Reclaiming green spaces for native plant and wildlife conservation, advocacy, and community well-being ...

Join the Endangered Species Coalition and the Horn Farm Center for a scintillating, provocative conversation about our cultural obsession with lawns, manicured spaces, and exotic plant species. We'll dig into questions like: 

• How do we work together to reinvigorate lands for native wildlife, plants and communities?
• What role can agricultural lands and local green spaces play in restoring habitat and serving as examples to influence culture and change policy?  

We’ll help you navigate ways we can come together as grassroots community activists, sharing key tools for policy advocacy. You’ll hear more about what’s at the root of non-native landscapes dominating public spaces, in order to understand approaches to changing these preferences. And you’ll come away with ideas for taking local action to support native plants and wildlife. 

Happening Tuesday, January 27th, 6:00PM - 7:30PM ET

Program Notes:

Accessing the Webinar:

Register here to receive the link for this webinar. The link will be included in a follow-up email confirming your registration. Note: the link will prompt you to re-enter your name and email in order to officially join the webinar. 

Audience: 

This program is designed for adult audiences. 

Cost: 

The Horn Farm Center requests a minimum registration fee of $5 to join this program. Proceeds support the Horn Farm's mission to foster ecological learning and the ESC's mission to protect at-risk species through conservation and grassroots advocacy. Accessibility: while $5 is our minimum request, please note that no one will be denied registration for lack of funds. 

Cancellation: 

All programs are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Participants will receive an email in the days preceding the program for any changes or cancellations. You can review our current Cancellation and Refund Policy here. 

Other Online Classes: 

This program is part of the Horn Farm Center's 2026 Winter Webinar Series, Regenerative Roots. Throught the series, the Horn Farm's staff and special guest speakers will dig into regenerative land care practices, exploring ways we can improve ecological health while fostering abundant local landscapes, from small farms to backyards.

Click here to learn more about the Winter Webinar Series and sign up for additional sessions. All sessions will take place on Tuesday evenings throughout the winter, 6PM EST. Participants can register for individual sessions or the full series (six sessions) at a discounted rate. 

About the Presenters:

Jeanne Dodds

ESC Creative Engagement Director

Jeanne Dodds directs ESC’s Pollinator Protectors campaign for native plant and pollinator conservation, along with directing youth art programming and creative engagement projects across campaigns. She’s currently researching climate change as a PhD candidate at Falmouth University, UK, and previously earned a Master of Environmental Studies. Her MES thesis focused on wildlife trafficking, animal welfare, and the use of visual art for biodiversity conservation. As a long-time arts and environmental education professional, she designed and presented curriculum for schools, museums and non-profits across the Pacific Northwest. Jeanne has presented talks and papers on conservation biology and visual arts at conferences in the US, Rwanda, Greece, Colombia and other locations. She loves experiencing wilderness places and the local ecology of urban and rural spaces. 

Dalton George

ESC National Grassroots Organizer

Dalton leads the ESC's Activist Training Lab and manages a number of different campaigns across the ESC network. Dalton brings nearly a decade of experience in organizing, working both locally and regionally in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, delivering wins on campaigns dealing with a variety of issues. Before joining ESC, Dalton worked as a Regional Organizer for Down Home North Carolina supporting rural communities. He also currently serves on the Boone Town Council as the Mayor-Pro Tempore, where he has championed a number of environmental initiatives. In this role he received the May Thompson Evans award recognizing courage and determination in a young elected official. Dalton graduated from Appalachian State University in 2021 with a BA in Economics. Growing up in rural North Carolina, Dalton has always cherished the natural places and native wildlife and has aimed to center environmental issues in his organizing work. He currently lives in Boone, North Carolina and in his spare time can be found exploring Appalachia, playing tennis, reading, and writing.

Jewel Tomasula

ESC National Policy Director

Jewel Tomasula, PhD, is the National Policy Director for the Endangered Species Coalition since 2024. In her role, she coordinates strategic outreach to Congress and collective advocacy on biodiversity policy. Jewel brings first-hand experience on Capitol Hill from her time as a policy fellow for Representative Don Beyer (VA-08), co-chair of the Congressional Endangered Species Act Caucus. Jewel has a PhD in Biology from Georgetown University and researched human-driven impacts on biodiversity in coastal wetlands. During her time at Georgetown, she served as the founding president of her graduate labor union, Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees. She has a fondness for plants, from maple trees to cacti to bluebonnets. 
 

About the Endangered Species Coalition:

The Endangered Species Coalition’s mission is to stop the human-caused extinction of our nation’s at-risk species, to protect and restore their habitats, and to guide these fragile populations along the road to recovery. 

By safeguarding and strengthening the Endangered Species Act, the ESC empowers every citizen to act on behalf of threatened and endangered wildlife – animals, fish, plants, and insects – and the wild places they call home. Learn more and support at www.endangered.org/