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

Wednesday-Thursday, January 30-31, 2019

8:30 am – 3:00 pm

Hosted by University of Washington Botanic Gardens

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

Cost: $95 – one-day registration; $175 – full registration.

Discounts available for students and corps members. See website for details.

Program information and registration available at: http://bit.ly/urbannaturalareas or https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/education/adults/conferences-symposia/urban-natural-areas-seminar/

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.