Maximizing Habitat Values in Urban Landscapes
Guest Speaker: Pat Reynolds – River Partners Native Seed and Plant Program Director
7:30 p.m. – Online Zoom Presentation preregister HERE
Landscaping with native species and incorporation of habitat enhancement features within urban areas is a significant and underutilized conservation action that can effectively increase habitat values in the built environment. If designed properly, urban gardens can provide important habitat for beneficial insects including pollinators, improve water infiltration and retention, reduce irrigation requirements, help to combat climate change, and create resilient landscapes.
Pat Reynolds’ presentation will start with an introduction to Heritage Growers, River Partners new native seed and nursery program. He will then discuss the steps that go into the design, implementation and maintenance of habitat gardens dominated by native herbaceous vegetation including the incorporation of habitat features to maximize ecological values and habitat function. He will then conclude his presentation with a discussion of some of the findings of a U.C. Davis class study that looked at the social and ecological ramifications of a habitat enhancement project that he leads in his South Davis neighborhood with hopes of inspiring others to implement similar neighborhood projects.
Pat Reynolds is a restoration ecologist with more than 30 years of professional experience in the design, implementation and monitoring of restoration projects including the effective use of native seed. He is the General Manager Heritage Growers, River Partner’s Native Seed and Nursery Program, the former General Manager of Hedgerow Farms and a past Associate Restoration Ecologist at H.T. Harvey & Associates. Pat sits on the Yolo County Planning Commission and is the Restoration Ecologist on the Science and Technical Advisory Committee for the Yolo County Habitat Agency. He has been a member of the California Native Grassland Association (CNGA) Board of Directors since 2017 where he often serves as an instructor for CNGA restoration workshops and events and periodically contributes to the CNGA’s Grasslands journal. Pat also leads a community-based habitat enhancement project in south Davis where he collaborates with his neighbors to plant native oaks, grasses and wildflowers.
