Topic: The 'Dirt' on Soil

Speaker: Mitch Hall, Director of Sustainable Landcare Services, Fourth River Workers Guild

Soil is one of the most fundamental components of our physical environment. Our food comes from soil, our favorite plants grow in soil, much of the world's biodiversity is in the soil, and yet many still just consider it 'dirt'. For far too long, soil has not been a widely discussed topic and its components have instead been boiled down into the three numbers we see on the back of a fertilizer bag. What we have come to learn is that this could not be further from the truth. This talk will discuss a more holistic view of soil, how to work with soil, and how to develop soil in your garden with a broader perspective of it's living and non-living components. 

Mitch Hall is originally from Garrett County, MD. He received a B.S. in Ethnobotany and a M.S. in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology from Frostburg State University. He currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA and operates a small, ecologically-minded landscaping company, Fourth River Workers Guild.  Fourth River Workers Guild was started to improve Pittsburgh's local ecology by providing innovative, well informed, home services to the Pittsburgh community. He is passionate about developing functional and aesthetic solutions for land owners in the region. With a passion for sharing knowledge, Mitch is happy to engage and laugh with anyone willing to listen, learn, and ask questions. 

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.

MNPS Annual Meeting

A short annual meeting, at which the results of the election for Officers and Directors will be announced, will take place at 7:30, followed immediately by the speaker.

Speaker: Colleen Kenny
Maryland's ash trees are under attack from the emerald ash borer, an Asian beetle. This program will present an overview of the current status of emerald ash borer in Maryland, new projects including treatments, biocontrol, and genetic research, and the long term outlook for emerald ash borer and ash management.

This program was originally scheduled in March, but had to be postponed.

Colleen Kenny is a Forest Health Watershed Planner with the Maryland Forest Service.

Doors open at 7:00.

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

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.

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

Doors open at 7:00.

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