Public Gardens, Public Engagement: from Research to Action

2016 Education Symposium February 22-24, 2016 Hosted by Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bloedel Reserve and University of Washington Botanic Gardens Public Gardens, Public Engagement: from Research to Action E very two years, the American Public Garden Association Education Symposium offers a unique opportunity to learn from and interact with fellow educators from gardens across the country. Hear inspiring speakers, see beautiful gardens, network with peers, learn about timely research, and gain practical skills to improve your education programs. All of this will be staged within three prominent Seattle, Washington area public gardens. Join us on a three-day exploration of the motivations, behaviors and cultural contexts that create meaningful visitor engagement and learning in public gardens. Attendees will discover new approaches to audience research, program design and planning that support visitor interaction with gardens, collections, the environment and with one another. Bloedel Reserve

MONDAY, FEBRYARY 22, 2016 DAY ONE 11:30 am - 12:30 pm LUNCH ON YOUR OWN Food can be purchased beforehand at the hotel or attendees may visit the many restaurants in University Village near the University of Washington Botanic Gardens Center for Urban Horticulture. 12:45-1:00 pm SYMPOSIUM WELCOME Location: University of Washington Botanic Gardens Center for Urban Horticulture, Northwest Horticultural Society Hall 1:00-2:15 pm SESSION 1: AUDIENCE RESEARCH & PROGRAM EVALUATION 101 Location: Northwest Horticultural Society Hall Audience and program evaluation are essential but many do not know how to approach them without the help of a consultant. Dr. Jessica Luke will share a variety of approaches about when, why, and how to deploy various types of audience research and program evaluation to improve educational programming in our public gardens. Presenter: J. Luke Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Museology Graduate Program, University of Washington 2:30-4:45 pm TOUR: WASHINGTON PARK ARBORETUM WINTER GARDEN Location: University of Washington Botanic Gardens Washington Park Arboretum Two guided tour options will start at the Graham Visitors Center: the Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden or the Fiddleheads Forest School. The Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden features a central lawn encircled by tall cedars and firs and a large assortment of smaller trees, shrubs, and perennials. This garden is a real treat from late November through the end of March, when much of the rest of the park is quiet and subdued. Fiddleheads Forest School is an entirely outdoor, nature-based preschool where the premise for day-to-day activities is play and exploration. As children engage with the world around them and inquire about it, Fiddleheads instructors supplement that exploration with curriculum to further inspire their curiosity. 5:00-7:00 pm OPENING RECEPTION: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BOTANIC GARDENS Location: Northwest Horticultural Society Hall The University of Washington Botanic Gardens in Seattle, Washington, encompasses two sites: the Washington Park Arboretum on the south side of Union Bay and the Center for Urban Horticulture on the north side. The 230-acre Arboretum includes a vibrant collection of more than 20,000 living plants from around the world and also offers opportunities to explore woods, wetlands, and take in exceptional views. The Center for Urban Horticulture includes demonstration gardens and natural areas, and also houses the Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural Library, Otis Douglas Hyde Herbarium, and the Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program. Both sites offer excellent opportunities for exercise, exploration, and wildlife viewing.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 DAY TWO 7:00-8:15 am BREAKFAST Location: Silver Cloud Inn, Downtown Bellevue Complementary full breakfast 8:45-10:00 am EVENT: KEYNOTE ADDRESS WITH JOHN H. FALK, PH.D. UNDERSTANDING WHY PEOPLE VISIT GARDENS (WHY THIS SHOULD MATTER TO EDUCATORS) Typically, understanding why the public might be motivated to visit a public garden, or not, has been something the marketing department worried about. After all, the garden educator s job is to make sure that those who do visit have a great experience, one that is educational and enjoyable and results in longterm meaning making. In this presentation Dr. John H. Falk will explore why it is essential for educators to know why people are visiting their institution. Using the lens of self-related visit motivations, Falk will offer a visitor s eye view of the public garden experience; one that suggests that what actually happens in the garden (and afterwards as well), is strongly influenced by events that precede the visit. John H. Falk, Ph.D. is a leading figure in free-choice learning, museum research, and science education in the United States. He is Sea Grant Professor of Free-Choice Learning at Oregon State University and Director of the Institute of Learning Innovation, and was the founding Director of the Oregon State University Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning. With a joint doctorate in Biology and Education from the University of California, Berkeley, his years of experience in the museum world include 14 years at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Falk s extensive writings range from scholarly journals to professional books, from the classic Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning with Lynn Dierking to the recent Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience. 10:15-11:45 am SESSION 2: HOW DO I LEARN IN THE GARDEN? Grow your teaching skills with neuroscience-based strategies! We will cultivate your memory of biology with hands-on activities about neurons and the brain. We will uproot some common beliefs or neuromyths - such as multiple intelligences - that have been shown to have no scientific basis, and expose a variety of teaching strategies, Proven Winners, grounded in research and shown to be effective at improving learning and memory. We will reveal lifestyle choices that can affect the hardiness of learning. Examining real human brains will be a real thriller! You will leave with a harvest of references and readings to keep your teaching fruitful and extend your learning in all four seasons. Presenters: S.Cunningham, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of Washington; J. Williamson, M.A., University of Washington

TUESDAY, FEBRYARY 23, 2016 DAY TWO 12:00-1:15 pm LUNCH & NATURE CONNECTIONS IDEA ROUNDTABLE Connect with your peers and guests Lynne C. Manzo and Kathleen Wolf over a boxed lunch. Each table will include discussion prompts related to the post-lunch session. 1:30-3:00 pm SESSION 3: RESEARCH ABOUT NATURE CONNECTIONS: BUILDING LASTING VISITOR RELATIONSHIPS Associate professor Lynne C. Manzo, Ph.D., and research scientist Kathleen Wolf, Ph.D., will share insights from the field of environmental psychology the study of people and their physical surroundings. Their combined 40 years of research can deepen our understanding of our visitors, help inform how to enhance their experiences in public gardens, and offer ideas for encouraging new visitors. Dr. Wolf will discuss her work concerning the health benefits of nature and how these apply to the public garden setting. Dr. Manzo will share her work on place attachment the emotional attachment people have to places and how this can foster visitorship and stewardship. The speakers exploration of visitor motivations can help in setting and managing expectations for all users mutual enjoyment and learning. Presenters: L. C. Manzo Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Washington; K.Wolf Ph.D., Research Social Scientist, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington 3:15-4:30 pm EXPLORE BELLEVUE BOTANICAL GARDEN Location: Bellevue Botanical Garden Opened in 1992, the Bellevue Botanical Garden showcases plants that thrive in the Pacific Northwest. The demonstration of good garden design and horticulture techniques inspires visitors to create their own beautiful, healthy gardens. The 53-acre Garden provides a place of beauty, serenity and learning for 300,000 visitors each year. The City of Bellevue, the Bellevue Botanical Garden Society, and eight other horticultural organizations work together to keep the Garden beautifully maintained, share horticultural expertise, offer educational programs and promote the Garden to the community. Educational programs at the Bellevue Botanical Garden include informal learning opportunities through docent-guided tours; traditional interpretive signage; and web-based information on demand through interactive signs and plant bed markers. Formal learning opportunities include the Living Lab program for youth, workshops and classes for adults, and internships for college students of horticulture and botany. 4:30-6:00 pm WINE & CHEESE RECEPTION The Bellevue Botanical Garden Society welcomes you with a wine and cheese reception in Aaron Education Center. Our hosts are also symposium sponsors, and we thank them for their support. Reception sponsored by the Bellevue Botanical Garden Board of Directors. Free & open daily from dawn to dusk, Bellevue Botanical Garden is owned by the City of Bellevue and managed through the Bellevue Parks & Community Services Department.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016 DAY THREE- 6:30-7:30 am BREAKFAST Location: Silver Cloud Inn, Downtown Bellevue Complementary full breakfast (to-go containers will be provided.) 10:00-10:15 am EVENT: WELCOME TO BLOEDEL RESERVE Location: Bloedel Reserve Bloedel Reserve is a public garden and forest reserve situated on Puget Sound in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Founded by conservation pioneer Prentice Bloedel and his wife Virginia, the Reserve opened to the public in 1988. Bloedel is one of the Northwest s botanical, cultural and environmental treasures. It is a place to enjoy and learn the values of eclectic design, aesthetics, and ecology as catalysts for the harmonious interaction of people and nature. Bloedel s 150 acres feature an extraordinary series of gardens, landscapes, trails through second growth native forest, meadows, waterfalls and ponds all of which sustain abundant wildlife and provide nearly 50,000 annual guests with an inspiring experience of nature. Presenter: E. Moydell, Executive Director, Bloedel Reserve 10:15-11:30 am, 1:15-2:30 pm, 2:45-4:00 pm ROTATING SESSIONS 4, 5 & 6 Location: Bloedel Reserve Attendees will be assigned to a rotation group for the following sessions: SESSION 4: AGE-BLIND MARKETING: A FOCUS ON INTEREST RATHER THAN AGE Public gardens have amazing opportunities for public engagement and marketing these opportunities is crucial for informing existing audiences and attracting new visitors. With the rise of social media, we all know traditional marketing is out of fashion. And so is the research behind it. Thinking of audiences by age, income and education is old, outdated and expensive. In today s multi-screen and short-attentionspan world, museums, gardens and universities must think about their audiences as a set of interests rather than by age or by generation alone. Erika Ferrin of the Smithsonian Institution will shed new light about why targeting millennials and other audiences by age is not worth your time and how interest-based demographics and storytelling are the future that can be tapped into now. Presenter: G. Kosowitz Brand Marketing Specialist, Smithsonian Institution Session 5: MAKING A STINK: SUCCESSFUL, INTEGRATED MARKETING FOR AUTHENTIC PROGRAMS Active marketing teams are most successful when they integrate their efforts with all programs, from events to education and from science to art. Tiffany Coleman examines the four Ps of marketing (Product, Placement, Price and Promotion) and how marketing expertise should be integrated long before you begin promotion of educational programs. Presenter: T. Coleman, Brand Manager, Denver Botanic Garden

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY FEBRUARY 24 & 25, 2016 SESSION 6: TOUR OF BLOEDEL RESERVE The Bloedel Reserve s 150 acres are a unique blend of natural woodlands and beautifully landscaped gardens, including a Japanese Garden, a Moss Garden, and Reflection Pool, and the Bloedel s former estate home. The Reserve s primary interest is in the relationship between plants and people. There is a generally acknowledged but little understood ability of plants and landscape to evoke a wide variety of deeply felt emotions, ranging from tranquility to exhilaration. 11:45 am - 1:00 pm LUNCH Location: Bloedel Reserve Boxed lunch will be offered. Thursday, February 25, 2016, 8:00 am - 12:30 pm OPTIONAL TOUR: A LIVING PLANT MUSEUM & LANDSCAPE FOR LIFE GARDEN Location: Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden and PowellsWood Garden Federal Way, Washington has two beautiful gardens that are members of the Garden Conservancy Northwest Network, The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden (RSBG), and PowellsWood Garden. RBSG refers to itself as a living plant museum and effectively designed garden for the display and cultivation of Rhododendron species. It has one of the finest Rhododendron collections in existence and offers many plants for sale! PowellsWood is a beautifully designed home garden created for public enjoyment, which is comprised of interconnected outdoor rooms. In much of their garden plantings and practices, they advocate a home-gardening Landscape for Life approach in keeping with the Sustainable Sites Initiative.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE Monday, February 22, 2016 9:30 11:15 am Event registration at the Silver Cloud Inn Bellevue-Downtown 11:00 am Bus departs from Silver Cloud Inn to University of Washington Botanic Gardens 11:30 12:30 pm Lunch on your own (University Village has many good offerings) 12:45 1:00 pm Welcome to University of Washington Botanic Gardens 1:00 2:15 pm Session 1: Audience Research & Evaluation 101 2:30 4:45 pm Tour of University of Washington Botanic Gardens 5:00 7:00 pm Opening Reception at University of Washington Botanic Gardens 7:15 pm Bus departs from University of Washington Botanic Gardens to Silver Cloud Inn Dinner on your own Tuesday, February 23, 2016 7:00 8:00 am Event registration at the Silver Cloud Inn Bellevue-Downtown 7:00 8:15 am Full breakfast at the Silver Cloud Inn Bellevue-Downtown 8:15 am Bus departs from Silver Cloud Inn Bellevue-Downtown to Bellevue Botanical Garden 8:45 10:00 am Keynote address by John H. Falk Ph.D.: Understanding Why People Visit Gardens 10:15 am 11:45 am Session 2: How Do I Learn in the Garden? 12:00 1:15 pm Lunch & Nature Connections Idea Roundtable 1:30 3:00 pm Session 3: Research about Nature Connections: Building Lasting Visitor Relationships 3:15 4:30 pm Explore Bellevue Botanical Garden 4:30 6:00 pm Reception at Bellevue Botanical Garden 6:15 pm Bus departs from Bellevue Botanical Garden to the Silver Cloud Inn Dinner on your own Wednesday, February 24, 2016 6:30 7:30 am Breakfast to go from the Silver Cloud Inn (to-go containers will be provided) 7:45am Bus departs from Silver Cloud hotel to Bloedel Reserve 10:00 10:15 am Welcome to Bloedel Reserve 10:15 11:30 am 4, 5, & 6 Rotating Sessions 11:45 am 1:00 pm Lunch 1:15 2:30 pm 4, 5, & 6 Rotating Sessions 2:45 4:00 pm 4, 5, & 6 Rotating Sessions 4:15 pm Bus departs from Bloedel Reserve for Silver Cloud Inn Bellevue-Downtown Dinner on your own Thursday, February 25, 2016 8:30 am 12:30 pm Optional Garden Tour: Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden & PowellsWood Garden

Registration Native Plants, 2015 Please register online at: www.publicgardens.org There will be a $25 processing fee for paper registration. Registration fee includes breakfasts, lunches, and receptions. Name Name for Badge Job Title Garden Affiliation Street Address City State Zip Phone Fax E-mail Membership Status (Please check the correct box.) Fee Schedule Individual Member Corporate Member Work at Member Garden Cancellation Policy Student Member Non-member APGA Member $299 Student Member $199 Non-member $399 Optional Thursday Tour $25 All requests for cancellation refunds will be subject to a cancellation fee of $95 and must be received by February 12, 2016. No refunds will be given after that date for cancellations or no-shows. Lodging Silver Cloud Bellevue-Downtown 10621 NE 12th St Bellevue, WA 98004 Special Needs Vegetarian Vegan Gluten Free Other Needs Please specify: Guests may call 1-800-205-6937 OR go to the Silver Cloud Inn Bellevue-Downtown website, www.silvercloud.com/bellevuedowntown/. Rooms must be reserved by January 21, 2016 in order to receive the discounted room rate. Tally Your Registration Registration Fee: $ Processing Fee: $ Number of Registrants: # Monday Reception Guest ($25/pp) $ Tuesday Reception Guest ($25/pp) $ Thursday Tour: $ Total Amount Due: $ Questions? Contact 610.708.3008 or jkeith@publicgardens.org Payment Information Card #: Check MasterCard Visa Expiration Date: Signature: CVV: American Public Gardens Association 351 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348 Tel 610.708.3010 Fax 610.444.3594