You and your group want to learn how you can help wildlife and promote biodiversity for a resilient future.
You want an immersive experience into the wonders of the wild world.
You want to co-create moments of inspiration, awe, and playful curiosity.

Leading a workshop on pollinators at The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (photos courtesy of Peter Brown).

You want to host an event that will leave you feeling inspired, hopeful, and ready to take action.

Look no further…
When you invite me to give a talk, or to lead a walk or workshop, you will feel uplifted and engaged by my infectious enthusiasm and animated style –

you’ll have fun and learn a lot too!

You will see the wonders of nature in a whole new light, through the eyes of an ecologist because I literally thrive on sharing and translating complex ecological concepts for a broad range of audiences - young and old alike.

Along the way I will share fascinating facts about plants and animals and provide guidance about how to conserve wildlife and the habitats they depend on – in your own backyard, woodlot, or community space.

“Deb is a gifted speaker! She is able to share her incredible depth and breadth of scientific knowledge enthusiastically and with a bit of humor, without overwhelming her audience.
-Kathy B.”

Talking to a group at the Wood Innovators Conference about invasive plants and forestry practices for wildlife.

photo x Jen Dean Photography

 

A Sample of VENUES &/OR ORGANIZATIONS that have hosted Deb as a speaker or instructor:

Whether you know a lot or a little, you will walk away with a deeper understanding of the plants and animals that dwell in our forests, wetlands, fields, or micro-habitats in the suburban or urban landscape. You will walk away with clear action steps you can implement right away to help struggling wildlife populations at home and in our communities.

You will find the experience to be empowering, awe-inspiring, and therapeutic!

TALKS (~1 hour)

The Black Ghost: Understanding the Maine Black Bear

Intelligent Tinkering: Boosting Biodiversity at Any Scale

Landscaping for BIODIversity & Water Quality

Landscaping for Wildlife: how to cultivate wildlife habitat in your garden, backyard, and beyond

Places for Pollinators: how to create habitat for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds

Wild Bees: the fascinating lives of our native bees and how you can help save them

Classroom/school presentations – all of the above can be modified for any K-12 group and can be tailored to meet Maine Learning Results and specific core curriculum targets. I have extensive experience working with children and have spent a lot of time teaching - ranging from preschool through 12th grade (see page 2 of my resume for more details on my work as a National Science Foundation Teaching Fellow and more).  College-level presentations and field trips are also available.

 

WALKS (1-2 hours)

Interpretive ecology walks in the setting of your choice – this offering can easily be customized to your specific needs/purpose.

Leading a workshop exercise for a logger’s workshop on Understanding Forest Biodiversity.

“Deb came to our Garden Club and gave us one of the best presentations I have seen since joining 8 years ago. She is a delightful presenter who balances sense of humor with deep knowledge about indigenous plants and pollinators. I thought so highly of her I immediately signed up for her blog.”
— Layne G.

WORKSHOPS (~3 hours)

  • Landscaping for Wildlife: how to cultivate wildlife habitat in your garden, backyard, and beyond – Includes the engaging PowerPoint presentation (described in the flyer) followed by a field trip exercise to observe and discuss habitat features at select sites. Group discussion in the field involves concrete examples of how to improve habitat quality for a diversity of wildlife from bees and butterflies to birds and mammals. May also include a field exercise where participants evaluate habitat and develop a quick plan/design for improving an area.

  • Places for Pollinators: what do they need and how can we help? – Includes the engaging PowerPoint presentation (described in the flyer) on how to attract and benefit native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies in our yard, garden, field and farm habitats followed by a field trip exercise to observe and study foraging (flowering plants) and nesting habitats. Group discussion in the field involves how to provide habitat to an array of pollinators at a variety of scales.

  • Wild Bees: the fascinating lives of our native bees and how you can help save them - includes the engaging PowerPoint presentation (described in the flyer) followed by a field trip exercise to observe native bees foraging on flowers and to get a first-hand look at natural nesting habitats. Group discussion in the field involves how to improve native bee habitat at home.

  • Intelligent Tinkering: Boosting Biodiversity at Any Scale – Includes the engaging PowerPoint presentation (described in the flyer) followed by a field trip exercise in which break-out groups are guided to identify different components of forest/farm/garden biodiversity, and how to enhance and protect these features (wildlife trees, native plants, etc.). Group discussion in the field involves ways in which land stewards can apply this knowledge to promote native biodiversity (at any scale).