Symposium Agenda

Become a Symposium sponsor

Print the Symposium schedule

Print the news release

 

Friday, Sept. 19

---

 

Field Trips

Sams House at Pine Island Conservation Area

1:30-4:30 p.m.

SOLD OUT!

Explore nature and history at Sams House nature center at Pine Island. Located in North Merritt Island, it is one of three education centers of Brevard County’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Program. This tour highlights the rich local history and impressive biodiversity of Merritt Island. Begin your excursion with a guided hike by Dr. Scott Taylor, featuring a restored salt marsh along the shoreline of the Indian River Lagoon in the Pine Island Conservation Area. Then tour the lush grounds of the historic homes.

Meet at Sams House, 6195 N. Tropical Trail, Merritt Island.

Dicerandra Scrub Sanctuary

9:00-11:00 a.m.
Cost: $10

The 44-acre sanctuary is the only place in the world where you’ll find the endangered Titusville balm (Dicerandra thinicola). This beautiful endemic mint has bright purple flowers and grows in other two places in Brevard County. The sanctuary also protects scrub, scrubby flatwoods and depression marshes. Its hiking trail leads through the scrubby flatwoods and marsh habitats.

Meet at the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary, 444 Columbia Blvd., Titusville.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

2:00-400 p.m.
Cost: $10

Join Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge volunteer Jim Stahl, a retired biologist, on the hunt for native wildflowers among the refuge’s more than 1,000 plant species. Along the way, you may happen upon Florida scrub jays, gopher tortoises and other wildlife inhabitants.

Meet at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, Titusville.

---

Saturday, Sept. 20
All Sat. Activities Included: $35 FWF Members, $45 Non-members.

---

Saturday Classroom Sessions

Welcome

8:15 a.m.
Comments by FWF Chairman Terry L. Zinn

Brevard County’s EEL Program

presenter: Dr. Ross Hinkle
8:30-9:00 a.m.

Get a short overview of Brevard County’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Program and the unique natural habitats it protects while managing them for their rare, threatened, endangered or endemic plants and animals.

Dr. Hinkle has been an active member of the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Selection and Management Committee since 1990. He received his BA in Biology from Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, N.C., and his MS and PhD in Ecology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Hinkle is currently Interim Vice Provost and Dean, College of Graduate Studies, at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando. Prior to moving to UCF, he served over 24 years in various research and management roles at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). He left KSC in 2007 as Vice President and Chief Scientist for Dynamac Corp., which held NASA's Life Science Services Contract.

Florida’s Medicinal Wildflowers

presenter: Joanna Helms
9:00-10:15 a.m.

Explore the world of native Florida wildflower herbs and the healing properties found in the forests around us. Attendees will leave with the knowledge needed to begin using plants immediately.

Joanna Helms, a sixth-generation Floridian, is the founder of Mama Jo’s Sunshine Herbals (Mama-Jos.com) in Indian Harbour Beach, a unique, family-run retail herb store and professional dispensary. She is a registered herbalist who has been in clinical herbal practice for 17 years, incorporating Western, Chinese, Native American, Ayurveda and Unani Tibb therapies into her practice and teachings. Joanna, who has a BA in Communicative Disorders, is recognized by the American Herbalist Guild and teaches a Fundamentals of Herbalism course annually and presents workshops and lectures throughout east Central Florida. She also is a co-founder of the local Herbal Wisdom Society.

Native Landscaping for Fall

presenter: Dr. Craig Huegel
10:30-11:45 a.m.

SOLD OUT!

Fall is perhaps the best time to view and plant wildflowers in Florida. In most years, soils are still receiving regular rains and temperatures are starting to moderate. Dr. Huegel will discuss fall planting techniques and highlight many of the best wildflower species for fall gardens, with an emphasis on wildlife.

Dr. Huegel is a naturalist, author and educator who has devoted much of his professional career to teaching the public about wildlife and native plant communities. He received his BA in Zoology and MS in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and his PhD in Animal Ecology from Iowa State University. He co-founded the Cooperative Urban Wildlife Extension Program at the University of Florida in 1987, has produced a series of videos on Florida wildlife and ecosystems, and is an adjunct professor at St. Petersburg College. He has authored several books for the Florida Native Plant Society. His most recent book is Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes.

Florida Wildflowers

presenter: Walter Taylor
12:30-1:45 p.m.

Get a crash course on Florida’s wildflowers and their ecosystems as Dr. Taylor introduces his must-have new book, “Florida Wildflowers: A Comprehensive Guide.”

Dr. Taylor served the University of Central Florida’s biology department for 35 years. In 2004, he was named a Professor Emeritus. He is author of The Field Guide to Florida Wildflowers (1992, Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas), Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities (1998, UPF, Gainesville), Andre Michaux in Florida, An 18th-Century Botanical Journey (2002, UPF), and A Guide to Florida Grasses (2009, UPF). His recognitions include UCF’s 1999 University for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching award and the Florida Native Plant Society’s 2006 Mentor Award. He also is a Florida Wildflower Foundation board member.

Butterflyscaping

presenter: Jaret Daniels
2:00-3:15 p.m.

SOLD OUT!

More butterfly species call Florida home than any other state east of the Mississippi. This tremendous diversity enables gardeners to attract and enjoy a wide range of different butterflies and other watchable wildlife. Come learn more about the biology of these fascinating creatures as well as simple tips to help transform your landscape into a haven for butterflies, hummingbirds and other native pollinators.

Dr. Daniels is IFAS Assistant Professor of Entomology and Assistant Director for Research for the Florida Museum of Natural History’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. His research focuses on insect ecology, population biology and conservation, with particular emphasis on butterflies and other native pollinators. He has authored more than 50 scientific papers, popular articles, and books on butterflies, conservation, integrated pest management, and wildlife landscaping, including Wildflowers of Florida.

Fire Ecology

presenter: Paul Schmalzer
3:30-4:45 p.m.

Since rising from the ocean after the last Ice Age, Florida's ecosystems have been shaped by fire. In this presentation, you'll learn how fire is used in the management of healthy natural areas.

Dr. Schmalzer is a plant ecologist with the InoMedic Health Applications at Kennedy Space Center. His current research interests include effects of fire on vegetation and soils, restoration of scrub ecosystems, distribution of rare scrub plants, and composition and dynamics of barrier island plant communities. He is certified as a Senior Ecologist by the Ecological Society of America and serves on Brevard County’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Selection and Management Committee. He has been Florida Native Plant Society’s Science Advisory Committee chair since 2006. Paul received a B.A. in biology from Western Maryland College, (1976) and M.S. (1978) and Ph.D. (1982) in ecology from the University of Tennessee.

---

Saturday Screened Room Sessions

Native Plant Propagation - Cuttings and More
SOLD OUT!

presenter: Kari Ruder
9:00-10:30 a.m.

This hands-on workshop will teach you the basics of growing plants from cuttings. We will explore which plants do best from cuttings and why, how to make cuttings, environmental considerations, and more. We will also briefly discuss growing native plants from seed and division. Participants will make cuttings to take with them.

Kari has been working in the natural resources field for more than 15 years, with state, local, and federal environmental agencies. She owns and operates Naturewise (www.naturewiseplants.com) in Cocoa, a nursery business that helps people create native and sustainable landscapes. Naturewise offers native plants along with regionally adapted edible plants, outreach, and natural gardening solutions. Kari has a BS in Environmental Science and Biology from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, and a masters degree in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida. Her masters research focused on identifying propagation methods for native species not yet in cultivation.

Honey Bees

presenter: Autumn Webb
10:45-11:15 a.m.

Learn the importance of honey bees, which help pollinate the plants responsible for every third bite of food we eat. You’ll find out how what you do in your own yard can help or hinder these important insects.

Autumn is an active representative of the Florida Honey Queen program, which promotes beekeeping and bee products through educational outreach. She is a lifelong Brevard County resident who learned the importance of bees firsthand - her father has been a professional beekeeper for 30 years.

What is That Fungus Among Us

presenter: Dr. Jay Barnhart Jr.
12:30–1:30 p.m.

Discover the fascinating world of Fungi during a brief presentation and narrated hike, led by Master Naturalist and avid mushroom hobbyist Dr. Jay Barnhart.

Dr. Barnhart became interested in wild mushrooms more than 40 years ago while he was making house calls as a general practitioner in rural Maryland. He belongs to the North American Mycological Association. He is retired from his second career as Dade County Medical Examiner (Miami CSI), and enjoys fishing, playing piano and giving presentations and tours about natural treasures, including the Enchanted Forest, Sebastian Inlet State Park and the Barrier Island Preserve. He is certified in two Florida Master Naturalist modules and holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology; Doctor of Medicine; and Medical Specialty Board Certification in Anatomic, Clinical, and Forensic Pathology.

Nature Journaling

presenter: Sarah Kraum
2:00-4:00 p.m.

Nature journaling is an excellent way to record your observations, reflections and responses to the environment. It defies definition as some people may sketch, some may write poetry, or others may simply list their sightings. There are no rules, but getting started can be tricky. Learn helpful tricks and tips and hone your sketching skills before venturing out for a hike through the forest. Please bring a journal.

Sarah Kraum is an environmental educator and NAI Certified Interpretive Guide who works as a naturalist for Brevard County’s EEL Program. Prior to working for Brevard County, Sarah was education director at the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium. She graduated from the Florida Gulf Coast University with a Bachelors of Science in Legal Studies with an emphasis on environmental law.

---

Saturday Amphitheater Session

Beneficial Bats

presenter: Shari Blisset-Clark
9:30-10:30 a.m.

This introduction to bats outlines their contribution to a healthy, balanced environment and debunks the common myths that give rise to unfounded fear of these flying mammals. Basic bat biology, rabies, and conservation efforts will be discussed, and attendees will have an opportunity to meet live bats.

Shari Blisset-Clark lived all over the world before settling in Florida in 1985. She earned a BS at the University of South Carolina and later received certifications in Invertebrate Conservation and Ornithology from Cornell University. Shari serves on the boards of Bat Belfrys, the Florida Bat Conservancy, the Florida Native Plant Society, and the Brevard Botanical Garden. Her fascination with bats began more than 20 years ago when she partnered with Bat Conservation International as a bat house researcher. She has since built and erected many successful bat houses throughout Florida.

This event is made possible through the support of our sponsors.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•