Re-planting with plants native to this region

Register for this free workshop online at http://www.mnzoo.org/events/Events_buckthorn.asp.

The Minnesota Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. Located in Apple Valley, the Zoo is just minutes south of Mall of America. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org.