The Prairie Preservation Society of Ogle County will be hosting its annual spring banquet on Sunday, April 19, at Stronghold Center.

The center is located at 1922 state Route 2 North, Oregon.

The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a social hour and opportunity to peruse the items for sale from books from Books on First, to native plants and a silent auction.

Dinner will be served buffet style and will offer a turkey dinner as well as a vegetarian option. Following the dinner will be a presentation by Dr. Samuel Randall: “From Prairie to Patient: How Healthy Ecosystems Shape Healthy Communities”.

The presentation is an exploration of how native ecosystems influence human health in Northern Illinois and how healthy landscapes support healthy people. Learn how prairie restoration, biodiversity and fire ecology shape the landscape of vector-borne disease – and why predators like foxes and coyotes influence the spread of Lyme disease and how prescribed burning could change the risk of West Nile virus.

Randall is a family physician, studies medical entomology and is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Illinois Chicago as well as a member of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He works in clinical practice and teaches medical, professional and community lectures on One Health, travel medicine and tropical medicine.

Tickets are $45. To reserve your place or for more information, contact Lin at 815-973-4926 (call or text) or lin.vogl@gmail.com. PPSOC is a 501c3 organization.