Each year’s program focuses on a timely topic, designed to bring together professionals involved in the different components of large-scale urban restoration and green infrastructure projects, including landscape architects, garden designers, landscape contractors, restoration companies and organizations, project managers and landscape maintenance staff from institutions and agencies.

Stewardship Required:
The Power of Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Long -term Function of Urban Natural Areas

Wednesday-Thursday, January 30-31, 2019Union Bay Natural Area
8:30 am – 3:00 pm

UW Botanic Gardens
Center for Urban Horticulture – NHS Hall
3501 NE 41st St.
Seattle, WA 98105

Most people expect established natural area landscapes to be low maintenance. That concept comes back to haunt us when the realities of invasive weeds, aggressive native species, and plant encroachments demand immediate attention. As the fox said in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, “You become responsible forever for what you have tamed.” And so, for all the urban natural area plantings we create: stewardship is required.

Taken out of the context of wilderness areas, urban natural areas demand attention to the details of plant selection, site design, and maintenance standards to keep them functioning well. The significant costs of deferred maintenance that have been documented for urban trees and landscapes apply equally to urban natural areas. With proactive and timely collaboration between researchers, city planners, site managers, landscape designers and engineers, field crews, volunteer stewards, and others, we have the power to improve and protect this valuable environmental resource in our communities. Join us for this rare opportunity to exchange information across the mix of professions responsible for creating and maintaining urban natural areas.

Professional Credits: APLD-4.5/Day 1, 3.75/Day 2, CPH-3/Day 1, 2/Day 2; ecoPRO-3/Day 1, 2/Day 2; ISA-1/17/Day 1, Up to 2.25/Day 2; LA CES-5.25/day, NALP/WALP-5.25/day

Resources for Attendees

Day One (Jan. 30):

  • Under Pressure: The urgency to acquire public lands (and how to keep up with growth). (Presentation PDF)
    Sarah Brandt, King County Parks, Open Space Government Relations Administrator, and
    Lina Rose, King County Parks Volunteer Program Manager
  • The Power of Collaborative Design: Lessons for urban natural areas from a study of urban parking lot landscapes
    Christina Pfeiffer, Horticulture Consultant & Educator and a Consulting Associate at Urban Forestry Services, Inc.

  • Stepping inside and outside the lines: Collaboration, pragmatism and stewardship in design, construction and maintenance of a restoration project. (Presentation PDF)
    Justin Howell, Owner and Manager of Applied Ecology, LLC
  • Growing Wild Plants (Presentation Text, PDF) (Presentation slide set coming soon)
    Ned McGinley, Nursery Manager, Sound Native Plants
  • Best Practices for Financial Stewardship (Presentation PDF)
    Micki McNaughton, Arborea, LLC
  • Winning Public Support and Sustainable Funding for Natural Areas (Presentation PDF)
    Barbara Wright, Healthy Community Advocate (formerly Seattle-King County Environmental Health Deputy Director and King County Parks Manager)

Day Two (Jan. 31):

Other Resources:

What do we mean by urban natural areas? Primarily, landscapes planted with native species in parks and public lands, wetland buffers, and the boundary areas between the built environment and natural forests.

Past Seminars

 

 

 

 

 

 

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