Events

Talk Title and Description
Inspiring Conservation: The Great Lakes Gardens at Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Speaker: Michael Kost, Associate Curator at University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum

The Great Lakes Gardens was established in 2013 to showcase a diverse array of the Great Lakes region’s natural communities and their associated flora. The gardens serve as an important place for the general public and University community to learn about these natural communities and native plants and be inspired to care about their protection and stewardship. In addition to the educational and inspirational benefits to conservation, the gardens play an
important role in the ex situ conservation of numerous uncommon and rare native plants and the insect fauna that rely on them. Challenges to curating and caring for the Great Lakes Gardens include acquiring and establishing representative native plants, maintaining adequate interpretive signage, and controlling non-native plants.

Bio
Mike Kost serves as Associate Curator at University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum and as a Lecturer in the School for Environment and Sustainability. As a curator he focuses on the conservation and stewardship of natural areas and native plants. Before joining U-M, he served as the Lead Ecologist and a Senior Conservation Scientist with Michigan Natural Features Inventory at Michigan State University, where he focused on documenting and describing natural communities and rare species and identifying key sites for biodiversity conservation and management. He has coauthored over 80 publications, including four books on the natural communities of Michigan

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