2024 Gardening For Wildlife Gala: A Success!
We couldn’t be more grateful for those who came out in support of our 2024 Gardening For Wildlife Gala!
Through this event, we were able to raise funds and friends, both of which are critical to our mission and impact, as we advocate for nature.
We have linked the event presentations and some resources below, which we know you will find valuable as you begin preparing to introduce more wildlife-friendly gardens and habitats into your life – together, let’s commit to creating layers, reducing lawn inputs, replacing invasive with native plantings, preserving nesting and over-wintering sites, leaving leaf litter, creating rabbit islands…and, more!
Zak Mertz is the CEO of the New England Wildlife Centers, which runs two wildlife veterinary hospitals in Weymouth and Barnstable Massachusetts. In this role Zak uses The Center’s platform of wildlife care to teach students of all ages about the natural world and provide professional training experiences to wildlife rehabilitators and veterinary care professionals. In addition to serving on the the Board for the Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, Zak also serves as the co-chair of the Southeast Massachusetts Rabies Task Force and as an advisory board member to the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Massachusetts. He also holds both state and federal rehabilitation permits and regularly works with over 200 species of wildlife in rehab, rescue, and research applications. View presentation!
Gary Bowden retired to Orleans in 2019, after a 34-year career in Washington, DC. Gary is a certified Master Gardener and serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Master Gardeners Association of Cape Cod. In 2023 he became a trustee with the Orleans Conservation Trust and has been instrumental in launching its “At Home With Nature” program, which encourages homeowners to create habitat-friendly landscapes. In 2021, he was a founding member of the Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod (PPCC), which represents over 50 participating organizations from Falmouth to Provincetown, including Orenda, that are working with homeowners to grow native plants and to garden responsibly. Gary is also a founding member and continues to serve on the Massachusetts Pollinator Network (MAPN). View presentation!
Dr. Peter Crosson is a physician and West Barnstable resident, who has been birding on Cape Cod and across the globe for nearly 20 years. Peter serves on Orenda’s Land and Wildlife committee and facilitates programming for the organization that spotlights the bird species that nest and live upon the shifting sands of Sandy Neck and within Barnstable’s Great Marsh, where Orenda maintains sanctuaries. Peter has extensive knowledge about the saltmarsh sparrow, which is threatened due to its dependence on the coastal marshes found along the Atlantic coast, which are being swallowed by sea level rise and decimated by development. Peter participates in seawatching, tracking sea birds and collecting data for NOAA as part of the Stellwagon Sanctuary Seabird Steward program. View presentation!
Additional Resources:
2024 Gardening For Wildlife Event Photos:
Without our 2024 Gardening For Wildlife sponsors, partnering organizations, attendees and volunteers, this event would not have been possible. The many organizations, businesses and individuals, who came together in support of this event and our mission, are true changemakers – thank you all!
