Wednesday, July 30, 2-3pm. We're proud to present Gary Eldred, Mr. Prairie Enthusiast. He will share stories of his life and healing, along with excerpts from his new book. There will be books available for sale and signing.
In person or via Zoom
Healing Wounds: Giving Back to Nature
By Gary Eldred with Mark K. Leach
Eldred's memoirs enthrall as he tells how he learned to heal himself and nature with the help of loving, caring people.
Gary Eldred
Mr. Prairie Enthusiast was an unlikely leader, with little formal training but with an intense determination to give back to nature. In 1987, he founded the Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Enthusiasts. At the time, the idea of local people organizing themselves to purchase, restore, and educate about native fire-adapted ecosystems was a novelty. Building on success, the organization expanded and rebranded as The Prairie Enthusiasts, which has enabled thousands of activists to work together to heal nature's wounds.
Mark Leach
For decades, Dr. Leach has volunteered and worked professionally as a conservation researcher, land manager, author, and educator. Now retired, he continues to volunteer as Senior Scientist for the Chippewa Savannas Chapter of the Prairie Enthusiasts. In 2025, he started Leaky Canoe Books to publish Healing Wounds. He's been friends with Gary Eldred since 1988.
Advanced Praise for Healing Wounds
This is a brutally honest account of one man's struggle to rise from the depths of inexplicable depression to a liberating self-awareness, unleashing a relentless drive to 'harness his furies' to help save our prairies. This amazing story of courage, dedication, and resilience is a cathartic gem. My understanding, admiration, and love for 'Mr. Prairie Enthusiast' has multiplied many times over after reading his life saga.
-Neil Diboll, President of Prairie Nursery and co-author of The Gardener's Guide to Prairie Plants
This is the story of a remarkable man who overcame his wounded beginnings to give back and help us heal wounds in our natural world.
-Patty Dreier, author of Empowered: One Planet at a Time
His unwavering dedication has not only protected precious remnants of the Midwest's vanishing ecosystems but has also kindled a new generation of landscape visionaries to continue his impactful work preserving these vital ecological treasures.
-Joe Maurer, Artist and Landscape Architect.
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