Now that 2010 is here, it’s time to make a New Year’s resolution you might actually keep! Stay away from the overcrowded gyms and resolve to spend more time in the parks–particularly in learning about how their ecosystems work. From the smallest ant to the tallest sycamore tree, there is so much to see in the parks and so much to learn about how it all works together.
At the 2009 Tree ID training, Phil showed us some amazing umbrella magnolias growing in Riverview Park.
We’ll help you jump-start your year of park education with this just-announced calendar of Urban EcoSteward trainings for 2010. You can learn everything from how to be a great volunteer to crew leader to the best way to stop invasive plants from spreading their seeds, and along the way there will even be s’mores! It’s hard to ask for much more than that.
All of these trainings are absolutely free and open to anyone who’s interested, whether you’re an active Urban EcoSteward or not. All you have to do is RSVP, which you can do anytime by using the form beneath the list of trainings.
And here’s a little bonus for you: every year at the Native Seed Collection training, Kathy McGregor of Sylvania Natives hands out a list of some of her favorite books on the subject. If you’re interested in learning more about why native plants are so important to preserving the biodiversity and ecological harmony of our parks (or any landscapes), this is a great place to start.
Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Douglas Tallamy
Wildflowers: A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America, William Cullina
Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants, William Cullina
Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers, Harry Phillips
Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, Sara Stein
Planting Noah’s Garden: Further Adventures in Backyard Ecology, Sarah Stein
American Plants for American Gardens, Edith Roberts & Elsa Rehmann
Gardening with Native Wild Flowers, Samuel B. Jones Jr. & Leonard E. Foote
The Natural Habitat Garden, Ken Druse
