Sharing a program with curious minds is one of my very favorite things to do.
Lectures. Workshops. Symposia.
My lectures and workshops are in-depth programs, full of great photographs and imagery, and presented with sufficient time to thoroughly explore the subject and include a rigorous Q&A period. In practice, this typically translates to a minimum of 1.5 to 2 hours. I also welcome teaching longer programs or courses divided into multiple sessions. And I greatly enjoy participating in conferences and symposia that bring together a diversity of practitioners, viewpoints, and experiences. My talks on native plants and ecological land stewardship have taken me all over New England. Here is a sampling of existing programs that I have developed, and I am routinely tweaking these or developing new ones.
Why Native Plant Landscapes Matter
Native plants are increasingly recognized as important to our gardens and landscapes, but why? This program provides a comprehensive overview of their essential role in ecosystem health—and uses my urban garden as a case study to illustrate the tremendous potential of our managed landscapes. Concepts covered include the co-evolution of plants and animals; the fundamental importance of native plants to a functioning food web; and the differences among native, naturalized, and invasive plants. The “tour” of my garden shows its steady transformation from a conventional urban yard to a landscape rich with native plant species and habitat for birds, butterflies, and wildlife. This allows us to summarize the essential principles for designing gardens that are places of both beauty and biodiversity. Full of exceptional photographs, this program will help you "get" why native plants are so important and inspire you to use your own garden to make the world a better place!
Secrets of Success for Native Plant Landscapes
Integrating more native plants into our gardens and managed landscapes is today’s model for being ecologically smart. But creating beautiful and vibrant landscapes that emphasize native species requires so much more than simply substituting indigenous plants for our old favorite horticultural exotics. This program takes an in-depth look at how to successfully garden with native plants in order to create landscapes that have genuine ecological value. We discuss the need to understand your site, to respect the unique qualities and adaptations of different species, to understand plant communities, and how to utilize ecological processes. Along the way, we examine common myths and misconceptions, and share tips for sourcing native plants. Equipped with knowledge and resources for continued learning, you can create gardens that use native plants successfully and to their best advantage!
Creating Landscapes for Bird Diversity
Do you aspire to create biodiverse landscapes with genuine ecological value to a wide array of birds— from songbirds, to raptors, owls, woodpeckers and more? This program explores the principles and practices for achieving this objective, framed in the context of understanding the essential habitat requirements for bird survival. Hint: there are many requirements common to all species, as well as real variation among different bird groups as to what is needed. Our examination starts, of course, with the importance of native plants. Then we consider the value of different canopy layers, techniques for providing water, and the critical role of healthy ecological systems to avian survival. Finally, we examine our human interactions with birds. What are the pros and cons of feeding birds directly, through seed and suet? Do nest boxes really help our native songbirds to breed? And given the threats from both human activity and introduced bird species, how can we tilt the balance in favor of our indigenous avian species, many of which are experiencing steep declines?
Ditch that Fall Clean-up!
The standard fall garden “clean-up” is a disaster for our ecosystem, in more ways than most of us know. So, leave those leaves! Life abounds in the leaf litter of our gardens, and the seasonal cycles of both growth and decay are critical to building healthy soil. Come learn about a new approach to gardening that embraces and harnesses ecological systems instead of creating dead zones in our landscapes. This will help to sustain biodiversity— life for birds, butterflies, pollinators, and so much other valuable fauna. It will make your garden more interesting, allowing you to grow beautiful wildflowers and other plants that you might not be able to otherwise. And in addition to being ecologically smart, it will save you money and time, and even promote your own health. Join us to dissect the conventional fall clean-up in detail— which practices should we keep, and which do we jettison for a better world?
Nature is Not Out There: Changing the Conservation Paradigm
Historically, the American conservation movement has been focused on preserving special places for the protection of nature and wildlife, and a tremendous amount has been accomplished. But this strategy also reflects an underlying conception that we humans are in some way separate from the natural world, and that nature is “out there” somewhere else— but not everywhere. Building a successful conservation movement for the future requires us to fundamentally change this framework and to rethink our unconscious bias. We must stop making artificial distinctions between “natural areas” and places of human habitation, and we must embrace a view of ourselves as organic beings that are integral to ecological systems, just as much as any other living species. This program uses history and humor to explore how deeply rooted this false dichotomy exists within in our culture and proposes a new and more inclusive paradigm for the 21st century— one that advocates for the stewardship of all lands, and the engagement of all citizens in caring for the ecosystems that make our lives possible. Making ecology mainstream is a radical goal, but to remain on earth we must all become environmentalists and we all have much to learn!
Other Programs
Are constantly in development. And I routinely adapt existing programs to meet your needs. Let me know if you have other topics that you would like addressed.
Past Programs & Clients
To date, I have presented more than 100 programs to many different audiences throughout New England and beyond, both amateur and professional, and in settings ranging from community venues to large conferences. Here is a partial list of organizations that have engaged me to present lectures and workshops.
Andover Memorial Hall Library, MA
Appalachian Mountain Club – Pinkham Notch Education Series, NH
Association to Preserve Cape Cod, MA
Boston Public Library, MA
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, MA
Connecticut College Arboretum SALT Conference – Keynote Speaker
Eastham Public Library, MA
Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts – Landscape Design School
Grow Native Massachusetts
Lexington Field & Garden Club, MA
Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association
Nashua Public Library, NH
NDAL – New Directions in the American Landscape, PA
Northeast Organic Farmers Association
Rhode Island Native Plant Society – Annual Meeting
Springfield Garden Club, MA
University of Massachusetts Extension – Spring Kickoff for Landscapers
Waltham Land Trust, MA