Winter Lecture Series 2021 – All 8 Lectures

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Please consider joining us next week for our program, Non-native earthworms and their effects on mid-Atlantic forest soils.

John Verbrugge, an arborist representative from Bartlett Tree Experts, will discuss increasing pressures on trees from new and common pests and diseases. He will discuss the newest invasive insect, the spotted lanternfly, along with scale insects, borers and foliage and root diseases that are found throughout the Delaware Valley. He will also cover recommended monitoring and inspection methods to manage the health of trees and shrubs in your landscape.

John Verbrugge is a graduate of Delaware Valley University who has worked in arboriculture for 15 years. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist and a New Jersey Licensed Tree Expert. In his free time, he enjoys collecting rare and unique plants, particularly dwarf conifers.

Earthworms are ecosystem engineers that influence essentially all physical, chemical and biological soil properties. In the mid-Atlantic region, non-native earthworms of European origin colonized the secondary forests hundreds of years ago. Currently, a ‘second wave’ earthworm invasion is taking place by another group of earthworms, commonly known as “jumping worms.” Szlavecz will present an overview of the history of earthworm invasion, the natural history of native and non-native earthworms and the profound ecological impact invasive earthworms have on the soil ecosystem.

Katalin Szkavecz, Ph.D., is a research professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Her research interest is the soil ecosystem, particularly soil biodiversity, and the role of biota in soil carbon and nitrogen cycling. Her research focuses on human-modified landscapes, such as secondary forests, crop fields and the urban environment. Szlavecz earned her Ph.D. at Eotvos University, Hungary. She is the co-principal investigator of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, a research associate at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and co-founder of GLUSEEN (Global Urban Soil Ecology and Education Network). At JHU, she teaches courses on global environmental change, general ecology and soil ecology.

As native plants gain popularity in the horticultural trade, there are important issues and challenges that need to be considered. The potential for genetic exchange between cultivated native plants and wild plant populations means that our landscaping decisions have impacts beyond the boundaries of our yards. Does the geographic source of a plant matter as long as it's a native species? Are cultivars of native species equivalent to naturally occurring populations? These topics will be discussed and recommendations given to help native plant enthusiasts make better-informed decisions for the long-term survival of native species.

Daniel P. Duran, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Rowan University, as well as the naturalist for Scotland Run Park, a 1300-acre nature preserve at the edge of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. He has published research papers on agricultural entomology, biodiversity, and molecular phylogenetics.  Duran has described 10 new species of insects previously unknown to science. He earned a B.S. in environmental science from Stockton University, an M.S. in entomology from the University of Missouri and a Ph.D. in evolution and ecology from Vanderbilt University. In between his degrees, he has also worked for the Natural History Museum, London, UK and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Duran is a co-author of the book "A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada, 2nd Edition."

Join local geologist Phil Getty on a virtual tour of the geology in and around Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. Learn how Bowman Hill’s unique geology was formed and the influence that bedrock has on nature, as well as humans. This lecture will enable you to understand how geology directly controls topography and soils to create the hill’s unique plant, animal and aquatic ecosystems.

Phil Getty has consulted as an environmental hydrogeologist in the Bucks County area for 40 years. The professional geologist holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology from Pennsylvania State and West Virginia universities. He has served on the boards of the Peace Valley Nature Center and Bucks County Audubon Society, as well as taught at Delaware Valley University. He also has advised land conservation associations, such as the Heritage Conservancy, on natural resources. In addition, Getty has presented numerous geology classes and field trips for naturalists, nature centers and the general public, with the goal of increasing our awareness of the land beneath our feet.

Every day, we see a variety of certification labels on packages of coffee and other foods: fair trade, organic, non-GMO and more. One certification on the rise is the Smithsonian Institution’s Bird Friendly® designation. Using Smithsonian conservation science, the Bird Friendly gold standard does more than other eco-friendly seals to protect habitat. In this lecture, Santino Lauricella will explore some of the research used in developing this certification, the impacts it has on the planet and how important it is to vote “with your wallet.”

Santino Lauricella is a naturalist, photographer, environmental educator and passionate coffee drinker. The education coordinator for Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is passionate about sharing his knowledge of the natural world with the public. Originally from central New York state, he holds a B.S. in wildlife management from SUNY College of Environmental Science. His career—which began with wildlife research—has taken him across the United States several times. He now lives happily in Lawrenceville, NJ, with his wonderful wife Kathleen and enjoys spending his weekend mornings with a warm cup or two of fresh hand-ground, shade-grown brew.

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Recent studies show bird populations have decreased by almost 30% in the past 50 years, while insect populations have declined 40% worldwide in the past 40 years. In some areas, the declines are even more dramatic. Native plants are a key part of the solution to reversing this trend. Are you already using native plants on your own property, but would like to learn how to convince your neighbors, homeowners association, local municipality and other governmental bodies to adopt the use of native plants? Join naturalist, author and photographer Mary Anne Borge to find out how she and her team at Lambertville Goes Wild transformed their town into a wildlife haven. She will cover strategies to help you achieve this transformation in your own neighborhood or town.

Mary Anne Borge is a naturalist, photographer, author and educator. A naturalist at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve since 2006, she is a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist and editor of Butterfly Gardener magazine. She is the team leader for Lambertville Goes Wild, a volunteer group whose efforts  successfully led to the National Wildlife Federation’s certification of Lambertville, N.J., as a community wildlife habitat. At her blog, the-natural-web.org, Mary Anne writes about and, with her photography, illustrates the importance of native plants to all life on Earth.

The Olympic Mountains are a coastal range in the northwest corner of Washington state. Early in his career Mark Garland, a Cape May-based naturalist, worked as a naturalist in Olympic National Park. The mountain range’s unusual geology and high annual precipitation combine to nurture exceptional subalpine meadow wildflower displays in summer, and these mountains’ isolation has resulted in the evolution of several endemic species. Experience spectacular floral displays and meet many of the flowers found in these meadows during this illustrated program. Some may seem familiar — there are several genera found here that are represented by related species in Pennsylvania and surrounding states.

Mark S. Garland is a naturalist who has professionally shared his enthusiasm for nature with others for over 40 years. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture. His work experience includes six years as a ranger/naturalist with the National Park Service, 17 years with the Audubon Naturalist Society (based in the Washington, D.C., area), and four years with New Jersey Audubon Society’s Cape May Bird Observatory. He is the author of the book “Watching Nature: A Mid-Atlantic Natural History” (Smithsonian Press, 1997), and of the “Canal Walk” chapter in the “Anthology of City Birding” (Stackpole Books, 2003). He founded the Cape Charles, Virginia, monarch butterfly research project in 1995, and in 2015 became the director of the New Jersey Audubon Cape May Bird Observatory’s monarch monitoring project. He has co-authored three scientific papers on the Cape Charles monarch migration project.

Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Doug Tallamy, the author most recently of “Nature’s Best Hope,” a New York Times Best Seller, will discuss simple steps that each of us can—and must—take to reverse declining biodiversity, and will explain why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope.

Doug Tallamy, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. He has authored 104 research publications and taught insect-related courses for 40 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants, and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book, “Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens” (Timber Press, 2007), was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers' Association. He co-authored “The Living Landscape” (Timber Press, 2014) with Rick Darke. His new book, “Nature's Best Hope” (Timber Press, 2020), was a New York Times Best Seller. His awards include the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation, the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence, the 2018 AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award.