Thursday Night Nature: Landscape Renewal, Enhancement and Diversity with a Touch of Flare – The Bower: Native Plant Landscape and Sculpture Park with Bill and Jane Allis (Apr. 13)

This presentation captures the conception, design, current state of plant establishment and stewardship of a native plant landscape and sculpture park—The Bower—as told by the founders, Bill and Jane Allis. Begun in 2018, this “rural renewal” enhances and diversifies a 36-acre property situated in the Ridge and Valley ecoregion of the Northern Appalachian range in Shermans Dale, PA. Large native plant gardens, shrub drifts, enhanced natural meadow and savanna habitat, a series of small constructed wetland pools and forest combine gracefully with significant sculptures, providing visitors an immersive experience. Stewarded organically with renewable energy and limited staff, The Bower opened in 2021—free by appointment only—and continues to develop with evolving visitor enhancements and public programming. The project was recently awarded one of the Preserve’s 2023 Land Ethics Awards.

Bill Allis retired as an environmental engineer for Gannett Fleming, an international consulting firm, in 2018. As a designer, project manager and business leader, his practice focused on large municipal civil infrastructure. Beyond his current role as The Bower’s co-founder and manager, Allis is engaged in landscape conservation and enhancement as a board member and the stewardship committee chair of the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy. He lives full time at The Bower—his homestead of almost 50 years. 

Jane Allis completed a 40-year career as an early childhood educator and administrator in 2016. Her career highlights include education program development and serving as project manager for the land acquisition, consultant selection and design build of The Londonderry School—one of the first LEED accredited school designs in Pennsylvania. Beyond her current role as The Bower’s co-founder and manager, Allis is engaged as a property holder in a public and private pilot conservation project: the Catoctin Stewardship Initiative in Maryland. She also serves as chapter president of the Wild Ones of South-Central Pennsylvania. Jane lives full time at The Bower—her homestead of almost 50 years.

Program Fee: $15 (Members, enter your code at checkout to receive your 20% discount.)

All lectures will be held virtually using Zoom. They will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers for a short time.