Turning A New Leaf Conference

CCLC’s 2021 Turning a New Leaf Conference will be held virtually on December 8-9, from 9 AM – 3 PM, and will be followed by live field events in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia on December 10.   This year, we are highlighting collaborations that normalize sustainable practices and ensure diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

We are excited to welcome keynote speaker, landscape architect, Darrel Morrison.  If you’re looking for a great summer read, check out Darrel’s new book

Most presentations will be full-audience sessions, with one shorter concurrent session, offering numerous options, each day. Topics include: climate change, growing the workforce, results from nativar trials, equity in landscape design, landscaping impacts on pollinators, permaculture, working with HOAs, beavers and stream restoration, and MORE.  And, for inspiration, we will highlight several 2021 BUBBA-award-winning BMP projects.

The DC-area field trip will be held at Audubon Naturalist Society’s Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, MD, where we will visit their new stream restoration with regenerative step-pool conveyance, permeable parking lot, and more. Stay tuned more information about the PA and VA field days.

Interested in sponsoring?  We offer sponsorships from $150-$2500.  Click on “Sponsorship Opportunities” below, to learn more.

Register today!

Day 1 – Wednesday, December 8, 2021

 Session 1.  Meaningful Collaborations in Sustainable Landscaping

Local Government – Rod Barnes, Edmonston, MD

Social Justice for Employers – Lauren Wheeler, Natural Resources Design

Virginia Native Plants Marketing Partnership – Virginia Witmer, Virginia DEQ

Session 2. Ensuring Equity in Landscape Design

Moderator: Kelly Fleming

Session 3. Concurrent Sessions (choose one)

Agro-ecology, Permaculture, and Food Forests – Lincoln Smith, Forested & Christine Simpson, Arlington County

Plant It Forward – Alison Pearce, Audubon Naturalist Society

Landscaping Impacts on Pollinators – Harland Patch, Penn State University

Green Mulch: Plants to Cover Ground and Reduce Maintenance – Darlene Robbins, Montgomery County DEP

Session 4. Inspiration: A Selection of 2021 BUBBA Award Winning Projects

Moderator: David Wood, Chesapeake Stormwater Network

Adele Kuo, Chris Moore, Aileen Craig

Networking, Exhibits

Day 2 – Thursday, December 9, 2021

Opening Session: Marcy Damon Conservation Landscaping Award

Session 5. Keynote Speaker

Darrel Morrison, FASLA

Session 6. Climate Change and the Landscape

Climate impacts on plant communities – Jeff Lapp, EPA

Sea level rise, flooding and nature-based approaches to resiliency – Esi Langston, City of Norfolk

Session 7. Growing the Workforce, Connecting with Youth

Kim Patten, Diakon Wilderness

Antonia Bookbinder, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission

David Hirschman, Hirschman Water & Environment

Session 8. Concurrent Sessions (choose one)

Native Cultivars v. Straight Species: Results from Recent Trials – Connie Schmotzer, Penn State

Plant-Pollinator Interactions – Anahi Espindola, UMD

Beavers and Stream Restoration – Scott McGill, Ecotone

Working with HOAs

Networking and exhibits

Friday, December 10, 2021

Maryland Field Trip: Audubon Naturalist Society, Chevy Chase, MD

Pennsylvania Field Trip: Stroud Water Research Center, Avondale, PA

Virginia Field Trip: Paradise Creek Nature Park, Portsmouth, VA