Monarchs Across Georgia
​POLLINATOR SYMPOSIUM

Creating Landscapes for Beauty, Biodiversity & Ecological Benefits

Saturday, June 24, 2023
​9 AM - 2 PM
The Wimberly Center for Community Development
163 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Winder, GA 30680

 REGISTER NOW!
Cost: $75 -- Includes catered lunch and full agenda (some sessions have an additional $5 fee)
Join Monarchs Across Georgia for this pollinator-filled event to learn more about what is being done throughout the state to conserve, protect, and educate the public about important insect pollinators. The symposium will begin with a keynote address from North Carolina State University's Anne Spafford on “Creating Buzzworthy Gardens.”

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​Keynote Speaker: Anne Spafford

Creating Buzzworthy Gardens: Best Landscape Design, Implementation, and Management Strategies for High-Performing Gardens
Residential gardens, in aggregate, can play a huge role in providing much-needed habitat, food and water, and nesting places for pollinators. No garden is too small to make a difference. With more than 40 million acres of lawn in the U.S. alone, there are many opportunities to make room for pollinator habitat. While there is much concern for the plight of pollinators, many homeowners (garden novices and experienced alike) are unaware or unsure of how best to help. Anne will share readily accessible and applicable landscape design guidelines that enable pollinator-enthusiasts to tackle their home and community gardens through strategies that will help them implement practical and creative actions to support pollinators and bring joy to humans.

Anne Spafford, MLA, is a professor of landscape design in the department of horticultural science at North Carolina State University. Her teaching career spans more than 20 years and she has won many teaching awards. Anne is passionate about all the subjects she teaches (and there is substantial overlap between them), but she has a particular fondness for planting design—under which she excels in high-performing landscapes: pollinator habitats, rain gardens, therapeutic gardens, and residential gardens. When her schedule opens a bit, she still likes to take on design projects through her firm, Sprezzaterra Design Studio.​​

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Pre-order your copy for $24 when you register. 
Pollinator Gardening for the South: Creating Sustainable Habitats 
by Danesha Seth Carley  and Anne M. Spafford

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​Agenda

8:30 - 9 AM
9 - 9:15 AM                        
9:15 - 10:15 AM
10:15 - 10:30 AM
10:30 - 11:30 AM
11:30 - 11:45 AM
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
12:45 - 1:45 PM
1:45 - 2 PM

Check-in
Welcome & Orientation
Keynote Speaker
BREAK
Session #1
BREAK
Lunch
Session #2
Closing

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Session 1  |  10:30 to 11:30 AM

Cooking with Herbs Pollinator-Style
Cost: $5
Participant Limit: 20
Using herbs from the garden such as basil, thyme, rosemary, dill, and mints, you will experience the aromas and flavors of incorporating these into simple dishes. What makes this cooking class “pollinator-style”? Herbs are not only tasty additions to our cooking, but also are pollen and nectar sources for bees and host plants for butterflies. A booklet of recipes will be provided.

• Chef Troy Luke is a private chef and owner of Don Carne, which specializes in tacos but is certainly not limited to Mexican cuisine. A classically trained chef who has been cooking for 13 years, he has a passion for teaching and sharing his love of cooking with others.

The Georgia Green Landscape Stewards Program
The Georgia Green Landscape Stewards program provides educational resources that teach Georgians about protecting natural resources, increasing plant and animal biodiversity, conserving soil and water, providing wildlife and pollinator habitats, and improving public and environmental health. After learning about sustainable land management practices, participants can measure their own activities with the program metric scorecard and earn "Georgia Green Landscape" certification status for their landscape.

• Jessica Warren is the University of Georgia agriculture and natural resources agent and county extension coordinator for Camden County where she focuses on invasive species management, coastal water quality, and natural resources education. Jessica has a bachelor's of science degree in forest resources with a concentration in wildlife and a master’s in natural resources with a focus on conservation education, both from the University of Georgia.

Mimicry and Mayhem: Pollination and other vital ecosystem services provided by hoverflies and other overlooked Diptera
True flies (Diptera) are some of the most diverse insects on the planet and are generally considered the second most important pollinators next to bees, yet they are often overlooked. Why is this? In his presentation, Scott hopes to cure this "fly blindness" by introducing attendees to the fascinating world of hover flies and other pollinating Diptera.

• Dr. C. Scott Clem is an insect ecologist with a range of interests, including insect biodiversity and conservation, ecology, taxonomy, biological control, and integrated pest and pollinator management. He holds a bachelor’s in zoology and a master’s in entomology from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently, Scott is a USDA NIFA postdoctoral fellow under Dr. Bill Snyder in the department of entomology at the University of Georgia.

The Great Southeast Pollinator Census
Participant Limit: 20
The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is a community science STEAM project for educators and students. The counting days, August 18-19, 2023, are just part of the experience. The project can include designing and planting sustainable pollinator habitats and learning about pollinator ecosystems. Classes can use data they collect (along with county, state, and regional data) in math and science lessons. Explore how the project works and how your students can become involved. Leave with a butterfly puddling station for your school garden.

• Becky Griffin is community and school garden coordinator for the University of Georgia and  works with extension agents across the state to help create impactful gardens by emphasizing the garden ecosystem and teaching workshops on beneficial entomology and integrated pest management. Becky is also a Pollinator Health Associate, a Georgia-certified beekeeper, coordinator of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, represents the Southeastern U.S. on the Community Seed Network Advisory Panel, and sits on the board of directors for The Bee Cause.
  

Creating Native Bee Nesting Boxes
Cost: $5
Participant Limit: 20
Learn how you can help our native bees! Join Alicia to create a nesting box to support friendly native bees in your yard.

• Alicia Holloway is a public service associate for UGA Extension. As a Barrow County extension agent, she helps individuals and organizations solve problems and meet their goals in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, including providing resources and professional development for teachers who manage school gardens. Alicia is also a founding member and board member of the Barrow County Farmers Market. She holds a bachelor's of science in agriculture education and international agricultural development and a master's in horticulture.

Pre-order your copy for $20 when you register. 
Backyard Pollinators: A Partnership with Plants (Coloring Wonder) 
​by Cordelia Norris , Tiffany Miller Russell, Trudy Smoke Robbins

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Session 2  |  12:45 to 1:45 PM

Pollinator Ambassador Program
In 2020, high school students took part in a multi-day, hands-on training led by UGA faculty and staff to serve as pollinator ambassadors in their local communities. After the initial workshop, the students completed individualized learning and sharing opportunities on their own throughout the year, including public presentations and art projects, educational exhibits at community buildings and events, and popular press articles. During this session, participants will learn about the training process, curriculum, and resources, and how to replicate the program.

• Kasey Bozeman is an extension 4-H specialist for science programs with the University of Georgia. She plans, implements, and evaluates state-level 4-H science projects, develops curricula and resources, and supports county extension professionals through training and consultations.

Connect to Protect & Pollinator Plants of the Year Programs
The Mimsie Lanier Center for Native Plant Studies at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia (SBG) approaches plant conservation from many angles. From discovering and producing high-performing natives that support wildlife and look great in gardens, to researching insect interactions with native species and teaching gardeners how to garden for biodiversity. Join Heather for a sketch of plant conservation at SBG where we connect people to plants and plants to wildlife, from pocket gardens to restored landscapes, one planting at a time.

• Heather Alley is the conservation horticulturist at the Mimsie Lanier Center for Native Plant Studies at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. She specializes in native grasses and perennials for habitat restoration, pollinator conservation, residential landscaping, and endangered plants for conservation. Heather enjoys teaching and lecturing, and is author of, “Guide to Propagation and Characteristics of Favorite Georgia Natives: Thirty Perennials for Pollinators.”

MAG Pollinator Habitat Certification Program
Participant Limit: 20
MAG has spent the last three years rewriting its pollinator habitat certification application to make it available to everyone and easy to complete online. In this session, you'll learn how easy it can be to certify your habitat, the advantages of certification, and more about the requirements for this program. Hands-on activities will teach participants what pollinators require for a healthy habitat and tips to make their own habitat easy to implement.

• Trecia Neal retired in 2017 after working more than 30 years at Atlanta's Fernbank Science Center. She specializes in composting, vermicomposting, ornithology, environmental education, outdoor classrooms and wildlife gardens, and educating about the wonders of monarchs. Trecia has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in science education with an emphasis on animal behavior. Her company, Green Gardens Education and Designs, helps homeowners transition from a traditional lawn yard to a landscape that welcomes wildlife and pollinators with native plants.

Native Plant Propagation
Cost: $5
Participant Limit: 20
In this workshop, Bodie will share techniques on the best ways to propagate native perennials. Participants will take home plant material to give your pollinator garden the color to attract butterflies and bees!

• Dr. Bodie Pennisi is a professor and statewide extension landscape specialist in the department of horticulture at the University of Georgia. She received her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Florida-Gainesville. Bodie plans and coordinates a statewide extension program to support the professional landscape industry, and conducts applied research with an emphasis on sustainable landscape practices.