Ecological Landscaping Association

events calendar

events sponsored by ela

Friday, March 12 noon - 3 PM

Managing Fruit Trees in the Edible Landscape

Location: 393 Estabrook Rd, Concord, MA

Join tour guide, Nick Novick, to visit a small orchard and learn the ecological care of fruit trees using a holistic approach. Until fairly recently, producing a reliable fruit crop required the use of a number of synthetic chemicals with troubling health and environmental profiles. By changing the way we think about "pest control" and utilizing innovative approaches along with improved materials, good results are now possible without the use of environmentally damaging chemicals.

You'll visit a home orchard in Concord where we'll discuss care throughout the year, including pruning, spray materials and timing, and discuss other, practical considerations. The focus will be on apples, but some other fruits will be discussed.

Registrations are limited. Register Online Now!

more information

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Wednesday, March 24 4 – 6 PM

Growing & “Greening” Your Landscaping Business Even In This Economic Climate!

Location: Nordic Hall at the Scandinavian Living Center
206 Waltham Street, West Newton, MA

This Roundtable presentation offers a unique perspective on growing a landscaping business in the midst of uncertain economic times. Jackson Madnick will discuss his approach to organic lawn care in combination with the new drought tolerant, ultra deep-root grass seed options.

Working with the results of a recent state wide survey, Jackson will present strategies to reach the 91% of the public who are not currently using a landscaping company – a large untapped source of clients. Another highlight of this discussion will be Jackson’s methods for producing the ultimate "Green" Lawns; lawns that are not just green in color but are water saving, run off preventing, carbon foot print lowering, and more profitable for you!

Save the date for a private ELA Eco-Tour of this beautiful 175 acre landscape, one of the most beautiful and historic landscapes in America. This historical landscape is on the leading edge of sustainable and environmentally sound land care practices. This event will feature the more than 5,000 trees that are under Mount Auburn’s ecological tree care program. Paul Walker, our Eco-Tour guide, oversees the arboriculture program. Paul will lead us through the collections and specimens that include evergreen, herbaceous, and many beautiful spring-blooming species and describe the arboriculture program throughout the tour.

Registrations are limited. Register Online Now!

Mark your calendars for a personal tour of the Wellesley College Botanical Gardens with Tricia Diggins!

Set in the picturesque Wellesley, Massachusetts, the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens are an unforgettable place of beauty. Naturalized plantings as well as specimen trees and shrubs from around the world await discovery just a short distance from Boston. A tiny brook winds through the gardens from a waterfall to Paramecium Pond. Several different habitats comprise the arboretum including a maple swamp, meadow, and fragments of different forest types, with many native species. Other specialized gardens include a green roof planted with native species, a dwarf conifer garden, a butterfly garden, and an edible forest garden designed by David Jacke.

Tricia will guide us through the various gardens and explain the ecological methods that are being used to care for the plant communities. Register Online Now!

more information

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Thursday, May 20 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM (rain or shine)

Improving Water Quality: A Local Success Story

Location: Doyle Conservation Center, 325 Lindell Ave, Leominster, MA

This event is sponsored by ELA and co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition.

The Ecological Landscaping Association and Massachusetts Watershed Coalition invite you to explore the possibilities of improved water quality through collaborative efforts at stormwater management. Starting at the Doyle Conservation Center and then traveling out to a variety of installation sites, tour guides Ed Himlan, Bob Levite, and others will discuss and demonstrate the successful installations of a variety of stormwater management techniques.

more information

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Saturday, June 12 1 PM – 4 PM

“Alternative” Lawns (Three Professionally-Hosted Tours)

Location: Four Residential Properties in Newton, MA

Are you looking for alternatives to traditional, monoculture lawns that require a lot of water, chemicals, and time? There are many alternatives to a resource-intensive, chemically-maintained lawn. Visit four beautiful and successful properties in Newton to see alternatives that include organic lawns, meadow gardens, and edible landscapes. Each location that you visit will have a professional on-site to discuss the project design, maintenance, answer your questions, and help you to understand the options that you have this season to move to more sustainable and organic practices. All of the sites will be open during the entire tour, so you can choose how much time to spend at each location.

more information

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Saturday, July 10 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Sustainable Landscape Design – An Inspiring Day in the Berkshires

Location: Beaver Lodge, 719 Barnes Road, Shelburne Falls, MA

Come to Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts for an inspiring day in the foothills of the Berkshires. Marie Stella invites us into Beaver Lodge, her LEED Platinum certified home and hands-on sustainability laboratory. Beginning with an introduction to the sustainable systems in the house design, we move into the landscape where Marie will share her ecological design techniques and introduce us to: the innovative use of native plant materials, construction of rain gardens, green roofs, vegetated walls & vertical landscapes, rainwater harvesting (complete with cistern and pond with bio-regeneration area), forest management, and edible landscape elements including an organic vegetable gardening.

Register Online Now or call 617-436-5838 to pre-register. Group size is limited.

more information

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Saturday, August 28 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Edible Landscape Design & Maintenance: A Walking Tour

Location: Beginning at 493 Centre St Jamaica Plain, MA

Join tour guide, Benjamin Crouch, for a walking tour of EarthWorks urban orchards in Jamaica Plain. Earthworks urban orchards are publicly accessible sites that grow fruit for community consumption (ranging from a handful to over 30 trees at a given site). The tour will begin at the Curley School in Jamaica Plain and will highlight five different sites (covering approximately 1 ½ miles). Each site will present a different application of edible landscaping. Sites include two schoolyards, a pastoral pocket park, a community garden, and an urban-wild park. The workshop is geared toward professionals and avid gardeners who would like to learn more about the various applications of fruit trees in the landscape. We will look at the ecological functions of the sites, design and planting choices, innovations in and challenges to maintenance, and get to sample some of the fruit, including both antique and modern cultivars of apples, pears, plums, and peaches.

Registrations are limited. Register Online Now

more information

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Saturday, September 18 10:00 AM – noon

Sustainable Landscapes: Planning for Large-Scale Construction
(An in-depth look at challenges and techniques for addressing ecological landscape construction.)

Location: 175 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA

Successfully navigating the challenges of large scale construction projects while creating and preserving ecological landscapes involves considerations beyond typical landscape design. Located on 40 beautiful acres in Watertown, the Perkins School for the Blind includes spectacular grounds and buildings with architecture described as “Collegiate Gothic.” The school moved to its present location in 1910, chosen for its beautiful landscape, glorious trees, and many possibilities.

Registrations are limited. Register Online Now

more information

events sponsored by other organizations

Tuesday, March 9   8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

1st Annual Soil Health Conference

Location: The Enterprise Center, Burlington County College, Mount Laurel, NJ

For more information visit www.sjrcd.org/soilhealth, call 609-267-7410, or email pevans@bscd.org.

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Tuesday, March 9   9 AM – 4 PM

Community Tree Conference: Tree Invasives - What's Next?

Location: Stockbridge Hall, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA

For more information visit www.UMassGreenInfo.org.

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Thursday, March 11

Perennial Plant Conference – A Conference for the Professional Horticulturist

Location: University of Connecticut, Lewis B. Rome Commons, Storrs, CT

For more information visit www.hort.uconn.edu/2010ppc or contact Donna Ellis at 860-486-6448 or donna.ellis@uconn.edu.

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Monday, March 15 (snow date: Tuesday, March 16)

2010 Annual Spring Landscape Conference at The Native Plant Center

Location: Westchester Community College, Valhalla campus, Valhalla, NY

Topics and speakers to be announced. For details on this event as they become available, and for information about other events, visit www.nativeplantcenter.org
or phone 914-606-7870. Fax registration to 914-606-6143.

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Wednesday, March 17   7:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Maine Water Conference

Location: Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, ME

For more information visit visit: www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/mwc/index.htm, call 207-581-3196, or email Ruth Hallsworth at hallsworth@maine.edu.

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Wednesday, March 17 - Friday, March 19

The Humic Science and Technology Conference 13

Location: Northeastern University, Boston, MA

For more information visit www.hagroup.neu.edu or call 617-373-2834.

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Saturday, March 27

2010 Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference

Location: Worcester Technical High School, 1 Skyline Drive, Worcester, MA

More than 30 workshops on all aspects of land conservation work. This event attracts close to 500 land trust board members, volunteers and staff, open space committees, conservation commissioners, state and municipal employees and students every year. Price: $35 MLTC members; $42 non-members; $20 students.

More information will soon be available at www.massland.org.

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Saturday, April 10 - evening

Earth Fair

Location: Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkley Street, Boston, MA

For more information visit EarthNight.org or call 508-698-6810.

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Thursday, April 15   9 AM - 3:30 PM

Insect Laboratory: Hands-on Identification and Management Strategies

Location: UMass Cranberry Station, 1 State Bog Road, E. Wareham, MA

Space is limited; pre-registration is required. For more information visit www.UMassGreenInfo.org.

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Saturday, April 17   8 AM - 4 PM

2010 Cape Cod Horticultural Conference

Location: Barnstable High Performing Arts Center, 744 West Main Street, Hyannis, MA

For more information call 508-375-6690 or visit www.capecodextension.org.

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Monday, April 26   1 PM - 5 PM

Responding to Climate Change II: Tools and Solutions for Safeguarding Wildlife and Habitats

Location: Boston Marriott Newton, Newton, MA

For more information visit www.climateandwildlife.org.

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Wednesday, May 5 - Thursday, May 6

CERES Conference 2010: Roadmap for a Sustainable Future

Location: Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, Boston, MA

For more information visit www.ceres.org/conference.

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Tuesday, May 25 - Thursday, May 27

Symposium on Climate Change and the Implications for Plant Protection

Location: University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

For more information visit www.cropprotection.open.uoguelph.ca, email info@open.uoguelph.ca, call 1-519-767-5000, or contact:

Office of Open Learning
160 Johnson Hall
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
Canada

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September 19 - 26

Biostructural Design in Ecological Restoration Projects, Including Soils Restoration with John Munro

Location: Humboldt Field Research Institute, 59 Eagle Hill Road, Steuben, ME

For more information visit www.eaglehill.us, email office@eaglehill.us, or
call 207-546-2821.

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September 27 - 29

Nurturing Biodiversity in the Managed Landscape: Gardening with Native Plants, Insects, and Wildlife with Marjorie Peronto

Location: Humboldt Field Research Institute, 59 Eagle Hill Road, Steuben, ME

For more information visit www.eaglehill.us, email office@eaglehill.us, or
call 207-546-2821.

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September 26 - October 2

Integrated Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Streams with John Munro

Location: Humboldt Field Research Institute, 59 Eagle Hill Road, Steuben, ME

For more information visit www.eaglehill.us, email office@eaglehill.us, or
call 207-546-2821.

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Monday, November 13 - Friday, November 17

5th National Conference and Expo on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration
Preparing for Climate Change: Science, Practice, and Policy

Location: Galveston Island Conference Center, Galveston Island, TX

For more information visit www.estuaries.org/conference.

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August 1 - 5, 2011

4th National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration

Location: Baltimore, MD

For more information visit www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/NCER201
or contact Beth Miller-Tipton at 352-392-5930.

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ATTENTION ECOLOGICAL EVENT PLANNERS!

Let us know about your ecological events! Send your listings to ELAwebmaster@verizon.net

We'll do our best to include your ecological event on this web page for review by our national membership.