You can also download a complete list and description of all sessions and speakers.
Deborah Snow, Dakota County Master Gardener , “Confessions of a Hostaholic”
Master Gardener Deborah Snow has always loved plants. She worked in a hosta business several years ago and started collecting hostas on her own when she owned her first home. She kept records for them each year and expanded her collection in a second home, and expands each year. She is excited to share the many varieties she has come to love!
Barb Webb, Dakota County Master Gardener, “Introduction to Seed Saving”
Barb Webb is a Dakota County Master Gardener and a huge fan and supporter of the goals of organizations like Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Barb attends the annual three-day SSE Seed Saving Conference in Decorah, Iowa every July, learning about the method and importance of saving seeds to ensure the survival of heirloom varieties. Barb has a large urban vegetable and perennial garden in Eagan and enjoys experimenting with saving seeds of all kinds. Her goal is to someday start a seed lending library in her community so that all gardeners can share nature’s greatest gift.
Julie Bohen, University of MN, “Sustainable Trees and Shrubs”
Julia Bohnen, is involved in both research and teaching related to ecological restoration and invasive species management. Julia’s current research seeks to engage professionals and volunteers throughout Minnesota in identifying and reporting locations of the European haplotype of Phragmites Australis (common reed) to understand its likelihood to spread and its potential to impair ecological functions. Previous projects include a restoration evaluation research project that sought to assess the outcomes of ecological restorations funded by the Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund. She helped develop a series of online ecological restoration courses that are currently offered through the College of Continuing Education. She has 14 years of project management experience from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, where she was responsible for restoring and monitoring Spring Peeper Meadow, a landscape scale ecological restoration.
Julie Harris, Dakota County Master Gardener, “Tips & Challenges for a Successful Vegetable Garden”
Julie Harris has been a U of MN Extension Master Gardener since 2003. During that time, she has worked on a wide variety of volunteer gardening and administrative activities, including four years as Leadership Team Chair of the Dakota County Master Gardeners, and several years as chair of the Flower Trials. Julie has also worked on the South St. Paul Vegetable Trials committee for 3 years.
Daniel Johnson, Dakota County Master Gardener, “Tips & Challenges for a Successful Vegetable Garden”
Daniel Johnson is a lifelong gardener and outdoor adventurist. Following a long career as a nonprofit health executive, Dan worked at a regional garden center and became a U of MN Extension Master Gardener, where he is a member of the South St. Paul Seed Trials team. His business, Green Man Gardening, provides residential garden consultation and design.
Christy Marsden, University of MN, “Heritage and Heirloom Vegetables”
Christy Marsden, Master Gardener Extension Educator and Education Manager, comes from the University of Wisconsin Extension, where she served as a county-based Horticulture Educator in Rock County for three years. Prior to that, she worked at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. Originally from California, Christy discovered her love of plants while volunteering at the arboretum on the University of California, Davis campus. She has Masters Degree in Horticulture and Agronomy from the University of California, Davis. Christy has a passion for connecting people with plants through what we eat and grow, and is excited to continue this work at the Minnesota Arboretum with the UMN Master Gardener program.
Stan Tekiela, Author/Naturalist, “Amazing Hummingbirds: Unique Images and Characteristics”
Naturalist, wildlife photographer and writer Stan Tekiela is the originator of the popular state-specific field guides such as Birds of (state name) Field Guide, Wildflowers of (state name), and Trees of (state name). Stan has authored more than 130 field guides, nature books and wildlife audio CDs. Stan has a B.S. Degree from the U of MN, and he has been an active professional naturalist for more than 25 years. Stan has received various national and regional awards for his books and photographs.
JoAnne Sabin, Dakota County Master Gardener, “The Secret of Bees and Wasps”
JoAnne Sabin’s love of gardens, nature, and nutrition led her to become a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener in 2004 and a beekeeper in 2005. She has been teaching gardening and honeybee related topics throughout Minnesota since 2004, including presentations at garden expos, garden clubs, beekeeping groups, schools, community education, master gardener meetings, and both the Dakota County and the State Fair. She has been gardening in Minnesota for 30 years and her other interests include photography, camping, and volleyball.
Larry Cipolla, Master Gardener, “Hydroponic Gardening the Easy Way”
Larry Cipolla is a life-long learner and gardener. He is an international speaker, published author, hydroponics expert, and has served as the Chair on the Master Gardener State Advisory Board. Larry’s specialties include all aspects of vegetable gardening. His Japanese garden with ten water features has been on 25 garden tours, featured on Rebecca’s Garden three times, and written up in the Star Tribune, Sun Current, Pond and Midwest magazines. Larry was born and raised in Connecticut and moved to Minnesota in 1970.
Lee E. Frelich, Director of University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology, “Climate Change in Minnesota Ecosystems”
The presentation will start with a brief history of the science of climate change, followed by the projected impacts of low and high CO2 emission scenarios at global and local scales. We will explore how a warming climate will interact with several environmental factors, including deer, invasive species, storms, fires, droughts and habitat loss, to influence the future of Minnesota’s forests and prairies. We will see how natural areas in southern Minnesota inform us about the future of iconic places in northern Minnesota such as the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park.
Lee E. Frelich is Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology. He received a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986. Frelich has authored more than 160 publications with 200 coauthors from 23 countries, including major works for Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. His research has been featured in the news media over 450 times, including such venues as The New York Times, Newsweek, CBS Radio Osgood Files, and National Geographic. Frelich has provided consulting services on forest management for government agencies, including The U.S. Army, Air Force, National Forest Service, and National Park Service. Current research interests include large-scale fire and wind, earthworm invasion, effects of deer and moose browsing, and climate change.