2025 Annual Symposium
Homegrown National Park: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard
Featured Speakers: Douglas W. Tallamy, Cheryl Geiger, and Bill Fontenot
Saturday, January 25, 2025
9:00am – 1:00pm
CEU’s for Master Gardeners and Landscape Architects
Hospitality, Plant, Book and Gift Shop Sales
Join us for an inspiring talk with renowned ecologist Dr. Doug Tallamy as he discusses
the transformative Homegrown National Park movement. Learn how planting native species
and creating ecological networks in our communities can help restore biodiversity
and strengthen our environment. Dr. Tallamy will share insights and practical tips
on how you can contribute to this national challenge. Don't miss this opportunity
to be part of a growing movement for positive change.
Homegrown National Park is meant to bring about not just a horticultural revolution, but a cultural one, bridging the human-dominated landscape and the natural world. “If you do this at your house or in your local park, you don’t have to go to Yellowstone to interact with nature,” Tallamy says. “You won’t have bison, you won’t have Mystic Falls, but you can have nature outside your door. Isn’t that what you want for your kids—and for yourself?”
Bill Fontenot dedicated his career in biology to restoring the ecological integrity
in lands, from the smallest urban gardens to the largest wildlife management areas.
Since 1987 he and wife Lydia have also operated Prairie Basse (pron. “Bahsse”), a
wildlife management, landscape design, and ecological restoration consulting business.
As a professional naturalist, Fontenot has led thousands of guided tours, and has
lectured at hundreds of institutions throughout the U.S. Bill’s talk about Louisiana
Birds and Wild Fruit is based on 26 years of research. His book Native Gardening in the South, is a must have resource for your library, and will be available for sale.
Cheryl Gieger ……. “Native plant landscape design inspired by the genius of native
plant communities found throughout the southeast.”