Webinars highlight Alaska Native Plant Month
Julie Stricker
907-474-5406
April 22, 2026
Native plants, such as these white wild irises in Two Rivers, are important for pollinators.
Note: The dates of the hummingbird and ethnobotany talks have been changed.
The Â鶹¹ÙÍø Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, in collaboration with the Alaska Native Plant Society, is hosting a series of free webinars to highlight native plants and animals and the challenges they face.
All webinars will be from noon-1 p.m. on Wednesdays during May, which is Alaska Native Plant Month. Register using the or visit .
On May 6, Lisa Strecker, with UAF’s ethnobotany program, and Jessica Newton, of the Kenaitze Tribe, will talk about how people develop relationships with plants that tend to grow well in human-impacted habitats. They will focus on how people can interact with plants for holistic well-being through the lens of Alaska Native plant traditions and ethnobotany.
On May 13, Todd Eskelin, a biologist at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, will feature rufous hummingbirds, an important pollinator that is in decline. Eskelin will talk about current research into how rufous hummingbirds interact with native plants and what is needed to expand the hummingbirds’ range.
On May 20, Maddie Dong, with Pollinator Partnership, will review the two new ecoregional planting guides for Alaska. She will discuss how the guides were developed in collaboration with Alaska-based plant and pollinator experts. The guides provide targeted native plant recommendations that support pollinators throughout the growing season.
On May 27, Gino Graziano, Cooperative Extension invasive plants instructor, will explain how some wildflower seed mixes can carry varieties that can spread beyond where they were planted and, in some cases, become invasive. He will discuss which species to look out for and avoid in wildflower mixes.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at amnorris2@alaska.edu or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to amnorris2@alaska.edu.
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
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