N.C. Cooperative Extension, New Hanover County Center, is proud to present our 2023 Extension Speaker Series. These talks will be held on the First Friday of each month at the New Hanover County Arboretum from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
March 3rd: Building a Personal Connection with Nature Join Heather Kelejian, Therapeutic Horticulture Agent, to get a brief introduction to therapeutic horticulture. Learn about using nature to improve your overall wellness and personal growth. With specific activities to do yourself or share with others. Visit Eventbrite for more information and to register.
April 7th: Native Trees for a Reslient Community Native trees especially play an essential role in supporting biodiversity and provide the ecosystem services needed to sustain our environment. Join Amy Mead, Area Natural Resources Agent, to learn about native trees that are well adapted to our coastal climate and soil conditions. You'll aslo learn how these trees are critical to creating a resilient community. Visit Eventbrite for more information and to register.
May 5th: Snakes of North Carolina Love 'em? Hate 'em? Join Rebecca Skiba from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to learn about snakes that share our coastal habitats. Education can be the key to reducing fears and helping to protect these essential animals in our ecosystems. Keep an eye on this page for registration details!
June 9th: Home and Garden Sustainability Every day we make choices that can affect the environment, the climate, and the ecosystems around us. Sustainability looks to the future and asks, "How can we meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs?" Join Casey Sandemeyer, Horticulture Program Assistant, to explore practices in your home and garden to protect our resources for future generations. Keep an eye on this page for registration details!
July 7th: Butterfly Gardening Butterflies and caterpillars (the larval stage in the butterfly life cycle) provide food for birds and other organisms, pollinate flowers and are easy to attract to a garden or backyard landscape. Butterflies are found throughout North Carolina and will flourish within a well-designed landscape of native plants in both rural and urban areas. Join Matt Collogan, Consumer Horticulture Agent, to learn what you can do to create habitat for butterflies in your own backyard. Keep an eye on this page for registration details!
August 4th: Therapeutic Horticulture on the Go Join Heather Kelejian, Therapuetic Horticulture Agent, to learn activities that you can do with adults or youth to increase mental health and build a life long connection with nature. Keep an eye on this page for registration details!
September 1st Stormwater 101: What is it and what can we do about it? Amber Ellis, Extension Associate with NC State's Bio and Ag Engineer Department will give us an in depth look at stormwater and the systems we have to manage stormwater in our urban communites. You'll also practices that you can employ in your own yards to help mitigate the impacts of stormwater on our local waterways. Keep an eye on this page for registration details!
October 6th: Spotlight on Local Foods Join Morgan King, Family and Consumer Science Agent, to learn what about local food systems and explore the bounty of foods grown here in our area. Keep an eye on this page for registration details!
November 3rd: Trees for Coastal Fall Color Fall is the perfect time to plant trees here in the Cape Fear region. Join Lloyd Singleton, County Extension Director, to discover beautiful tree species that will dazzle you will fall color. Keep an eye on this page for registration details!