MNPS Monthly Program: Bay-Wise 2.0: Expanding the Role of Native Plants in Creating Climate-Resilient Maryland Communities

Speaker: Stacy Small-Lorenz

This meeting is hybrid. We ask that you register for your preferred option; after registering, you will get Zoom login information and in person location information.

Co-sponsor: The University of Maryland Extension with host Lisa Kuder

Physical location: Central Maryland Research and Education Center (CMREC)
4240 Folly Quarter Road
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Directions: Enter the building at the front door under the portico. (The door next to the parking lot will be locked.)

The program is free and open to the public.

For over a quarter of a century, University of Maryland Extension’s Bay-Wise Master Gardener Program has led the way in improving water quality across Maryland’s residential landscapes by promoting ecologically sound landscape and gardening practices. Bay-Wise Master Gardeners have certified 3,500+ landscapes in that time and maintain hundreds of demonstration sites across the state. In 2025, we have undertaken revisions to the checklist of actions that dramatically increase the focus on native biodiversity and climate resilience, including a major expansion of native plants guidance that covers many specific actions to support planting and conserving a wide variety of native plants. Learn about how the “Bay-Wise 2.0” Living Landscapes Program seeks to advance native plant conservation by educating Marylanders about voluntary actions they can take in residential landscapes to steward land and water resources as ecosystems in ways that improve water quality, increase climate resilience, and enhance native biodiversity.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Dr. Stacy Small-Lorenz is the Residential Landscape Ecology Specialist at University of Maryland Extension, where she leads the “Bay-Wise 2.0” Maryland Living Landscapes Program, focused on enhancing biodiversity, water quality, and climate resilience in Maryland watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay. With over 30 years in conservation science working across the U.S., she has called Maryland home for nearly 15 years. Dr. Small-Lorenz holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a B.A.S. in Ecology and Photography from Yale University and The Evergreen State College. Her doctoral work involved studying songbird population response to riparian forest restoration in California's Sacramento River Valley. Professionally, she has engaged in all facets of wildlife habitat conservation, including restoration, applied research, education, and advocacy. She served as a restoration ecologist at River Partners in California and held senior science roles focused on wildlife habitat conservation at Washington, DC-based NGOs, Environmental Defense Fund and The National Wildlife Federation. Her work includes leading publications like “Natural Defenses in Action” and “Building Ecological Solutions to Coastal Community Hazards.” Additionally, she has taught secondary science in Maryland public schools and enjoys nurturing her son’s scientific and musical pursuits. A musician herself, she enjoys playing the violin in her free time, tending to her native plants, and engaging in outdoor activities such as birding, kayaking, and backcountry skiing.

YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK

Zoom opens at 7:00PM for pre-program board update and member Q&A. Presentations begin at 7:30PM and generally run until 8:45PM. 

We can accommodate the first 300 people who enter the Zoom meeting at the meeting time. After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email with a link to the Zoom meeting, as well as the in person location information.

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