Managing Invasives: Mindful Ecological Approaches

General Admission Ticket Price: $150

 Ticket price includes presentations, an equipment show-and-tell, coffee and pastries, Perfect Earth's Nature-Based Gardening booklet, and a buffet lunch by the Café at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. 

Managing Invasives: Mindful Ecological Approaches

Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | 8:00 am-4:30 pm

Stone Barns Center For Food And Agriculture

630 Bedford Rd, Tarrytown, NY 10591

Learn how to manage invasive plants without chemicals at this daylong symposium. Hear from experts on techniques like timed cutting, solarization, steaming, and smothering. Learn about the latest invasive plant research and how to prevent their spread. See an equipment show-and-tell and enjoy a buffet lunch from  the Café at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

The event is geared towards horticulture professionals (including landscapers, designers, restoration practitioners, and public garden staff), but will welcome land care enthusiasts of all kinds. 

The symposium has been approved for the following continuing education credits: APLD (1 credit hour per hour of instruction, up to 4 for the day), SER (1 credit hour per per hour of instruction, up to 4 for the day), LA CES (1 credit hour per hour of instruction, up to 4.5 for the day), and NOFA AOLCP (2.5 credit hours for the day).

Schedule

8:00 am | Arrivals and Check-In

Coffee and pastries by the Café at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

9:00-9:30 am | Welcome and Introduction

Welcome by Edwina von Gal

Presentations

9:30-10:30 am | Beyond Removal: Proactive Strategies for Protecting Ecosystems

Eve Beaury (Assistant Curator, New York Botanical Garden) and Rebecca McMackin (Lead Horticulturist, American Horticultural Society)

Protecting our ecosystems goes beyond just removing invasive plants-it requires proactive strategies to prevent their spread now and in the face of climate change. This includes removing harmful species from trade and refining how we communicate with the public. In this discussion, we'll explore the collaborative, all-hands-on-deck approach needed to safeguard our landscapes, bringing together the public, commercial, and research communities to shape the ecosystems of the future.

10:45 am-12:15 pm | Managing Mugwort: Four Strategies

Claire Davis (Owner, Starflower Gardens),  Ashley Gamell (Owner, Studio Hopeland), Michael Hagen (Curator of the Rock Garden and Native Plant Garden, New York Botanical Garden), Sarma Ozols (Horticulture Supervisor, Trust for Governors Island), Mia Wendel-DiLallo (Owner, Seedhead Gardens), moderated by Julia Snook (Curator, Lenoir)

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is one of the most persistent invasive plants in the Northeast, spreading aggressively and resisting conventional control methods. This panel will explore four non-chemical management strategies-timed cutting, steaming, solarization, and smothering-through firsthand reports from practitioners who have implemented these techniques in the field. Panelists will share insights from their projects, discussing effectiveness, challenges, and practical applications for land stewards seeking to manage mugwort without herbicides.

12:15-1:45 pm | Lunch

Buffet lunch by the Café at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. After eating, visit sponsor tables or use the Bloomberg Connects app to explore the grounds.

1:45-2:45 pm | Managing Woody Invasives: Four Strategies 

Budd Veverka (Director of Land Management, Mianus River Gorge), Annabel Roberts-McMichael (Owner, Tend and Gather), Penn Marchael (COO/President, Pennington Grey), moderated by Rashid Poulson (Director of Horticulture, Brooklyn Bridge Park)

Woody invasive plants pose significant challenges to the ecological health of a landscape, often outcompeting native vegetation and altering habitat structure. This panel will highlight four non-chemical approaches to management: torching, forest mulching, hand removal, and deer pressure mitigation. Panelists will share their experiences applying these techniques in various landscapes, discussing effectiveness, timing, and site-specific considerations. Attendees will gain practical insights into how these methods can be integrated into broader invasive species management plans.

3:00-3:45 pm | Managing Invasive Plants at Stone Barns: An Integrated Approach

Elijah Goodwin (Director of Ecological Monitoring, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture) 

Learn how Stone Barns uses livestock-particularly goats-alongside manual methods to suppress invasive plants while allowing native species to reestablish. This presentation will share research demonstrating that slow, repeated interventions leads to long-term stability, unlike quick-fix strategies that can invite reinvasion. It will also explore creative uses for harvested invasive plants, including culinary applications.

3:45-4:30 pm | Equipment Show-and-Tell 

Explore equipment that Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture uses to manage their landscapes.

Speaker Bios

Evelyn Beaury (Assistant Curator, New York Botanical Garden)

Evelyn's research focuses on the biogeography of global change, namely characterizing the spatial patterns and processes related to the spread of invasive species, climate change, and land-use change. She received her Ph.D. in invasive plant biogeography from UMass Amherst and held a postdoctoral research position at Princeton University, where she explored spatial planning tools for nature-based solutions. She is currently a faculty member in the Center for Conservation and Restoration Ecology at the New York Botanical Garden.

Claire Davis (Owner, Starflower Gardens)

Claire is the owner of Starflower Gardens, a small business focused on ecological landscape design and stewardship. She first learned that being outside (as a job!) was possible at Bennington College, where she studied ecology and literature. Since then, she's worked as a florist, an ecological restoration crew member, a horticulturist, and a meadow manager at a number of public and private landscapes, mostly in New York. She's learned from and cared for gardens at places like Locust Grove Estate, Stonecrop Gardens, Wave Hill, and Wethersfield Estate. She especially loves the transitional spaces between designed gardens and wilder areas and believes that the different techniques used in these distinct landscape categories can inform one another, bringing innovative approaches to both horticulture and land management.

Ashley Gamell (Owner, Studio Hopeland)

Ashley Gamell is an ecological landscape designer, educator, and writer based in the Hudson Valley of New York. Ashley formerly spent a decade on staff at Brooklyn Botanic Garden where she managed children's gardens and greenhouses, ran educational programming, and led the creation of a new ecology-focused Discovery Garden, developed with Michael Van Valkenberg Associates. Since moving upstate, Ashley's work has included co-authoring the Hudson Valley Pollinator Action Guide for Partners for Climate Action. Ashley is a co-author of The Kids' Guide to Exploring Nature, as well as a contributor to several other nature and garden books and blogs. Ashley holds a Certificate in Horticulture and is completing her Diploma in Garden Design at the Oxford College of Garden Design. She loves to share her love of plants and empower new gardeners and has taught horticulture courses at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and New York Botanical Garden. She spends lots of time imagining gardens and observing insects through a macro lens.

Elijah Goodwin (Ecological Monitoring Director, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture)

Elijah Goodwin is the Ecological Monitoring Director at Stone Barns Center. He has been working as a research scientist and/or science educator for more than thirty years. While his primary training is as an ornithologist, he has experience working with soil, plant communities, and DNA technology as well. His scientific experience ranges from banding hawks and owls during migration in New Jersey, to surveying beaver activity and bird populations in the Adirondacks, to studying bird song learning all over the Eastern Seaboard and Mexico. He holds a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, an M.S.T in Biology Education from Boston College, and a Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, also from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Michael Hagen (Curator, Native Plant Garden and Rock Garden, New York Botanical Garden; Institutional Conservation Officer, Center for Plant Conservation)

Michael Hagen is Curator of the Native Plant Garden and the Rock Garden at New York Botanical Garden, and an Institutional Conservation Officer for the Center for Plant Conservation. He previously served for almost 13 years as Staff Horticulturist at Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, NY, and was Garden Manager at Rocky Hills, in Mt. Kisco, NY, a preservation project of the Garden Conservancy. He is an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College where he lectures on Sustainability, Native Plant Propagation, and Gardening with Native Plants.

Rebecca McMackin (Lead Horticulturist, American Horticultural Society)

Rebecca McMackin is an ecologically obsessed horticulturist and garden designer. She writes, lectures, and teaches on ecological landscape management and pollination ecology, as well as designs the rare public garden. She is currently Lead Horticulturist for the American Horticultural Society and an Associate at the Harvard Divinity School. Rebecca spent a decade as Director of Horticulture of Brooklyn Bridge Park, where she managed 85 acres of diverse parkland organically. Their research into cultivating urban biodiversity and ethical management strategies has influenced thousands of people and entire urban parks systems to adopt similar approaches. She has been published by and featured in The New York Times, Gardens Illustrated, on NPR, and PBS. Her garden for the Brooklyn Museum recently won the PPA's Award of Excellence and her TED Talk has been viewed over a million times.

Pennington Marchael (COO/President, Pennington Grey)

With fifteen years of experience in project management, fine gardening, and ecological restoration, Pennington Marchael is a leader in natural areas and meadow management. Based in Brooklyn and Bedford Hills, NY, he has cultivated vibrant landscapes over from Virginia to Northern New York. His career includes work with renowned firms like Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, Hollander Design, Reed Hilderbrand, and other Landscape Designers. Currently, he is focused on growing Pennington Grey, a landscape contracting firm dedicated to sustainable and dynamic landscape practices.

Sarma Ozols (Horticulture Supervisor, Governor's Island)

Sarma Ozols is one of the Horticulture Supervisors on Governors Island. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Horticulture Certificate Program and also holds a Certificate in Sustainable Garden Design from New York Botanic Garden. Sarma's passion for environmental stewardship and belief that we are all responsible for the actions that affect our environment led her to volunteer with the Horticulture Staff on Governors Island in 2020 and subsequently make a purposeful career pivot into public horticulture after running her own photography business for 20 years. Sarma was hired as a seasonal gardener the following spring and then elevated through the positions of zone gardener, senior gardener, and now Horticulture Supervisor. Her current role focuses on planting and managing 2.5 acres of landscape on Outlook Hill and overseeing the renovation project of The Hills in collaboration with Larry Weaner Landscape Associates. Sarma is dedicated to her work in creating, restoring and supporting a thriving ecosystem on this tiny parcel of land in the middle of the NY Harbor, as well as enhancing visitor experiences with nature on Governors Island. 

Rashid Poulson (Director of Horticulture, Brooklyn Bridge Park)

A Brooklyn native, Rashid Poulson is Director of Horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation (BBP). His career in horticulture began as a Million Trees Training Program alumni in NYC, where he studied and practiced arboriculture, urban landscape design, and ecological restoration. His work at BBP started back in 2012 as a seasonal gardener. Elevating through the positions of Gardener, Supervisor and Deputy Director, he was able to experience the various roles and responsibilities that would be necessary to care for the park's ecosystems. His current role as Director focuses on the management, and development of the Horticulture Staff; and spreading the lore of the park's horticulture through tours, and community engagement. Still, he guides and participants in work such as management of the Pier 5 Berm, allowing him to maintain a connection with the staff, community, and the landscape he has been connected to for over a decade.

Annabel Roberts-McMichael (Owner, Tend and Gather)

Annabel Roberts-McMichael (she/they) holds a Combined Masters of Forestry and Environmental Science from SUNY ESF, where her studies focused on ecological forest management and Indigenous Peoples' land use in New York State (she is not Indigenous herself). She created her forestry practice "tend & gather" in 2021 to provide education about regenerative forest food systems and foraging, and create forest management plans and access funding to support forest restoration and regeneration work. She and her team implement forest care on the ground including coordinating local hunters, tree marking, manual and mechanical invasive management/harvesting edible and medicinal species, and deer fence building. 

Julia Snook (Curator, Lenoir Preserve)

Julia Snook is an ecologist with a passion for ecosystem-wide climate adaptation, invasion ecology, and native restoration. After spending years in the outdoor and environmental education field in the Arizonan desert, she found her niche in ecological conservation in New York State. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Northern Arizona University and an M.A. in Biology from Miami University. Currently, she manages a 40-acre nature preserve for Westchester County, where ongoing projects include reforesting for climate resiliency, bird migration research proposals, and invasive species management. She looks forward to continuing to learn and grow in the ecological field.

Budd Veverka (Preserve Manager / Staff Biologist, Mianus River Gorge, Inc.)

Budd has been the Preserve Manager/Staff Biologist for the Mianus River Gorge, Inc, an non-profit conservation and education organization in Westchester County, NY, since 2016. Budd Previously worked as the Farmland Game Biologist for the Indiana DNR, and seasonally for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Eastern Kentucky University, University of Georgia, University of Montana, and West Virginia DNR. Budd earned a B.S. in Wildlife from Unity College in Maine in 1999, and a M.S. in Biology from Eastern Kentucky University in 2007.

Mia Wendel-DiLallo (Owner, Seedhead Gardens)

Mia Wendel-DiLallo is a landscape designer, gardener, and plant enthusiast. Mia runs Seedhead Gardens, a landscape design and gardening studio located in the Lower Hudson Valley. Echoing rhythms and patterns found in nature, Seedhead Gardens provides plant-focused designs that use a majority of native plants, contributing to a healthy local ecosystem and giving the home landscape a pivotal role in our collective climate future. Mia's previous work includes time spent as a horticultural assistant and gardener for MANITOGA, a historic house and 75-acre preserved woodland garden in Garrison, NY. She has also worked as a gardener for Stonecrop Gardens, a 15-acre botanical garden comprising temperate climate conservatories, flower gardens, meadows, and teaching gardens in Cold Spring, NY. Her part-time preservation work included a reforestation project in Cornwall, NY, today known as the Wild Woods Restoration Project. She is certified in Landscape Design through the New York Botanical Garden. 

Thank you to our Organizing Committee!

Lower Hudson PRISM, the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College, Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley, Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Thank you to our Supporters!

Glover Perennials, Green Jay Landscaping Design, Leslie Needham Design, Manitoga, Pennington Grey, Silva et Pratum