Apr 1, 2010

9 am - 4 pm. Includes lunch and refreshments. Please preregister. Creating Green Space with Native Plants. Guest speakers Jim McCormac - Keynote Speaker. Backyards and Beyond Plant Locally, Save Globally. Ann Bonner - Trees and More. Michael Flanders How we are complying with EPA mandates. Hal Kneen - What Could Be. Dr. Frank Porter - Creating Rain Gardens. Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency has demanded that public utilities create green space to offset the tremendous cost of maintaining lawns and to lessen the amount of runoff into over-taxed and antiquated storm drain systems. All too often, public authorities choose non-native species to satisfy this mandate. Many of these non-native species are invasive and only exacerbate the situation. Properly using native plants to create green space can rectify many of the environmental problems caused by the misuse of land in public areas. Native plants are also increasingly being used in gardens as ornamentals. Little attention is given to the environmental importance of using the proper species to create natural habitats for insect pollinators and wildlife. Private landowners can do their part to provide green space by creating rain gardens and wildlife habitats with native plants.

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