Conservation Forum

Thank you to all who were able to join us for this year’s Forum, Restoring our Ecological Foundation: How to Save Earth’s Essential Birds & Insects.

The recording below includes speakers George McVey of Pinnacle Associates, Professors Kari Benson and John Strysky of the University of Lynchburg, and acclaimed naturalist, bird photographer, and GCV Conservation Educator Award recipient Bill Portlock.

Event Summary:

The practice of placing a canary in a coal mine to see if conditions sustain life is no longer just an old fact about mining. Looking to birds and other wildlife as a barometer, our beloved fauna are signaling the onset of unlivable conditions in the natural world. World Wildlife Fund’s “The Living Planet Report” of 2020 reveals an average population decline of 68% across species since 1970, a breathtaking reduction in Earth’s biodiversity in an incredibly short period. This year’s Garden Club of Virginia Conservation Forum, on November 7 in Martinsville, will spotlight worldwide declines in insect and bird numbers. Our speakers will discuss the reasons for and impacts of these dramatic losses and offer changes we can make to support course correction. Far from all doom and gloom, the marvels of Earth’s magnificent birds and insects are sure to inspire. Sessions will provide new looks at garden practices, nighttime lighting, construction materials, and other means and methods we can employ to make a difference.

^{Event summary by Anna Aquino, The Boxwood Garden Club}

Speakers include:

Heather Holm, award-winning author and pollinator conservationist, will discuss “Attracting Bees and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants” and reveal the remarkable ways in which flowers and insects evolved together to feed and pollinate.

Professors John Strysky and Kari Benson, both of the University of Lynchburg, will join us to describe insect behaviors and adaptations that allow them to forage and reproduce.

Acclaimed naturalist, bird photographer, and GCV Conservation Educator Award recipient Bill Portlock will share his photographs of Earth’s spectacular birds and will discuss bird conservation.

Pre-Forum Dinner (sold out):

The evening before the Forum, attendees can tour the award-winning exhibits at our state’s natural history museum. Dinner will be held Wednesday, November 6, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville. The event will include a cash bar by Hamlet Vineyards and buffet dinner from the Checkered Pig. Casual attire, $30 per person.

Thank you to our Forum sponsors:

Lodging:

The Hampton Inn Martinsville
50 Hampton Drive, Martinsville, 24112
276-647-4700

The Comfort Inn Martinsville
378 Commonwealth Blvd W., Martinsville, VA 24112
276-638-0478

(Both a short drive to Virginia Museum of Natural History and the New College Institute)