Photo by Stoney Simons

Keep the spirit of Earth Day alive, with free Earth Optimism-inspired talks from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. While many are at home and gardening this summer, there are many bay-friendly practices you can use to enhance your property and the environment. At our June virtual evening science talk, Master Gardener Cyrena Simons will share tips from the University of Maryland's Master Gardener Bay-Wise Program, which strives to improve land and waterways by managing our yards in an eco-conscious way. Bay-wise gardening can take less work and less money, while attracting birds and butterflies to your garden. She’ll also share resources for getting free help with gardening questions. While Cyrena will focus on examples from the Chesapeake, the Master Gardener Program has connections with state universities all across the country.

Watch the recording of the webinar on Zoom

Download the webinar slides (pdf)

View more Earth Optimism webinars

Speaker Bio:
When Cyrena Simons retired in 2013, she wanted to study the environment. Cyrena had worked at the National Institutes of Health for 30 years translating between scientists, architects and engineers to plan and manage NIH’s research space, combining her knowledge of biochemistry (M.S. from MIT) and of design as a kitchen designer. When she retired, she began volunteering with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) to learn the science of the environment. She helped revive SERC’s public evening lecture program and is now a docent, giving tours of SERC and once more translating science for non-scientists. She also volunteers in the labs as part of SERC's participatory science program. In 2013 Cyrena became a Master Gardener after studying with the University of Maryland's Anne Arundel County Extension Service. She focused on their Bay-Wise program, and now frequently gives talks to other gardening enthusiasts looking for practical, sustainable knowledge.