Partnerships for Protecting Plants and Habitats

2017 American Public Gardens Association Symposium October 25-27, 2017 Hosted by New England Wild Flower Society Sponsored by U.S.D.A. Forest Service Partnerships for Protecting Plants and Habitats

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017 - GARDEN IN THE WOODS OPTIONAL PRE-SYMPOSIUM WORKSHOP SPONSORED BY THE MORTON ARBORETUM 8:00 am 4:00 pm (Transportation on-your-own; lunch provided) Conservation Assessment Training Workshop: Public Gardens Contributing to the IUCN Red List and NatureServe Ranks Murphy Westwood, Morton Arboretum; Abby Meyer, BGCI-US; Anne Frances, NatureServe This workshop will give participants an overview of both the Red List assessment process and NatureServe s Ranking Methodology, clarify terms and concepts, and provide participants with an appreciation of conservation status assessments as robust conservation tools. The workshop will consist of a series of presentations, hands-on exercises, and case studies to illustrate the step-by-step procedure that should be followed to conduct and publish IUCN Red List threat assessments and NatureServe Ranks. Participants will be ready to undertake their own threat assessments for the plant taxa of their choice upon completing the workshop. OPENING RECEPTION AT GARDEN IN THE WOODS 4:30 pm 6:30 pm (Looping bus service will run 3:30 7:00 pm, Dinner on your own suggestions will be provided)

Breakfast - 7:30 8:15 am WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS - 8:15 8:30 am Mark Richardson, Botanic Garden Director, New England Wild Flower Society; Casey Sclar, Executive Director, American Public Gardens Association THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017 - HAMPTON INN NATICK KEYNOTE PRESENTATION - 8:30 9:45 am We are in a Golden Age for Plant Conservation Dr. John R Clark, President and CEO, Center for Plant Conservation With overwhelming numbers of plants facing extinction, it is easy to become daunted as we toil one by one to save species on the brink. But each day we are in fact having far more effect on saving species than it might seem. From real success stories using today s know-how to breakthroughs in science and technology that will help us save even more species tomorrow, there are great reasons for hope in this golden age of plant conservation. Both technological and social advancements are culminating in a never-before-seen opportunity to preserve plant diversity on a meaningful, global scale. In this talk, John Clark, president and CEO of the Center for Plant Conservation will share some of his own optimism and discuss why we should all feel inspired - and optimistic - about our ability to Save Plants. Break - 9:45 10:00 am SESSION 1-10:00 11:00 am New Tools in Risk Assessment and Decision Making in Regard to Plant Provenance for Garden and Landscape Restoration Amy Highland, Director of Collections, Mt. Cuba Center From a discussion at the last native plants symposium in 2015, a question emerged If we so narrowly define native, how can the nursery industry and homeowner actively participate in conservation horticulture? In January of 2017, Mt. Cuba Center and the US Botanic Garden convened experts from across disciplines in an attempt to provide guidance on this critical issue. New tools and new methods of analysis were found. What were they? Come and find out! SESSION 2-11:00 11:30 am How Native Plant Cultivars Affect Plant/Pollinator Interactions Annie White, Owner and Principal Designer, Nectar Landscape Design Studio, LLC Initiatives to enhance pollinator habitat are widespread and native plant species are recommended to provide optimal foraging and nesting habitats for bees and other insects. The growing demand for native plants, coupled with the horticulture industry s desire for plants with unique characteristics, has led to the increased selection, breeding, and availability of native cultivars. But are native cultivars as valuable in pollinator habitat gardens as the straight native species? Annie White will help answer this question by sharing the results of four years worth of field data, measuring pollinator preference for native species versus native cultivars.

SESSION 3-11:30 am 12:00 pm Collecting Local Ecotypes Uli Lorimer, Curator of Native Flora, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden recently expanded its native plant collection with a focus on coastal plain grasslands and pine barrens habitat. As much as possible, plant material for the project was sourced from wild populations and grown from seed. The expanded garden is unique amongst urban botanic gardens with its focus on local ecotypes, plant community driven design and connections with the BBG s plant conservation efforts. This presentation will highlight how botanical field work can influence decisions in ornamental horticulture as well as in native plant conservation. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017 - HAMPTON INN NATICK SESSION 4-12:00 12:30 pm Producing Native Plants at Large and Small Scales Leslie Hunter Cario, Principal, Chesapeake Horticultural Services, LLC; Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council There are many opportunities and challenges associated with propagating native plants for conservation on a small scale. Adkins Arboretum, with support from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, is sourcing and evaluating select native plants of local provenance in order to enhance the offerings of ornamental horticulture through its Native Plant Propagation Initiative. Leslie highlights some of these opportunities and challenges by contrasting her experience operating a wholesale native plant nursery with the volunteer-powered initiative at Adkins. Lunch - 12:30 1:30 pm SESSION 5-1:30 2:30 pm Horticulture and Design Panel: Sourcing and Growing Native Ecotypes Moderated by Mark Richardson, Botanic Garden Director, New England Wild Flower Society Panelists: Amy Highland, Director of Collections, Mt. Cuba Center; Annie White, Owner and Principal Designer, Nectar Landscape Design Studio, LLC; Uli Lorimer, Curator of Native Flora, Brooklyn Botanic Garden; and Leslie Hunter Cario, Principal, Chesapeake Horticultural Services, LLC; Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council Deciding what native plants to grow for conservation initiatives or to introduce to the public involves many decisions about plant desirability, seed availability, seed collection practices, and propagation protocols. In this panel we will have representatives from large and small native plant propagation projects that have both conservation and marketing focuses. Discussion on how species are selected, who collects and processes seeds, ethical and conservation practices followed in seed collection, and collaborations that have proved useful will be discussed. Break for the Day 3:15 pm - Bus departs promptly for Optional guided tours of Arnold Arboretum or Rose Kennedy Greenway 4:00-9:00 pm - Optional guided tours of Arnold Arboretum or Rose Kennedy Greenway followed by dinner on your own in Historic Boston suggestions will be provided

Breakfast - 7:30 8:30 am SESSION 4-8:30 10:00 am Conservation Panel: The Role of Native Plant Gardens in Conservation FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27TH, 2017 - HAMPTON INN NATICK Moderated by Jim Graves, Professor of Biology, Green Mountain College Panelists: Anne Frances, Lead Botanist, NatureServe; John Clark, President & CEO, Center for Plant Conservation; Lucinda McDade, Executive Director & Director of Research, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden; Michael Piantedosi, Seed Bank Coordinator, New England Plant Conservation Program at New England Wild Flower Society Rapid human-induced species loss prompts initiatives like the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, and makes plant conservation an essential part of the mission of botanical gardens. Native plant gardens play a central role in collaborations to implement the global strategy. They can raise awareness of regional species and plant communities among visitors, propagate plants to restore rare plant populations, and demonstrate attractive garden designs with small ecological footprints. Each of our panel members brings expertise in conservation biology and/or public gardens to help us explore the benefits of and constraints on native plant gardens as part of a conservation strategy. SESSION 5-10:00 11:30 am Speak up! A Conservation Advocacy Panel Discussion Moderated by Casey Sclar, Executive Director, American Public Gardens Association; Inaugural Chair, the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture; Board of Directors, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Panelists: Carrie Radcliffe, Restoration Manager, Atlanta Botanical Garden & Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, Coordinator - SePPCoN (Southeastern Partners in Plant Conservation); Dan Bensonoff, Policy Director, Northeast Organic Farmers Association, Massachusetts; Pat Bigelow, MCH, President, Bigelow Nurseries and Founding Member, Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group; Mary Phillips, Director, Garden for Wildlife, The National Wildlife Federation and Network Coordinator, the National Pollinator Garden Network How do you say the right things to the right people at the right time to get righteous results? You ll hear perspectives from panelists with experience in conservation advocacy at all levels local, regional, and national who have influenced stakeholder opinions on a variety of topics native plant conservation, pollinators, pesticide use, etc. Successes and failures will be shared, but most important will be answering YOUR QUESTIONS to the conservation advocacy conundrums you currently face! Lunch - 11:30 am 12:30 pm SESSION 6-12:30 1:30 pm BGCI Gap Analysis and PlantSearch Abby Meyer, BGCI-US Following the release of the North American Botanic Garden Strategy for Plant Conservation 2016-2020, BGCI- US and partners are conducting an ex situ gap analysis of North American threatened species to identify conservation priorities for public garden collections. BGCI s PlantSearch database is providing the foundation for the analysis. In addition to summarizing the results of the North American gap analysis and species priorities, this talk will also highlight the ways garden staff can benefit from the tools and data available through PlantSearch.

Break - 1:30 1:45 pm CLOSING SPEAKER - 1:45 3:00 pm Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities: Advancing a Conservation Vision for New England FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27TH, 2017 - HAMPTON INN NATICK David Foster, Ecologist and Author; Research Associate, Polly Hill Arboretum; Board Member, The Trustees of Reservations, Edey Foundation, and Martha s Vineyard Museum; President of the board, Highstead Foundation. In 2010, the Harvard Forest, Highstead Foundation, and authors from around New England released a report called Wildlands and Woodlands that articulates a conservation vision in which 70 percent of the region is permanently protected from development largely through the establishment of conservation easements on the lands of willing private landowners. In September 2017, the groups are releasing a new report that articulates a broadened view of conservation that fully embraces forests, farmlands, and the built environment, recognizes the overarching benefits of this broadened vision to nature and society, and the many challenges to reaching this goal. The report provides an update on regional progress, challenges that exist in the areas of funding and capacity, and opportunities for major progress through collaborative conservation. Despite recent downturns in land protection, the report shows that the original Wildlands and Woodlands vision is achievable and calls for tripling of the current pace of conservation, reversing public funding trends, and putting more land to work for sustainable forestry, farming, and conservation stewardship. The report ends with hopeful signs such as the long-standing public support for land protection, the growing network of community based regional conservation partnerships, the distinct flavor of conservation in New England that explicitly recognizes the value of working lands, and emerging policy and finance opportunities. FINAL REMARKS - 3:00 pm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, 2017 - POLLY HILL ARBORETUM OPTIONAL POST-SYMPOSIUM TOUR POLLY HILL ARBORETUM - 6:30 am 5:30 pm Transportation provided Experience the beauty and unique ecological characteristics of the Island of Martha s Vineyard, a 45-minute ferry ride from Cape Cod. This post-conference trip will be hosted by Polly Hill Arboretum, a 72-acre public garden home to over 1300 types of trees, woody plants, and herbaceous perennials. Polly Hill Arboretum s extensive collection of plants is uniquely adapted to the Island s climate, many of them introductions of the Arboretum s founder, Polly Hill, from seed collected on trips to Japan and throughout North America. Participants will enjoy a catered lunch in the Arboretum s historic barn, during which PHA Director Tim Boland will speak about plant conservation programs on Martha s Vineyard and beyond. A guided tour by Arboretum staff will take you through the greenhouses, grounds, meadows, botany lab, and the historic buildings found on this nationally registered historic site.

Keynote and Closing Speaker Bios Dr. John R. Clark John serves a dual role as president and chief executive officer of the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) and as Director of Plant Collections and Strategy at San Diego Zoo Global. John and CPC Board Chairman Dr. Peter Raven successfully lead an initiative to relocate the CPC s National Headquarters from St. Louis to San Diego Zoo Global. Here, John continues to lead the CPC s national efforts to save endangered plants through scientific research, applied conservation, and technology innovation. While John s training and background is in basic research, his particular passion is for developing strong collaborations bringing together world experts in a variety of disciplines to achieve measurable conservation outcomes. Dr. David Foster David Foster is an ecologist and author of Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the New England Landscape (2010; Harvard University), Hemlock: A Forest Giant on the Edge (2014; Yale University Press), and A Meeting of Land and Sea: Nature and the Future of Martha s Vineyard (2017; Yale University Press). He has been a faculty member in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard since 1983 and Director of the Harvard Forest, the University s 4000- acre ecological laboratory and classroom in central Massachusetts since 1990. David is the Principal Investigator for the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research program, involving more than 100 scientists and students investigating the dynamics of New England landscape as a consequence of climate change, human activity, and natural disturbance. David has a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Minnesota and has conducted studies in the boreal forests of Labrador, Sweden and Norway and the forests of Puerto Rico, the Yucatan, and Patagonia in addition to his primary research on landscape dynamics in New England. His interests focus on understanding the changes in forest ecosystems that result from human and natural disturbance and applying these results to the conservation and management of natural and cultural landscapes. He currently serves on the boards of The Nature Conservancy, The Trustees of Reservations, Choate Rosemary Hall and Highstead Foundation. As part of his conservation work David and colleagues developed Wildlands and Woodlands A Vision for the New England Landscape, which lays out an ambitious plan for the protection and conservation of forest and farmland across the region. In September 2010 Wildlands and Woodlands received the Charles Eliot Award from the Trustees of Reservations.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE Wednesday, October 25, 2017 - Location: Garden in the Woods 8:00 am 4:00 pm Optional Pre-symposium workshop Conservation Assessment Training Workshop: Public Gardens Contributing to the IUCN Red List and NatureServe Ranks 3:30 7:00 pm Buses depart hotel for garden with looping service 4:30 6:30 pm Opening Reception Thursday, October26, 2017 - Location: Hampton Inn Natick 7:30 8:15 am Breakfast 8:15 8:30 am Welcome and Opening Remarks 8:30 9:45 am Keynote Presentation: We are in a Golden Age for Plant Conservation 9:45 10:00 am Break 10:00 11:00 am Session 1 - New Tools in Risk Assessment and Decision Making in Regard to Plant Provenance for Garden and Landscape Restoration 11:00 11:30 am Session 2 -How Native Plant Cultivars Affect Plant/Pollinator Interactions 11:30 am 12:00 pm Session 3 - Collecting Local Ecotypes 12:00 12:30 pm Session 4 - Producing Native Plants at Large and Small Scales 12:30 1:30 pm Lunch 1:30 2:30 pm Session 5 - Horticulture and Design Panel: Sourcing and Growing Native Ecotypes 3:15 pm Buses depart for guided tours 3:30 pm Optional guided tours : Arnold Arboretum or Rose Kennedy Greenway Friday, October 27, 2017 - Location: Hampton Inn Natick 7:30 8:30 am Breakfast 8:30 10:00 am Session 4 - Conservation Panel: The Role of Native Plant Gardens in Conservation 10:00 11:30 am Session 5 - Speak up! A Conservation Advocacy Panel Discussion 11:30 am 12:30 pm Lunch 12:30 1:30 pm Session 6 - BGCI Gap Analysis and PlantSearch 1:30 1:45 pm Break 1:45 3:00 pm Closing Speaker - Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities: Advancing a Conservation Vision for New England 3:00 pm Closing Remarks Saturday, October 28, 2017 - Location: Polly Hill Arboretum 6:30 am 5:30 pm Optional Post-symposium tour - Polly Hill Arboretum /Martha s Vineyard Native Small Plants Gardens and Conservation 2014

Registration, 2017 Please register online at: www.publicgardens.org There will be a $25 processing fee for paper registration. Name Personal Information Job Title Garden Affiliation Street Address Cancellation Policy Name for Badge City State Zip Phone E-mail Membership Status (Please check the correct box.) Individual Member Corporate Member Work at Member Garden Student Member Non-Member All requests for cancellation refunds will be subject to a cancellation fee of $100 and must be received by October 13th. No refunds will be given after that date for cancellations or no-shows. Fax Fee Schedule Association Member $299 Student Member $199 Non-Member $399 *Optional Pre-Symposium Red Listing Workshop (Wed.): $45.00 *Optional Post-Symposium Tour to Polly Hill Arboretum (Sat.): $275.00 Lodging Hampton Inn by Hilton Boston-Natick 319 Speen Street Natick, MA 01760 Special Needs Vegetarian Vegan Gluten Free Other needs Please specify: To receive the $159.00 per night Symposium room rate (single or double occupancy) including breakfast, rooms must be reserved by Friday October 6, 2017. For hotel reservations call 508-653-5000 and refer to the American Public block and/or the reference code APG. Tally Your Registration Registration Fee $ Processing Fee $ Number of Registrants # Total Amount Due $ Payment Information Check MasterCard Visa Card #: Expiration Date: CVV: Signature: Questions? Contact us at 610.708.3010 or info@publicgardens.org American Public Gardens Association 351 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348 Tel 610.708.3010 Fax 610.444.3594