The purpose of the Conservation Training Program (CTP) is to develop a workforce with the skills needed to construct and maintain environmental restoration, green infrastructure, and natural landscaping projects. 

Discover the plants that belong, learn how to manage the ones that don’t, and leave inspired to restore your own landscape.

Visit interactive learning stations where local experts will help you identify native plants, explore practical invasive species removal techniques, and develop a revegetation plan using native species.

Participants will receive free native plants to jump-start their restoration efforts, and eligible attendees can earn Conservation Training Volunteer Hours while connecting with others who care about creating healthier habitats and waterways.

This event is funded by the US Forest Service in an initiative to reduce invasive species in the Illinois River Watershed.

Please fill out this registration form if you plan to attend!

IRWP’s Equipment Loaner Program, funded by the US Forest Service, can aid landowners and managers with the removal of invasive plants within the Illinois River Watershed in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Invasive plant infestations reduce native biodiversity, alter hydrology, increase wildfire risk, and diminish the water-quality treatment potential of riparian and forest systems. Replacing these species with native vegetation, particularly those that enhance infiltration, can significantly improve sediment and nutrient retention, thereby protecting downstream water quality.