JOIN DONATE
YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK
We can accommodate 500 viewers on Zoom. First come first served. A recording will be available about 3 weeks after the program.
Speaker: Dr. Liz Matthews, Ecologist, National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program
This presentation will share highlights from the first 15 years of a long-term forest vegetation monitoring program in eastern U.S. National Parks. It will cover recent findings that illustrate the ecological value and importance of National Park forests in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond, despite their relatively small size when compared to National Parks of the western U.S. The presentation will also describe the natural resource challenges confronting these ecosystems, including invasive plants, deer overabundance, and forest fragmentation.
Our speaker, Dr. Liz Matthews, is an Ecologist and Program Manager for the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) program. The I&M program conducts natural resource inventories and monitors the condition of key “vital signs,” or natural resource indicators, in National Parks across the U.S. to inform resource management in the parks. Liz first joined the National Capital Area I&M office in 2013 as a Botanist, leading the forest vegetation monitoring program in 11 National Parks in and around DC. Prior to joining the NPS, Liz studied plant phenology in National Parks in California and alluvial vegetation in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
The program will be presented online through Zoom, in webinar format. You will not be able to share your own audio or video with other participants, but you will be able to submit questions in writing during the program. Registration is required. After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email with a link to the Zoom program. The program is free and open to the public. If you enjoy MNPS programs please consider clicking here to make a donation. And don't forget to renew your membership!
Speaker: Dr. Katalin Szlavecz, Research Professor, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
Earthworms are ecosystem engineers influencing essentially all physical, chemical and biological soil properties. In the mid-Atlantic Region, non-native earthworms of European origin colonized the secondary forests hundreds of years ago. Currently a ‘second wave’ of earthworm invasion is taking place by another group of earthworms, commonly known as ‘jumping worms’. This presentation will provide an overview of the history of earthworm invasion, the natural history of native and non-naïve earthworms, and the profound ecological impact of invasive earthworms on the soil ecosystem.
Our speaker, Dr. Katalin Szlavecz, is a Research Professor at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD. Her research interest is the soil ecosystem, particularly soil biodiversity, and the role of biota in soil carbon and nitrogen cycling. Her research focuses on human modified landscapes, such as secondary forests, crop fields, and the urban environment. She is a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and co-founder of GLUSEEN (Global Urban Soil Ecology and Education Network). At JHU she teaches courses on global environmental change, general ecology, and soil ecology.
Speaker: Suzanne Hill
This presentation will focus on useful and beautiful native graminoids for home gardens. Our speaker will cover the growing requirements, benefits and suggested landscape uses for some of the more commonly available Maryland native grasses, sedges, and rushes.
Our speaker, Suzanne Hill of Frederick, Maryland, has studied, grown and promoted native plants for their beauty and ecological benefits for over twenty years. She has given presentations for the Western Mountains Chapter of the Maryland Native Plant Society and for numerous gardening clubs and organizations.
