2023 Educational Lecture Series
Supported By Door County Medical Center
​All programs are eligible for Master Gardener continuing education hours and are offered at no cost.

The DCMGA Education Committee is very pleased to announce that Door County Medical Center is supporting the 2023 Educational Lecture Series.  This support will help DCMGA provide a wide variety of quality educational programs throughout the year.  All programs are eligible for Master Gardener continuing education hours and are offered at no cost.

“Creating a Pollinator’s Paradise in Your Own Garden” 
​ By Mark Dwyer
Thursday, February 9, 2023 6:30 pm
​Offered via Zoom at home or in-person Zoom at Crossroads and recorded
Presented in collaboration with Crossroads at Big Creek and Wild Ones of the Door Peninsula 

Even smaller landscapes and gardens can help support native pollinators through the incorporation of appropriate plantings and some specific techniques. Dwyer will discuss many easy ways you can augment your garden to maximize "pollinator appeal" while simultaneously providing beauty. A wide range of plant material, plant combinations and other "pollinator-friendly" tips will be discussed.
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Dwyer is currently the garden manager at the Edgerton (WI) Hospital & Health Services Healing Garden (3 acres). He also manages and operates his landscape design and consultation business, Landscape Prescriptions by MD. For 21 years, Mark was the Director of Horticulture at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, WI.​

“Dark Skies and Flowers”
By Coggin Heeringa
Thursday, March 9, 2023 6:30 pm
Offered in-person at Crossroads
​ Presented in collaboration with Crossroads at Big Creek and Wild Ones of the Door Peninsula 

“We all cherish the  star-studded dark skies of Door County,” Heeringa says, “but few people are aware of the profound effects – usually negative – to plants caused by artificial night lighting.” In this presentation, Heeringa will explore how light influences plant growth and show how we all can make changes to protect our night skies, and by extension, our plants and their pollinators. 

​Now serving as Interpretive Naturalist, Heeringa became the Director of Crossroads at Big Creek on September 11, 2001. In the years prior, she was involved with the development of the Crossroads preserve as a member of the Sturgeon Bay Education Foundation. She taught middle school science and elementary music and gifted and talented classes for the School District of Sturgeon Bay and was employed as the Naturalist at Newport State Park.  Since 1967, she has spent summers at the Interlochen Arts Camp, where she currently serves as instructor of environmental studies. She was named “Champion of Conservation for Environmental Education and Outreach” by the Lakeshore Natural Resources Partnership, “Environmental Advocate of the Year'' by Door Property Owners,  "Best Environmental Advocate" by Door County Daily News.com and she and her husband, Don Heeringa, were named “Environmental Citizens of the Year” by the Door County Environmental Council.

“Answering Local Questions with Research and Demonstration
2023 Projects at Peninsular Agricultural Research Station”
By Becky Wiepz and Jamie Patton
Thursday, April 13, 2023 6:30 pm
Offered in-person at Crossroads and recorded
Presented in collaboration with UW Peninsular Agricultural Research Station,
​UW-Madison Nutrient & Pest Management Program and Crossroads at Big Creek 

Peninsular Agricultural Research Station (PARS) is one of 12 University of Wisconsin-Madison research stations and the only station primarily focused on fruit production. The number of on-station research and demonstration projects has grown in recent years to include conservation-oriented cover cropping and forage production, as well as sustainable, small-scale fresh food production practices.  Becky Wiepz, Station Superintendent, and Jamie Patton, UW Outreach Specialist, will discuss new and on-going projects for 2023, as well as their visions for expanding their work into innovative climate-smart agriculture practices for the region.

Becky Wiepz MS is the Superintendent at the UW Peninsular Agricultural Research Station (PARS). Her background is in fruit crops research with an emphasis on industry based questions and collaborative projects. In her current role, she is working to expand the research profile of PARS to support diverse local agriculture in addition to fruit crops. The 2023 growing season will place an emphasis on new-to-the-station crops, projects, and outreach. Becky earned her Plant Science degrees from UW Madison and Pennsylvania State University.
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Jamie Patton PhD, CPSS is an Outreach Specialist for northeast Wisconsin with the Nutrient and Pest Management Program (NPM), UW-Madison. Her work primarily focuses on farm system approaches to improving soil health and nutrient management to achieve food sovereignty, farm profitability and resiliency, and ground and surface water quality. Her work at Peninsular Agriculture Research Station includes research and demonstration on the use of cover crops and alternative forages in dairy production systems, as well as innovative, small scale food production practices. Jamie earned her soils degrees from Iowa State and Oklahoma State University.

“Spring Woods Awakening” 
By Charlotte Lukes
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 6:30 pm
Offered in-person at Crossroads and via Zoom
Presented in collaboration with Crossroads at Big Creek and Wild Ones of the Door Peninsula 

Journey through the upland hardwoods and see wildflowers, birds, trees, shrubs, moths, butterflies, frogs, mushrooms and animals you might encounter from March to late June. Some wetland plants and flowers of the boreal forest will also be included.
 ​Award-winning naturalist, author, and teacher Charlotte Lukes is a renowned Door County expert whose programs are filled with stunning photographs from her files and those of her late husband Roy Lukes.  In 2018 Charlotte and Roy were named to the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in recognition of a life-long dedication to scientific research and conservation efforts in Door County.

“Planning and Planting for Seed Saving” 
​By Bevin Cohen
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 6:30 pm
Offered in-person at Crossroads
Presented in collaboration with Door County Seed Library and Crossroads at Big Creek 

Proper garden planning in the spring means a successful seed harvest in the fall! Learn how to properly plant your seed garden with author and seed saver Bevin Cohen. He will cover important topics such as spacing and isolation distances to ensure varietal purity, flower structure, pollination and basic seed saving equipment and techniques. Bevin will also share some of his favorite varieties for beginning seed savers, some interesting and different crops to try and information about pollinator partner plants. Copies of Bevin's books, including his latest, Grow Great Vegetables, will be available for purchase after his talk. 

Bevin Cohen is an award winning author, herbalist, seed saver and owner of Small House Farm in Michigan. He offers workshops and lectures across the country on the benefits of living closer to the land through seeds, herbs, and locally grown food. Bevin is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications including Mother Earth News, Modern Farmer Magazine and The Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation. He's the author or editor of more than ten books, including Saving Our Seeds, The Artisan Herbalist and his latest, Grow Great Vegetables in Wisconsin. Learn more about Bevin's work at www.bevincohen.com