The Maryland Native Plant Society

Fall Conference

Extraordinary Ecosystems of the Eastern Shore

September 6-7, 2025

Co-sponsored by Washington College, Center for Environment and Society, Natural Lands Stewardship.

IN PERSON OPTION REGISTRATION

Washington College, Gibson Theatre
300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620

VIRTUAL (ZOOM) OPTION REGISTRATION

Co-sponsored by Washington College, Center for Environment and Society, Natural Lands Stewardship.

   In Person  Virtual
 Members*   $100  $50
 Nonmembers  $130  $60
 Students  $30  $15

Saturday Social is an additional $30 / $15 virtual

*Members of Maryland or other native plant society.

Discover the unique plants and natural areas of Maryland's Eastern Shore and learn about the Herculean efforts to conserve them.

AGENDA

Saturday:
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Check-in and breakfast
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Presentations
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Bag lunch
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Field trips

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: $30 additional fee. Evening social with student posters and dinner with Bill McAvoy’s talk on Eastern Shore Plant Communities and Habitats: From Marsh to Mounds.  Please select the Social option during registration.

Sunday:
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Field trips 

PRESENTATIONS AND SPEAKERS

  • Rare and Threatened Coastal Plain Species and Efforts Underway to Protect Them - Jim Brighton (Keynote Speaker)
  • Threats to Unique Plants and Animals within Tidal Salt Marshes and Collaborative Conservation Efforts - Henrietta Bellman and Sophia Seufert
  • Managing Early Successional Habitats to Support Declining Grassland Wildlife Species - Kathy Thornton

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Registration includes the Saturday morning program, Saturday afternoon field trips, and Sunday morning field trips, as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday.  Also, visit tables to learn from Eastern Shore environmental organizations helping to preserve native plant communities in the area. The Saturday Social is an additional $30 fee. 

Field trips include exploration of unique plant communities of the Eastern Shore that grow on Delmarva Bays, Serpentine Barrens and Shell Middens as well as conservation efforts leading to habitat and wildlife restoration.  Registration for field trips will start at least 2 weeks prior to the conference. 

SATURDAY EVENING SOCIAL AND DINNER   
The Saturday evening social and dinner is not included in the registration fee and costs an additional $30. The dinner will feature retired Delaware State Botanist Bill McAvoy’s talk on Eastern Shore Plant Communities and Habitats: From Marsh to Mounds. Before dinner, students will be presenting posters.  A cash bar will be offered during this event. 

PLANT SALES! 
A Saturday morning plant sale will take place at the meeting location. This sale will feature multiple local vendors with plant sitting provided by Wild Ones Delmarva. On Sunday, Adkins Arboretum will be hosting their fall plant sale where MNPS members will receive discounted rates. 

    • 09/06/2025
    • 8:00 AM
    • 09/07/2025
    • 1:00 PM
    • Washington College, MD (Chestertown, Kent County)
    • 108
    Register

    In-Person Attendance, Including Field Trips

    Washington College
    300 Washington Ave., Chestertown, MD 21620

    To attend virtually, please register at https://mdflora.org/event-6194027  

    Co-sponsored by Washington College, Center for Environment and Society, Natural Lands Stewardship.

    Discover the unique plants and natural areas of Maryland's Eastern Shore and learn about the Herculean efforts to conserve them.

    AGENDA
    Saturday:
    8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Check-in and breakfast
    9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Presentations
    12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Bag lunch
    1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Field trips

    6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: $30 additional fee. Evening social with student posters and dinner with Bill McAvoy’s talk on Eastern Shore Plant Communities and Habitats: From Marsh to Mounds.  Please select the Social option during registration.

    Sunday:
    10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Field trips 

    PRESENTATIONS AND SPEAKERS:

    • Rare and Threatened Coastal Plain Species and Efforts Underway to Protect Them - Jim Brighton (Keynote Speaker)
    • Threats to Unique Plants and Animals within Tidal Salt Marshes and Collaborative Conservation Efforts - Henrietta Bellman and Sophia Seufert
    • Managing Early Successional Habitats to Support Declining Grassland Wildlife Species - Kathy Thornton

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
    Registration includes the Saturday morning program, Saturday afternoon field trips, and Sunday morning field trips, as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday.  Also, visit tables to learn from Eastern Shore environmental organizations helping to preserve native plant communities in the area. The Saturday Social is an additional $30 fee. 

    Field trips include exploration of unique plant communities of the Eastern Shore that grow on Delmarva Bays, Serpentine Barrens and Shell Middens as well as conservation efforts leading to habitat and wildlife restoration.  Registration for field trips will start at least 2 weeks prior to the conference. 

    SATURDAY EVENING SOCIAL AND DINNER   
    The Saturday evening social and dinner is not included in the registration fee and costs an additional $30. The dinner will feature retired Delaware State Botanist Bill McAvoy’s talk on Eastern Shore Plant Communities and Habitats: From Marsh to Mounds. Before dinner, students will be presenting posters.  A cash bar will be offered during this event. 

    PLANT SALES! 
    A Saturday morning plant sale will take place at the meeting location. This sale will feature multiple local vendors with plant sitting provided by Wild Ones Delmarva. On Sunday, Adkins Arboretum will be hosting their fall plant sale where MNPS members will receive discounted rates. 

    In-Person Attendance Registration Fees 

    • Members* $100
    • Nonmembers $130
    • Student $30
    • Evening Social $30

    *Members of Maryland Native Plant Society or other native plant societies.

    Registration closes August 23

    If you need to cancel, email Karyn Molines at conference@mdflora.org. Full refunds (except for administrative fees) are available for cancellations prior to August 6.  A 50% refund will be issued for any cancellation received by August 23.  Refunds are not available for cancellations after August 23.

    Sponsorships 

    Sponsorships help keep the registration fees affordable. Sponsors will be provided a table for their displays as well as In Person Registration(s) depending on the level.  Sponsor logos must be provided by August 6. 

    • Saltmeadow Cordgrass $250:  Provided one complimentary registration.  Your logo will be placed on the slides between presentations as well as on the Conference web page. Your literature, products samples, coupons, and promotional materials will be given to registered conference attendees.

    • Marsh Elder $500: Provided two complimentary registrations. Sponsor may bring a banner to place at the Registration area. Your logo will be placed on the opening and closing slides of the conference, in between speakers as well as on the Conference web page. Your literature, products samples, coupons, and promotional materials will be given to registered conference attendees. 

    • White Oak $1000: Provided five complimentary registrations. Tabling opportunity during the conference. Sponsor may bring a banner to place at the Registration area. Your logo will be placed on the opening and closing slides of the conference, in between speakers as well as on the Conference web page. Your literature, products samples, coupons, and promotional materials will be given to registered conference attendees.

    • For levels that receive additional registrations, please be prepared to register them when you register as a Sponsor. Otherwise, contact Karyn Molines conference@mdflora.org for further instructions.

    CALL FOR POSTERS

    Undergraduates and graduates studying plant taxonomy, plant ecology, landscaping with native plants, and restoration ecology are invited to submit a poster proposal. https://forms.gle/BEZUDh8VcPYzSYTm7

    ACCOMMODATIONS

    Several Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts are located near the conference.
    • 09/06/2025
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Zoom
    Register

    Virtual Attendance of the Fall Conference

    To attend in person, please go to this event:  https://mdflora.org/event-6189931

    Co-sponsored by Washington College, Center for Environment and Society, Natural Lands Stewardship.

    Discover the unique plants and natural areas of Maryland's Eastern Shore and learn about the Herculean efforts to conserve them.

    AGENDA
    Saturday:

    9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Presentations

    6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: $30 additional fee. Evening social with student posters and dinner with Bill McAvoy’s talk on Eastern Shore Plant Communities and Habitats: From Marsh to Mounds.  Please select the Social option during registration.

    PRESENTATIONS AND SPEAKERS:

    • Rare and Threatened Coastal Plain Species and Efforts Underway to Protect Them - Jim Brighton (Keynote Speaker)
    • Threats to Unique Plants and Animals within Tidal Salt Marshes and Collaborative Conservation Efforts - Henrietta Bellman and Sophia Seufert
    • Managing Early Successional Habitats to Support Declining Grassland Wildlife Species - Kathy Thornton

    Registration includes the Saturday morning program. 

    Virtual Attendance does NOT include field trips.

    SATURDAY EVENING SOCIAL AND DINNER   
    Saturday evening lecture will be available virtually. It is not included in the registration fee and costs an additional $15. Retired Delaware State Botanist Bill McAvoy’s will present on Eastern Shore Plant Communities and Habitats: From Marsh to Mounds.

    Virtual Attendance Registration Fees

    • Members* $50
    • Nonmembers $60
    • Student $15
    • Evening Social $15

    *Members of Maryland Native Plant Society or other native plant societies.

    If you need to cancel, email Karyn Molines at conference@mdflora.org. Full refunds (except for administrative fees) are available for cancellations prior to August 6. A 50% refund will be issued for any cancellation received by August 23. Refunds are not available for cancellations after August 23.

Past events

09/17/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Pawpaws at the Monocacy Aqueduct (Sunday)
09/17/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: iNaturalist Training & Plant Explorations (Sunday)
09/17/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Snavely Ford (Sunday)
09/17/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Early Autumn at Little Bennett Regional Park (Sunday)
09/16/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Workshop on Invasive Plants (Saturday)
09/16/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Hyattstown Mill Trails at Little Bennett (Saturday)
09/16/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: American Chestnut Land Trust Hike (Saturday)
09/16/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Fall Wildflowers for Beginners (Saturday)
09/16/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Violette's Lock (Saturday)
09/16/2023 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Weed Warrior Success Sites Tour (Saturday)
09/18/2022 MNPS Field Weekend: Fall Wildflowers for Beginners (Sunday)
09/18/2022 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Gathland State Park (Sunday)
09/18/2022 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Goldenrods at Audrey Carroll Preserve (Sunday)
09/17/2022 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Riley's Lock (Saturday)
09/17/2022 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: iNaturalist Training & Plant Explorations (Saturday)
09/17/2022 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Izaak Walton League (Saturday)
09/17/2022 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: From Salt Marsh to Sand Dunes - Exploring the Special Habitats of Dorchester County (Saturday)
09/17/2022 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Autumn at Little Bennett Regional Park (Saturday)
09/17/2022 MNPS Fall Field Weekend: Tree ID For Beginners-Black Hill Regional Park (Saturday)
09/25/2021 Rare Plants and Communities of the Baltimore-Washington Corridor
08/29/2020 Conference: From Marshes to Meadows: Exploring Maryland's Grasslands
08/24/2019 2019 MNPS Fall Conference
09/16/2018 Ferns of the Gunpowder (Fall Conference Field Trip, Sunday)
09/16/2018 Severn Run NEA (Fall Conference Field Trip, Sunday)
09/16/2018 Lake Roland Park (Fall Conference Field Trip, Sunday)
09/16/2018 Gywnn Falls-Leakin Park (Fall Conference Field Trip, Sunday)
09/16/2018 Maring CWMA-Carroll Co (Fall Conference Field Trip, Sunday)
09/15/2018 Gywnn Falls-Leakin Park (Fall Conference Field Trip, Saturday)
09/15/2018 Patapsco Valley State Park (Fall Conference Field Trip, Saturday)
09/15/2018 Plant ID and iNaturalist workshop on UMBC campus (Fall Conference Field Trip, Saturday)
09/15/2018 Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area (Fall Conference Field Trip, Saturday)
09/15/2018 Gunpowder State Park, Hereford Area (Fall Conference Field Trip, Saturday)
09/15/2018 Benjamin Banneker Historical Park (Fall Conference Field Trip, Saturday)
09/15/2018 Oregon Ridge Park (Fall Conference Field Trip, Saturday)
09/15/2018 The Times They Are A’Changin’: Threats to Maryland’s Native Plant Communities (2018 MNPS Fall Conference)
09/29/2017 2017 Tri-State Conference, "Nature Knows No Boundaries"
09/17/2016 2016 MNPS Annual Fall Conference; Maryland's Forgotten Bogs and Pine Barrens
09/19/2015 2015 MNPS Annual Fall Conference "Shifting Sands: Coastal Plain Flora from Wetlands to Upland"
09/20/2014 2014 MNPS Annual Fall Conference: The Diverse Flora and Habitats of Cecil County and the Tri-state Area
09/21/2013 2013 MNPS Annual Fall Conference: The Threatened Natural Communities and Rare Plants of Maryland's Mountains
09/29/2012 2012 MNPS Annual Fall Conference: Preserving and Restoring Biodiversity in Developed Landscapes
09/24/2011 2011 MNPS Annual Fall Conference: Ecology of Southern Maryland
09/25/2010 2010 MNPS Annual Fall Conference 2010: "Biodiversity of Maryland's Eastern Shore"
09/26/2009 MNPS 2009 Annual Fall Conference, "The Catoctin Mountains: Maryland's Blue Ridge"
09/20/2008 MNPS 2008 Annual Fall Conference, "Ecological Communities of the Western Shores of the Chesapeake Bay"
09/29/2007 MNPS 2007 Annual Fall Conference, "Climate Change: Global Effects, Local Impacts: Western Maryland's Flora - At Risk?"
10/14/2006 MNPS 2006 Annual Fall Conference, "Botanical Diversity of Montgomery County: The Geology-Botany Connection"
10/01/2005 MNPS 2005 Annual Fall Conference, "Baltimore's Urban and Suburban Forests: People and Plants in Partnership"
10/16/2004 MNPS 2004 Annual Fall Conference, "Pieces of the Puzzle: Connecting Land, Water, and the Chesapeake"
10/04/2003 MNPS 2003 Annual Fall Conference, "Blue Ridge & Potomac Valley"
10/12/2002 MNPS 2002 Annual Fall Conference, "Communities and Geology of the Fall Line"
09/29/2001 MNPS 2001 Annual Fall Conference, "Shaping Nature: The Impact of Human and Natural Disturbance on Our Native Flora"
09/23/2000 MNPS 2000 Annual Fall Conference
09/01/1999 MNPS 1999 Annual Fall Conference: "New Directions in Land Preservation: Thinking Big so Nature Can Work"
09/01/1998 MNPS 1998 Annual Fall Conference: "Limits of Restoration"
09/01/1997 MNPS 1997 Annual Fall Conference: "Allegheny Alliances and Communities"
09/01/1996 MNPS 1996 Annual Fall Conference: "Ecology of the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain"
09/01/1995 MNPS 1995 Annual Fall Conference: "Biodiversity of Barrens Communities"
09/01/1994 MNPS 1994 Annual Fall Conference: Allegany County
05/13/1994 MNPS 1994 Spring Field Meeting: Eastern Shore
09/01/1993 MNPS 1993 Annual Fall Conference: Montgomery County
09/01/1992 MNPS 1992 Annual Fall Conference: "Restoring Their Habitats; Beautifying Our Yard"
10/01/1991 MNPS 1991 Annual Fall Conference: Montgomery County
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