Introductory Stewardship Consultation

Whether you're just getting started or looking for a second opinion on an existing restoration project, this one-hour virtual consultation gives you direct access to a Restoration Ecologist. We'll discuss your property, your goals, and your biggest challenges while introducing the principles of Fly-Wheel Ecology and how resilient native plant communities can naturally reduce invasive species over time. Our consulting work focuses on the ecological health, restoration, and management of natural areas, including prairies, woodlands, wetlands, savannas, and other wild or semi-wild spaces. We work with property owners who want to restore, establish, or improve a natural area on their land. Our approach is ecological rather than ornamental. If your primary goal is native landscaping, garden design, or a more curated aesthetic, we're likely not the best fit for the design portion of your project. We do sell native plants and seed for those applications, but for landscape design and installation we would generally recommend that you work with a native landscaper, native landscape designer, or native landscape architect. Your Consultant Nick Fuller | Principal Ecological Officer & Ecological Restoration Consultant 20+ years of expertise in habitat restoration, stormwater compliance, and native plant design across the Chicago region and Midwest. 💳 Your $25 Comes Back as Store Credit Once Shopify confirms your payment, the full $25 consultation fee is issued as Natural Communities store credit. Apply it toward native plants, native seed, trees and shrubs, or future stewardship consulting. How It Works Purchase your consultation through Shopify. The one-time reservation fee is $25. Schedule after checkout. Scheduling is completed through our private Google Calendar appointment page after purchase. Choose your exact appointment. Google Calendar shows the openings that are still available and creates your Google Meet appointment. Meet virtually by Google Meet. Consultations are approximately one hour and conducted audio only. Your $25 becomes store credit once payment is confirmed. Shopify will also notify you when the credit is issued. Typical Appointment Availability Based on our current connected calendars, consultation openings generally fall within these windows: Monday–Thursday: typically at 3:15 PM Central Time Saturdays: appointment blocks are generally available in the morning Additional daytime openings may appear. Exact appointment times vary with existing field work, meetings, and project schedules and are shown in Google Calendar when you schedule. Please have photos, maps, or aerial imagery of your property available if possible. These help us provide more specific recommendations during your consultation. What We'll Discuss Every property is different, but consultations commonly include: Restoration goals Native plant and seed selection Invasive species management Prairie, woodland, and wetland restoration Fly-Wheel Ecology and adaptive management principles Wildlife habitat improvement Next steps and implementation priorities Audio Recording Notice Consultations are conducted through Google Meet and recorded audio only. Recordings help us capture recommendations accurately and may be used for educational or marketing purposes. If you prefer not to be recorded, we're happy to arrange a private, unrecorded consultation for an additional fee. Need Ongoing Stewardship Support? If your project would benefit from in-person site evaluation or recurring adaptive management, you can move into one of our ongoing stewardship programs. Annual Land Stewardship Consulting Professional on-site ecological guidance once per year, plus follow-up support. Quarterly Land Stewardship Consulting Four seasonal site visits with ongoing adaptive ecological guidance for active or complex restoration projects.