Speaker: Deborah Barber

Get a kick out of learning about the iNaturalist app.

• Use the Compare function to find out what’s in an area based on visual similarity, taxonomy, or occurrences.
• Learn to do bulk identifications and precise identifications.
• Use the filter to look for…anything in the world.

You will benefit most if you  bring a laptop or smartphone with the iNaturalist app set up with a user account. This will give you a chance to try some of the tricks Deborah will share. The iNaturalist app is quite easy to download and it's free.

Deborah Barber is Director of Land Management for the Nature Conservancy's Maryland/DC Chapter

Doors open at 7:00.

Location: Kensington Park Library, 4201 Knowles Ave, Kensington, MD.

The program is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

Topic: "Maryland Natural and Cultural Histories of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park"

Speaker: Megan Carr, Research Consultant, Frostburg State University

Please join us as Ms. Carr discusses an ongoing project at Frostburg State University that seeks to locate known populations of at-risk plant species in Harpers Ferry. The unique combination of underlying geology and disturbance patterns at Harpers Ferry creates uncommon habitats that are home to many rare plant species. During this talk, she will discuss some of the rare, threatened, and endangered plants found in Harpers Ferry, their current status, life histories, role in local ecosystems, and some of the threats that face these populations. 

Megan Carr is fascinated by the relationship between people and their environments (and especially plants.) Originally from south Texas, she has conducted ecological fieldwork in Hawaii, Ecuador, and around the mid-Atlantic region. She enjoys hiking and spending time at home with her pet bird and too many houseplants. She earned a BS in Ethnobotany from Frostburg State University, and a Master's in Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is currently a research consultant at FSU in the ethnobotany lab of Dr. Sunshine Brosi.

This free program will begin promptly at 7:00 pm; the public is welcome to attend.

Directions: From I-68 take exit 33 (Braddock Rd & Midlothian Rd exit). Follow Braddock Road approximately 1.3 miles to stop sign. Turn left onto Park Avenue. Drive a short distance and turn left, following signs for the Compton Parking Lot.

No registration is required.

Topic: "A Force for Nature: Lucy Braun"

This one-hour documentary explores the life and legacies of E. Lucy Braun (1889 - 1971), one of the foremost botanists and ecologists in American history. Braun was a trailblazer in the emerging science of plant ecology, and a leader in the early conservation movement. In 1950, she published Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America, a landmark book that documented forest communities from Florida to Canada. An extraordinary woman of science, Braun helped to preserve many natural spaces in Ohio and Kentucky.

This film is a co-production of Meg Hanrahan Media and Voyageur Media Group, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation of public media about science, history and culture. This film has earned critical acclaim from screenings at numerous academic conferences, and is now distributed to regional and national public television stations.

This free program will begin promptly at 7:00 pm; the public is welcome to attend.

Directions: From I-68 take exit 33 (Braddock Rd & Midlothian Rd exit). Follow Braddock Road approximately 1.3 miles to stop sign. Turn left onto Park Avenue. Drive a short distance and turn left, following signs for the Compton Parking Lot.

No registration is required.

Discover the important connection between native plants, people & wildlife at this 7th annual event!

Native Plant Nurseries   (large variety of plants native to the mid-Atlantic region available for sale; cash or check only in Parking Lot #4) Advance orders are appreciated!

Conservation Organizations   (local experts will answer questions about native plants & and other natural resource topics at their display booths in the Lake House)

Speakers (hour-long, digital presentations geared for teens & adults in the Recreation Hall)

Family-friendly Activities (hour-long, led by MCC crew members; meet at MCC display in Lake House)

More details to follow as available.

New Germany State Park and the Western Mountains Chapter of the Maryland Native Plant Society are co-sponsoring this FREE event. For more information visit www.dnr.maryland.gov or www.mdflora.org  

To get a better idea of why this continues to be such a nice event, view this video created by our friends at Engage Mountain Maryland https://youtu.be/eFkj4lahKcw

Directions: From I-68 take exit 22 and follow signs for New Germany State Park.Turn left into the park onto McAndrews Hill Road. Signs will direct you to parking for this special event.

Topic: "TBD"

Speaker: TBD

Details to follow.

This free program will begin promptly at 7:00 pm; the public is welcome to attend.

Directions: From I-68 take exit 33 (Braddock Rd & Midlothian Rd exit). Follow Braddock Road approximately 1.3 miles to stop sign. Turn left onto Park Avenue. Drive a short distance and turn left, following signs for the Compton Parking Lot.

No registration is required.

Topic: "Making Central Appalachian Forests More Resilient"

Speaker: Pabodha Galgamuwe, Forest Science Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy

Details to follow.

This free program will begin promptly at 7:00 pm; the public is welcome to attend.

Directions: From I-68 take exit 33 (Braddock Rd & Midlothian Rd exit). Follow Braddock Road approximately 1.3 miles to stop sign. Turn left onto Park Avenue. Drive a short distance and turn left, following signs for the Compton Parking Lot.

No registration is required.