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Speaker: Nancy Lawson
A World of Discovery: Exploring the science and heart of sensory wildscapes.
Co-sponsor: The University of Maryland Extension with host Lisa Kuder
Physical location: Central Maryland Research and Education Center (CMREC) 4240 Folly Quarter Road Ellicott City, MD 21042 Directions: Enter the building at the front door under the portico. (The door next to the parking lot will be locked.)
The program is free and open to the public.
Much has been written about gardening for human senses, but how do plants and animals perceive the world around them? What do we miss when we landscape for human visual appeal but neglect the sensory experiences of our wild neighbors? Conventional gardening practices often interfere with other organisms’ abilities to interact with their environment in ways we can scarcely imagine. Through science, heart, and our powers of observation, we can learn to mitigate these disruptions and create sensory refuges in an increasingly noisy world.
Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife and Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory Wonders of Nature. A nature writer, habitat consultant, and founder of The Humane Gardener, she pioneers creative wildlife-friendly landscaping methods. Nancy co-chairs Howard County Bee City in Maryland and co-launched a community science project, Monarch Rx, after discovering a little-known butterfly behavior in her own garden. Her books, garden, advocacy and scientific endeavors have been featured in Science Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Oprah magazine, Entomology Today, Ecological Entomology, and American Gardener. Her most recent book, Wildscape, received an honorable mention in the American Horticultural Society's national book awards and was a finalist for the 2024 AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books.
YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK
Zoom opens at 7:00PM for pre-program board update and member Q&A. Presentations begin at 7:30PM and generally run until 8:45PM.
We can accommodate the first 300 people who enter the Zoom meeting at the meeting time. After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email with a link to the Zoom meeting, as well as the in person location information.
If you enjoy MNPS programs, please consider clicking here to make a donation. And don't forget to renew your membership!
Note that if you donate through the event registration, and subsequently cancel, the donation will temporarily appear as a credit. It will take time for the donation to be reinstituted to your account. Donations and membership dues are non-refundable.
Speaker: Jorge Bogantes Montero
The Anacostia River once had extensive tidal emergent wetlands dominated by Wild Rice (Zizania aquatica), an essential plant in this aquatic ecosystem. Centuries of habitat destruction and neglect deeply changed the riparian landscape of this river in the nation’s capital. For more than two decades, the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) has embarked on an ecosystem restoration journey to try to recover these amazing tidal marshlands, but in a very different River in the 21st century. Since 2020, wild rice has been thriving and even expanding in acreage as a result of our restoration efforts in what is a true restoration success story. Every summer, with the blooming of wild rice and more wildlife sightings, we grow more hopeful and treasure the recovery of a riverine ecosystem in the middle of a major city.
Jorge Bogantes Montero is a Natural Resources Specialist at the Anacostia Watershed Society in Bladensburg, MD. He leads ecological restoration efforts on public parklands in the Anacostia River watershed (in both DC and MD), including wetland restoration, tree plantings, meadow creation, SAV propagation, mussel propagation, wildlife monitoring, and invasive plant management. Mr. Bogantes Montero has a Bachelor's degree in Natural Resource Management and Protection from the Universidad Estatal a Distancia in San Jose, Costa Rica, his native country. Before moving to the U.S., Jorge worked in his country in issues related to tropical biodiversity conservation.
We can accommodate the first 300 people who enter the Zoom meeting at the meeting time. After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email with a link to the Zoom meeting. Registering does not guarantee a space in the Zoom meeting.
This will be recorded and available on our Webinars page.
If you enjoy MNPS programs please consider clicking here to make a donation. And don't forget to renew your membership!
Webinar Recordings page and on the MNPS YouTube channel
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