MNPS Monthly Program: Plants in Maryland's State Wildlife Action Plan by Mimi Sanford and Gwen Brewer

Join us for a presentation about Maryland's 2025-2035 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) by Mimi Sanford (SWAP Coordinator) and Gwenda Brewer (Science Program Manager) from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. SWAP's are wonderful conservation guiding tools used by states. Maryland's third SWAP identifies species of greatest conservation need and the habitats critical to their survival — including coastal plain wetlands, vernal pools, riparian forests, and rare plant communities. The new SWAP includes increased coverage of plant species in the conservation strategy. This talk will explore how plant species were incorporated into this SWAP, as well as the habitats and threats to these species identified during the plan revision process. Priority conservation actions needed to protect and restore species and habitats will also be discussed. This is an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the statewide conservation strategy and how local habitat restoration connects to Maryland's broader SWAP goals. We will discuss how the SWAP guides funding, partnership, and on-the-ground conservation — and what role community scientists and restoration volunteers play in advancing its vision. Bring your questions and join the conversation.

Speakers: 

Mimi Sanford serves as the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) coordinator in the Natural Heritage Program at the Department of Natural Resources. She has a masters degree in community planning from the University of Maryland and has previously worked in the fields of urban planning, community engagement, and environmental justice. Though not a trained scientist herself, Mimi has enjoyed learning about wildlife conservation on the job and applying skills from previous jobs to the coordination of Maryland's SWAP.

Dr. Gwen Brewer is the Science Program Manager for the Natural Heritage Program in the Wildlife and Heritage Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis. In this capacity, she supervises statewide staff carrying out monitoring, research, habitat restoration, and conservation planning for rare species, rare plant communities, and nongame animals. Gwen represents the state in several regional bird conservation partnerships and teaches in the Master Naturalist program. She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Ecology from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University. Before coming to the DNR in 2002, Gwen was a professor at Frostburg State University for 11 years, where she taught ecology, ornithology, conservation biology, and tropical ecology and conservation in addition to advising graduate students. She currently serves on the Friends of Jug Bay Board; the Rainforest Trust Advisory Council; and the Women for Conservation Board.

YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK

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. Registering does not guarantee a space in the Zoom meeting. 

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. 

The program is free and open to the public.

This will be recorded and available on our Webinars page.

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