THERE IS A GLOBAL MOVEMENT
to embrace sustainable landscapes. However, the appropriate use of native plants in these landscapes often remains tangential because knowledge of native plants is often inadequate. Similar long-established symposiums in other regions of the US have successfully raised awareness of native plants, and increased the confidence of an entire region of professionals and enthusiasts in their use of these plants.
Our goal is to do the same for Upstate New York.
The Symposium is for landscape architects, designers, educators, Master Gardeners, government employees, homeowners, gardeners, naturalists and anyone else eager to learn more about this growing movement.
We have heard from many of you, sharing your gratitude that this group of energetic and dedicated people has kept gathering, even if virtually, until we can all gather again in person. As organizers of INLS, we are equally grateful for all of you who are staying with it--maintaining those connections among all of us who work for the greater good of our natural environment. Our connections mirror the connections we strive to learn about, protect, and preserve in the natural world around us.
We also hear from more and more speakers that their work reveals fragile, delicate, and often only newly recognized connections in nature--between birds and plants, fungi and plants, insects and plants, and of course the world of micro-organisms--subtle relationships that often elude casual human observation. Maintaining these connections before we break them or lose them is now more critical than ever, as pressure on the natural web increases. As Aldo Leopold said, long before most people were paying attention: "If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” Assume nature has inherent value, at all scales and in all its parts, equally.
These are the connections we try to explore, explain and maintain through INLS 2022--through our connections with our INLS community.
We look forward to sharing these connections with you.
~Dan Segal & Rick Manning
MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF EDUCATION
THE INLS TEAM
DAN SEGAL
Dan Segal owns The Plantsmen Nursery which specializes in native plants, local plant production, and native and natural landscaping. Dan has worked with native plants for over 20 years, in California, the Mid-Atlantic, and New York. His areas of expertise include ecological restoration, plant propagation, plant bio-geography and the study of native plant communities.
RICK MANNING
Rick Manning Landscape Architect (RMLA), ASLA, is a landscape architecture consulting firm located in Ithaca, NY. Rick is involved in a variety of projects, including greenways and trails, bicycle and pedestrian plans, parks, transit and health facilities, and both private and public gardens. Rick is very active in his Ithaca community as the Director of Friends of Stewart Park and Coordinator of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail Initiative.
Dan Segal, owner of The Plantsmen Nursery, and Rick Manning, began the Ithaca Native Landscape Symposium in 2009 to educate professionals from various fields, as well as enthusiastic homeowners and gardeners, about native plants in the wild, and their role in sustainable landscapes.
While there is a growing movement to embrace sustainable landscapes worldwide, the appropriate use of native plants in these landscapes often remains tangential, as knowledge of native plants is often inadequate.
Similar long-established symposiums in other regions of the US have been successful in raising awareness of native plants, and raising the confidence of an entire region of professionals and enthusiasts in their use of these plants. Our ambitious goal is to do the same for Upstate New York.
Dan and his wife Sarah have owned The Plantsmen since 2006. Dan has worked with native plants for over 20 years, in California, the Mid-Atlantic, and New York. His areas of expertise include ecological restoration, residential landscaping, plant propagation, plant bio-geography, and the study of native plant communities. His experience collecting and propagating over 1000 species of plants is a big part of what makes The Plantsmen Nursery unique among other nurseries and landscape companies.
Rick Manning, ASLA, is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Friends of Stewart Park, leading Ithaca's effort to revitalize Ithaca’s historic lakefront park. Rick has a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University. He worked with Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architects for 13 years before starting his own consulting practice in 2000. In 2001 he founded the Cayuga Waterfront Trail Initiative, working for 15 years to plan, design and fundraise for Ithaca’s Waterfront Trail, now a six-mile multi-use trail connecting Ithaca’s key waterfront places. In 2009 Rick co-founded the Ithaca Native Landscape Symposium. For fun he plays fiddle and mandolin and organizes acoustic music festivals, camps and concerts in Ithaca.
INLS SPONSORS
