“In a time of mass extinction and climate change, how and for whom we garden matters more than ever. Our built landscapes reflect social ethics and values that guide our response to reviving wildness in and outside the human environment. How can we recognize and develop compassion for other species?” – Benjamin Vogt, Keynote Speaker.

The first Adirondack Pollinator Symposium will take place on Wednesday, June 5th from 10 am to 4 pm at the Tannery Pond Community Center in North Creek, NY. The registration fee is $40 and coffee and lunch will be provided. Benjamin Vogt, author of A New Garden Ethic, will be our keynote speaker.

Register now, only 165 tickets available. $40. Link to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adirondack-pollinator-symposium-tickets-59127356515

Full Schedule

(Please note, this draft schedule is subject to change)

10:00 AM – Opening Remarks Brittany Christenson, Executive Director, AdkAction

10:15 AM – A New Garden Ethic – Keynote Speaker Benjamin Vogt, Renowned Author and Founder of Monarch Gardens and Milk the Weed.

In a time of mass extinction and climate change, how and for whom we garden matters more than ever. Our built landscapes reflect social ethics and values that guide our response to reviving wildness in and outside the human environment. How can we recognize and develop compassion for other species? What role do native plants have in opening us to the perspectives of others? What happens to our society when we advocate for the equality and freedom of a silent majority? Through ecology, psychology, landscape design, horticulture, philosophy, and social science, this deeply passionate talk explores the rich complexity of rethinking pretty in the Anthropocene.

11:15 AM – Pollinator Habitat Restoration Using Organic Site Preparation Methods – Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist.

12:15 AM – Lunch, included with $40 registration

1:00 PM – Breakout sessions

1. Integrated Pest Management for Thriving Pollinator Gardens. Dr. Carly Summers, Agricultural Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County.
2. Monarchs in the Rough: Pollinator Conservation for golf clubs and institutional groundskeepers Audubon International
3. A New Garden Ethic Q&A – Benjamin Vogt
4. Organic Site Prep Q&A – Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist.

1:45 PM – Success Story: Conservation Planning, Implementation, and Long-term management and creating opportunities to invest in conservation. Jay Burney, Special Projects Director and Founder of the Pollinator Conservation Association

2:30 PM – Outdoor Stretch/Break: Check out the Mobile Pollinator Garden Shed & Participate in a Pollinator Citizen Demo with Kerry Crowningshield, Executive Director of the Lake Placid Land Conservancy.

2:45 PM – Garden Design for Wildlife and Climate Change – Benjamin Vogt

Garden design is about far more than choosing plants we find pretty — plants are also useful. What we choose to place in our landscapes has critical value for wildlife and the local environment, from habit structure needs for specific species to cleaning the air and water to reduce the need for fossil fuels in management and heating / cooling our homes. We’ll explore why native plants are important, navigate the cultivar issue, and learn how to design in sustainable ways that mimic natural processes while honoring place.

3:45 PM – Closing Remarks – Adirondack Pollinator Project

The Adirondack Pollinator Project is a project of AdkAction in collaboration with The Wild Center, Lake Placid Land Conservancy, and Paul Smith’s College. Our mission is to build an understanding of the local and global importance of pollinators and inspiring individual and collective action to help pollinators thrive.