Meet the local organization restoring native wildlife, one yard at a time

For two years, Charles Stevens and Erika Nelson have been working to connect with locals interested in pollinator gardens and environmental restoration. Their efforts have led to the creation of the Wild Ones Miami Valley chapter, an organization with more than 40 members focused on increasing biodiversity within their own yards.

Wild Ones’ mission is to promote natural landscapes through education, outreach and collective action to grow a movement of healthier landscapes.

Stevens and Nelson started having conversations about environmental restoration in 2022, which led them to discover Wild Ones and its more than 100 chapters and “seedlings” nationally, particularly in the Midwest. The Miami Valley chapter was a seedling chapter before becoming a full chapter early this year. 

Stevens said he believes people have become more interested in native lawns due to concerns about biodiversity and climate change.

“When I was a kid, in the summertime, if you had a back porch light on, a light over your back porch and you walked outside, you were kind of assaulted with moths and insects, and people have noticed that’s no longer the case,” Stevens said. “ We don’t have the population of insects that we used to have.”

The chapter recently elected its board and officers on Nov. 17, its first annual meeting. The chapter decided that Stevens will remain co-president with Barbara Hamilton for 2025, while Nelson, a current co-president, will fill in the vacant secretary position formerly filled by a graduate student.

The election was also accompanied by a presentation by PhD candidate Emily Galloway, who presented her research on prairie restoration and the effects of missing microbes in the soil.

“I really like presenting to a public audience because it makes me feel like my research is very meaningful to the world, and so [Wild Ones] was a perfect space to do it,” Galloway said.

Galloway hopes to translate her research into restoration practices that landscapers and practitioners alike can take from the findings to apply to their own land.

“If anything, I feel like scientists, especially me, get really excited about organizations like Wild Ones because they are really interested in the science, but also they’re taking the time and using the energy and resources to do the work in their own homes or in a public space,” Galloway said.

Last year, Oxford passed an ordinance to promote natural lawns while distinguishing them from unkempt lawns.

“I have enjoyed watching the transformation of my property and the increase in bird species,” Stevens said. “I have thousands and thousands of fireflies in my yard in spring and my neighbors, who maintain lawns, disproportionately do not.”

Stevens said that Wild Ones serves as a resource for people looking to install native landscapes of their own, scouting out the yard and giving recommendations. Being a part of the National Wild Ones organization gives them liability protection in the process.

Going forward, Stevens said the Miami Valley chapter is looking to spend less time and energy on events and start to build better relationships with other organizations such as Three Valley Conservation Trust and the Audubon Society along with local businesses.

In a written statement to the Oxford Free Press, Nelson wrote, “Many of us feel a lot of emotional distress when it comes to the news of our changing climate, loss of wildlife, and the effect this will have on the quality of life in the future.  Will our kids get to chase fireflies? Search for monarch caterpillars? Wake to the sound of songbirds?  Planting native, starting in your own backyard, is one way that people can feel empowered to make a difference, and the rewards are almost immediate.”

Wild Ones will hold a native seed exchange on Dec. 1 in the lobby of the Oxford Lane Library. The event will run from 2 to 4 p.m. and focus on learning about harvesting and exchanging the seeds of native plants.