Keweenaw Native Plant Symposium

The fourth annual Keweenaw Native Plant Symposium will be held April 15, 22 and 29, featuring topics for both experienced native gardeners and those interested in learning more about “gardening for life.” The symposium is free and will be held on Zoom, including a presentation by nationally known writer Nancy Lawson, author of “The Humane Gardener.” A book club discussion of “The Humane Gardener” will be held April 19 in conjunction with the symposium. Lawson is a columnist for All Animals magazine, a habitat consultant, a nationally known speaker on garden ecology, and the creator of HumaneGardener.com. She founded Humane Gardener to promote creative planting strategies and other animal-friendly landscaping methods that help gardeners coexist with wildlife. The symposium opens at 7 p.m. April 15 with a talk by Master Gardener Maria Janowiak, “Introduction to Native Gardening,” a primer on starting your native plant garden in the U.P. The discussion of “The Humane Gardener” will be held at 6:30 p.m. on April 19, sponsored by the Keweenaw Wild Ones and the Keweenaw Garden Club. At 7 p.m. on April 22, Marquette landscape architect Bill Sanders, of Sanders-Czapski Associates, will present “Native Plants and Storm Water Management at the Marquette Food Co-op,” followed by “Native Plants and Native Insects,” by Tara Bal, assistant professor of forest health at Michigan Technological University. On April 29, Brian Black, a biology and environmental science instructor at Bay College, will present “Sustainable Gardening,” at 7 p.m., followed by Lawson’s keynote address, “The Humane Gardener: Nurturing Habitat for Wildlife.” Lawson will discuss practical ways to put humane gardening philosophies into action by protecting nesting sites for insects, birds and mammals; eliminating unintended hazards; identifying and nurturing plants that provide food and shelter; restoring habitat with minimal disturbance to animals; and humanely resolving conflicts with mammals and other commonly misunderstood creatures. To learn more and register for the symposium and book club, visit keweenaw.wildones.org/2021-keweenaw-native-plant-symposium/. Attendance is free, but you will need to register separately for each evening of talks. After registering, you will receive an email with a link to each evening’s webinar.