West Cook Annual Member Meeting 2025

West Cook Wild Ones invites all members to our annual member meeting on Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 2:00 pm in the Veterans Room of the Oak Park Public Library-Main Branch.



First, A Little Business: We want to celebrate our accomplishments, plan for the year ahead, introduce new board members and celebrate departing board members. In 2024, we hosted eight virtual programs, our spring native plant sale enjoyed robust sales, our in-person native garden tour featured nine beautiful gardens, our grant program helped fund 30 native gardens, and our membership grew to over 300 strong! None of our accomplishments would be possible without our members! Thank you!

Then, Garden Photography Workshop: We want to thank you for your support by offering a celebration featuring a smart phone photography workshop with Cynthia Harris. Cynthia will give a short presentation on smart phone photography. Then, we can practice our skills on some live flowering plants. Cynthia will guide iPhone users. Professional photographer Beth Rooney will guide Android users. plan to have someone to translate to Android phones. Following the presentation,we will have a hands on workshop practicing our photography skills on some beautiful botanics. Please bring your phone but subjects for photographing will be provided. 

We look forward to getting better acquainted in January! We will have time to chat with each other, and will offer catered snacks and some pretty terrific prizes to give away.



Presenter Bios:

Cynthia Harris

I am an amateur photographer. I shoot with various Nikon DSLR cameras. In the past five years, I have gotten into bird photography and have won several awards for my bird photographs. I have learned a lot about finding and identifying birds and photographing them. 

Recently I went on a photography tour in which the leaders, who were experienced photographers, only shot with their iphones. I have become proficient at various techniques for shooting and editing on an iPhone. 

Learn more about Cynthia and her work at cynthiaayoubharris.com

Beth Rooney

Beth Rooney is a Nebraska-born, Chicago-raised, and currently Chicago-based visual-journalist. As a writer and photographer, she is drawn to stories that explore our place in the world and how individual circumstances add up to reflect larger truths. She is passionate about photography, writing, food, culture, and immersive travel.  Learn more about Beth and her work at bethrooney.com.

Not a member? If this sounds fun and interesting, but you are not yet a member, please join us at westcook.wildones.org/join