Nature Speakers Bureau

About Our Programs

Does your organization appreciate nature, science, the out of doors, or the environment?  If so, Wehr Nature Center can come to you.  Through the Wehr Speakers Bureau, we offer a variety of presentations and programs that can be tailored for your particular organization.  All Wehr staff are experienced public speakers and experts in their field.  We offer interesting and lively presentations for group sizes from 20 or 200.  Whether it is a garden club, service organization, senior center, or neighborhood association, we offer something special for your next meeting.

  • Presentation length can run from 40 to 60 minutes dependent on your preference and includes time for questions
  • Host organization must provide electrical source and screen
  • Must be able to dim lights in the room where presentation is taking place
  • Set-up time requires a minimum of 20 minutes
  • $110 fee per speaking event
  • Additional mileage charge for out-of-Milwaukee County locations
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From metamorphosis to migration, participants discover the amazing life journey of the Monarch Butterfly. We will learn what a Monarch Tag is, how monarch populations are tracked, follow their migration, and find out what challenges Monarch Butterflies are facing.  Discover how you can help the Monarch Butterfly in your own backyard. 

Photo Credit: Dennis Miller

Learn how to make your outdoor space come alive with hummingbirds and butterflies.  Participants will discover how to create a hummingbird and butterfly habitat in their own yard, garden, or deck. We will discuss the best plants to use that attract these flyers, what the best type hummingbird feeder to use, if butterfly houses actually work and effective planting strategies.

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People have been keeping Honeybees for thousands of years.  Come discover the history of bees and beekeeping, their remarkable adaptations, and how to tell them apart from their wasp and hornet cousins.  Bees are critical pollinators worth Billions of dollars.  Our modern agricultural system could not function without them.  However, in recent years both honeybees and native pollinators have come under threat. Learn why bees are important in our lives and how we can do our part to keep our buzzy friends flying.

Banded or Sycamore Tussock Moth Halysidota tessellaris or harisii
Think moths are nocturnal, drab, and pesky? – NOT! Moths are stunningly adaptable and demonstrate a beauty that rivals their butterfly cousins. Often overlooked, scientists are just now devoting efforts to study one of the most successful yet secretive animals on the planet. Learn how one naturalist’s perception of moths changed from ambivalence to admiration and how Wehr Nature Center participated in a world-wide program to promote moth conservation. We will also share a moth monitoring project in Milwaukee with shocking results.
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Did you know that we have 400 to 500 species of bees that call Wisconsin home? Or that 1 in 4 of North America’s 4,000 are at risk of extinction?  Join Wehr Nature Center Park Naturalist Brooke Gilley as we explore our native bee species and learn how we can apply conservation methods in our own backyards to help save the bees.  
Screech Owl
From the arctic to the tropics and everywhere in between, Owls are everywhere! Through stunning photos, real owl calls, and hands on owl artifacts, discover how owls thrive in one of the most challenging environments on Earth - your back yard. Learn which species call Wisconsin home, and how you can find, observe and enjoy your neighborhood Owls.
Red Bat Photo courtesy of USFWS
Discover the fiction, folklore, and most importantly, the facts on Bats. Learn what Bats live near you and how scientists are racing against time to save Bats from a deadly disease. This presentation will feature a special section of "Bat Math" as we learn how bathtubs, dogs, and cheeseburgers are more dangerous than Bats! Want to participate Citizen Science to study bats? Find out how, along with all of the amazing, and downright jaw dropping adaptations of bats that make our lives better.

Meet Your Natural Neighbors Series

Get to know the critters that share our neighborhoods. Each program introduces the biology and behavior of a common "backyard" wildlife species and provides tips for how to coexist with these adaptable creatures.

White-tailed Deer

Wild Turkeys

Coyotes

Beavers

Squirrels