BETHEL — Join the co-founder of Homegrown National Park, and Professor of Agriculture for an evening dedicated to gardening, ecology – and fun!
This year marks the third annual Monarch Festival. Presented by Mahoosuc Land Trust (MLT) under its “Habitat for All” initiative, the festival brings the community together around a 16,000-square-foot pollinator garden.
This garden has been recognized as a dedicated Homegrown National Park space – which means it’s part of a national cooperative conservation project that aims to turn half of all privately owned yards into habitats for pollinators and wildlife. The Habitat for All garden’s 16,000 square feet is part of the 20-million acres Homegrown National Park aims to turn into bio-diverse habitats for birds, bees, and butterflies. Homegrown National Park is a country-wide initiative spanning coast to coast, which Professor Doug Tallamy co-founded.
Doug Tallamy will be joining Mahoosuc Land Trust for an in-depth discussion on how our backyards can supply critical habitat for pollinators and birds live via webcam at 7 p.m. on August 12 at The Gem Theater in Bethel. Admission is free and open to members and non-members of Mahoosuc Land Trust. For more information on Doug Tallamy’s talk, email info@mahoosuc.org or visit https://www.mahoosuc.org/monarch-festival to see the agenda for the day.
Beyond being a co-founder of Homegrown National Park, Doug Tallamy is a professor, an award-winning author, and a passionate ecologist. He has taught insect-related courses for 41 years and authored 106 research publications. Chief among his research goals is to better understand how insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities.
He has published four books, with his 2014 book “Nature’s Best Hope” becoming a New York Times best-seller. Presently he is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware.
His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Western Carolina University, The Garden Club of America, and The American Horticultural Association.
Join Mahoosuc Land Trust and Doug Tallamy for an in-depth discussion on ecology, biodiversity, gardening, conservation, and why joining the movement and turning your backyard into a wildlife habitat is so important.
MLT also invites the public to join them the next day, Sunday, August 13 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Monarch Festival at Valentine Farm, 162 North Road, Bethel. This family-friendly event features a cookout, educational and children’s activities, the opportunity to speak with gardening experts, Monarch Tagging, and an artisan “park.” Admission to the event is free, and all attendees receive three free raffle tickets to win prizes donated by vendors and artisans.
Habitat for All thanks its event sponsors, The Rotary Club of Bethel, River Fund of Maine, Franklin Savings Bank, and supporter, Norway Savings Bank. Without their support, free public access to this event would not be possible, and sustaining Habitat for All’s work of restoring the connection between people, nature, and their backyards is that much stronger because of them.
For more information about the Monarch Festival, email info@mahoosuc.org or visit https://www.mahoosuc.org/monarch-festival to see the agenda for the day.
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