The award-winning Northeast Ohio Pollinator Symposium will be holding its fourth annual webinar series. Check out the schedule for this years webinar below!
January 11 – 7 PM
“Homegrown Conservation: Stewarding Our Landscapes for Pollinators and Other Wildlife” – presented by Danae Wolfe
Climate change and biodiversity loss are creating existential threats to people and nature. But we can help. Join conservation educator Danae Wolfe to discover small steps we can all take in our own backyards and communities to steward our landscapes for nature and wildlife.
Danae Wolfe is a writer, photographer, and educator focused on promoting appreciation and stewardship of backyard bugs and nature. Through her website, social media, children’s books, public speaking, and column in The American Gardener magazine, she has reached global audiences with science-based education about the importance of gardening for wildlife.
January 25 – 7 PM
“What’s in Your Garden Today? Discovering the Insect Life in Your Garden” – presented by Ann Cicarella
In 2015, I began transitioning my gardens to include more native plants and was astounded at the diversity of insect life that began to appear. The results of embracing a new gardening paradigm were curious, enchanting, and beautiful. And so began my endeavor to photograph, document and research all the species of wildlife I discovered in the gardens. An infinite number of life cycles take place season after season. It’s a cadence of life that drives the rhythm of the seasons.
Ann Cicarella has been designing landscapes for thirty years, in the Cleveland area, but was thrilled to design gardens at an eco-boutique resort in Caldera, Panama, as well as residential gardens in Fairfax, VA and Sea Island, GA. In 2005, Ann Cicarella Landscape Design LLC was awarded a Gold Medal by the Association of Professional Landscape Designers for a project she designed and managed in the category of $150,000 and above.
Ann received her Certificate in Landscape Horticulture from Cleveland State University and continued to absorb landscape design ideas and principles by visiting fantastic gardens in the US, Italy, France, England, Germany, and the Netherlands.
She has been featured in numerous magazines throughout her career and was most recently on the cover of the 2015 April Ohio Magazine and the 2016 May cover of Country Gardens.
In 2015, Ann founded the Cleveland Pollinator and Native Plant Symposium to bring in national and regional speakers to educate and inspire ways in which we can design, build, and maintain biodiverse landscapes and habitats for pollinators and wildlife. www.clevelandpollinatorsymposium.org
Ann has designed a pollinator and vegetable garden for her four grandchildren so they can experience firsthand the wonder of the rich insect life and beauty you find in gardens. Ann hand raises monarch butterflies and is a beekeeper with ten hives in her garden. She also maintains the beehive at the Cleveland Botanical Garden and conducts educational programs. Ann is Ohio Certified Pollinator Specialist and an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist. If you see her talking to her bees, butterflies, and plants, she is just having a staff meeting
February 8 – 7 PM
“Home-grown Restoration: Creating Pollinator Plots, Fields, and Strips on Private Land” – presented by Abby-Gayle Prieur
When landowners move from pollinator gardening to what might be called “habitat restoration,” new challenges related to establishment and maintenance of pollinator habitat arise. Hand tools, elbow grease, potted wildflowers, and gardening budgets may no longer be practical for converting plots of land to high-quality habitat.
Abby will review common strategies for establishing pollinator habitat on project areas that are too big to prepare and tend by hand. She will also offer tips for keeping habitat in tip-top shape after it is established. Lastly, she will review federal programs that can be utilized to help fund home-grown habitat restoration projects.
Abby Prieur is a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist serving eastern Ohio. She collaborates closely with landowners who wish to improve their land for wildlife. Her specialty is providing guidance on restoring habitat that supports pollinating insects.
Abby is a graduate of the University of Georgia (BS) and Purdue University (MS,) where she studied wildlife management and science. She has a special interest in conservation projects that benefit wildlife and people.
February 22 – 7 PM
“Gardening Across the Lifespan” – presented by Laura Akgerman
Gardening across the lifespan is an educational workshop from Ohio AgrAbility, which includes information on good body mechanics, ergonomic garden tools, safe lifting, sun safety, Universal Design and ideas for adapting your current work habits, tools and structures so you can continue gardening productively and safely as your abilities change.
Laura Akgerman is the Disability Services Coordinator for Ohio AgrAbility & Ohio State University Extension. She is a two-time Ohio State University Alum, with degrees in English and Rehabilitation Services. She presents workshops on Gardening with Arthritis, Farming with a disability, AgriTourism, and other disability related issues for Ohio AgrAbility and OSU Extension. She grew up outside Sunbury Ohio, was active in 4-H in Delaware county, and was very proud of her Dad and brother who ran Cherryhill Aquatics, the family waterlily nursery, from 1986 to 2012.
March 8 – 7 PM
“Ecology of Wild Edibles” – presented by John Wright, Jr
