January 8th – Dave Tomashefski – Making the most of your tree with a soft landing garden.
Planting a soft landings garden beneath a tree is one of the best ways to support biodiversity in your yard. Join Dave Tomashefski of Meadow City Native Plant Nursery to learn how soft landings gardens support butterflies and moths in completing their lifecycles (and so much more!) This workshop is a great opportunity to maximize the benefits of tree cover in your growing space.
As Meadow City's education specialist, Dave Tomashefski is responsible for the nursery’s educational programs and materials. His gift is finding the perfect plant for everyone! Prior to co-founding Meadow City in Cleveland, Dave worked at the Soil, Water and Environmental Lab at Ohio State, where he also earned his master's degree.

January 22nd – Denise Ellsworth - Wild Bees in Your Ohio Backyard
Many gardeners know a honeybee when they see one, but how about some of the other 400+ species of bees that call Ohio home? This program will focus on some of the most common bees, including their fascinating biology and life histories. We’ll also discuss plant choices and landscape practices to support our native pollinators. Why do bumble bees vibrate their wing muscles to the tone of a middle C? How uncommon are queens in the bee world? Why do leaf cutting bees cut discs from leaves and petals? And how important are these native bees to pollination and biodiversity?
Denise directs pollinator education programming through the Ohio State University Department of Entomology a position she has held since 2012. In her Extension and outreach work, Denise supports and teaches beekeepers, farmers, gardeners, and others across the state through a variety of workshops, webinars, written materials, and electronic resources.
Before coming to Entomology, Denise served for 18 years as agriculture and natural resources county extension educator in the Akron/Canton area with a focus on horticulture, integrated pest management and environmental education.
In addition to chasing bees, Denise enjoys gardening, cycling, and hiking the towpath trail along the Tuscarawas River with her husband and dogs.

February 5th – John Blakeman - Creating and Managing a Prairie Meadow
John Blakeman, experienced Ohio prairie biologist, will explain, with both graphics and explanations, how authentic Ohio tallgrass prairies can be planned, prepared for, planted, and managed so as to provide beautiful natural habitats that support pollinating insects, capture and retain nutrients in runoff flows to minimize harmful algal blooms, and enhance soil health. John has been planting and managing Ohio prairie planting since 1973 and designs native plant landscapes that feature prairie meadows and islands of prairie that support pollinating insects.
John Blakeman is a retired biology instructor with 30 years of science teaching experience at Perkins Schools near Sandusky and is an experienced Ohio prairie researcher. John planted one of Ohio’s first prairie restorations in Erie County in 1973 at Firelands College BGSU at Huron, using native prairie seeds collected from local prairie remnants and isolated plants in ditches and hedgerows.
He helped form the Ohio Prairie Association and served as its president. He has presented papers at both state and national prairie conferences and is regarded as an expert in the history of Ohio’s tallgrass prairies. As proprietor of Meadow Environments LLC, he professionally designs, installs, and maintains prairie restorations and landscapes at park, educational, and private sites, including Erie Metro Parks facilities, the COSI museum in Columbus, and at commercial sites across Ohio.

February 19th – Michael Keeler - Matrix Design for Biodiverse Gardens
Learn about matrix gardens and how to create your own! Matrix gardens are modeled on natural plant communities and relationships and provide a framework that simplifies plant selection, layout, and installation.
Michael Keeler is the founder and principal of Ohio Native Concepts. Michael brings a background in natural resources management and a passion for nature and community to his work creating impactful landscapes for residential and institutional clients across Central Ohio. His design approach focuses on creating spaces that connect humans to nature and improve ecological function and biodiversity. By creatively combining art with ecology, Michael creates living landscapes that are as beautiful and meaningful as they are resilient and sustainable.
March 5th – Brian Hackett – Attracting wildlife to your property.
This presentation outlines some of the fundamental ways of bringing more nature into your yard, with a primary focus on gardening and landscaping with native plants. If any of you are familiar with Doug Tallamy’s published works you know that including native plants in your landscape is the first key step in attracting more wildlife to your property. I will also talk about why it is important and beneficial for you as a landowner to build habitat on your land.
Brian Hackett is the Wildlife Specialist at Knox Soil and Water Conservation District. I have been with the district since March of 2020 and prior to working in Knox County I was a District Technician at Madison Soil and Water Conservation District. In 2013 I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management and Animal Science. I grew up in Westerville, Ohio just across the street from Hoover Reservoir and I went to Westerville North High School. I have always had a lifelong passion for wildlife and nature and many of my favorite hobbies involve the outdoors including kayaking, camping, hiking, birding, fishing, and botanizing. I am happy to be speaking to you about attracting wildlife to your property!