Chapter Events

Discover the power of ecological garden design in this free national webinar, Living in the Liberated Landscape: My Yard, with award-winning landscape designer Larry Weaner. Join us for a personal look at how dynamic, self-sustaining landscapes can emerge when we partner with nature instead of controlling it. Drawing on more than 35 years of experience, Larry will share practical strategies for designing dynamic gardens that evolve naturally, support biodiversity, and bring lasting beauty to your yard.

Designing with native plants isn’t just about what you grow, it’s about how you shape your space. In this hands-on workshop, Zoe Evans (Plan it Wild) and Heather Evans (Design Your Wild) guide you through the process of creating a cohesive yard plan that supports both your lifestyle and biodiversity.

Note:  This program will occur online via Zoom.  Advance registration will be required.  A link to register for the program will be available here no later than December 1.  A recording of the program will be available on our YouTube channel following the program.

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Phenology is all about timing—when trees leaf out, flowers bloom, birds migrate, animals bear young and hibernate—and it is everywhere around us. Seasonal events quietly but steadily occur in response to fluctuations in daylength, temperatures, and rainfall patterns, and these events are threaded through our daily lives, shaping our experiences and perceptions. As well, the timing of seasonal activity is being affected by rapidly changing climate conditions, with significant ecological and economic impacts. In this presentation, Theresa Crimmins will  share how we are all phenologists in our own way.  She will also share how you can participate in documenting the timing of seasonal life cycle events—for the benefits to mental health and for the good of the environment, as the data gathered can be directly helpful in supporting climate change action.

Presesnter Bio:

Theresa Crimmins is the Director of the USA National Phenology Network and works enthusiastically to support growth in Nature’s Notebook and a broader appreciation of phenology among scientists and non-scientists alike. Theresa is also an Associate Professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona and has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Her writing has appeared in Scientific American, The Hill, Eos, Nautilus, Popular Science, and more, and she has had several appearances on NPR as well as PBS, The Weather Channel, and Fox Weather. Her book, Phenology, came out earlier this spring and her TEDx talk is available online.

Details coming soon! 

Join us at Wild Things 2026 for an exciting lineup of workshops, presentations, and sessions from regional and national experts, plus meet & greets, video content, exhibitors, sponsors, and more! 

Note:  This program will occur online via Zoom.  Advance registration will be required.  A link to register for the program will be available here no later than December 1.  A recording of the program will be available on our YouTube channel following the program.

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What does it mean to love a forest? In this talk, Ethan Tapper,  will draw from his work as a forester and his bestselling book -- How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World -- to discuss what it means to care for forests and other ecosystems at this moment in time. How do we respond to the harmful legacies of the past? How do we use our species' incredible power to heal rather than to harm? How do we reach towards a better future? In a time in which many believe that “protecting” ecosystems means protecting them from ourselves, Ethan argues that humans must take action to help ecosystems heal and to move into a more abundant future. Ethan’s message is at once compassionate and pragmatic, clear-eyed and hopeful, sobering and inspiring, a powerful new idea for how we can build a world that works for all of its ecosystems and all of its people.

Presenter Bio:

Ethan Tapper is a forester, digital storyteller, and the bestselling author of How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World. For more than a decade, Ethan has been recognized as a thought-leader in the world of ecosystem stewardship, winning numerous regional and national awards for his work. More recently, he has been recognized as a writer – since its publication in 2024, How to Love a Forest has been named the winner of the 2025 New England Book Award for nonfiction, and received international acclaim.

Ethan’s message of relationship, responsibility and hope reaches millions of people each year through his writing, social media channels with hundreds of thousands of followers, and the hundreds of walks, talks and keynotes that he delivers across North America each year.

Ethan works, writes, hunts, birds and runs a small consulting forestry business from his home at Bear Island – his 175-acre working forest, homestead, orchard and sugarbush in Vermont – and plays in his punk band, The Bubs. 

Details coming soon! This will be a paid webinar with all proceeds supporting the Seeds for Education Program. 

Details TBA

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!