Daily Archives: April 1, 2022

Thursday, April 14, 2:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay April Meeting – Trees from Seed: Conservation, Biology, and Ecology

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Sean Halloran, Plant Propagator at The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, will speak to us about Tree Propagation. Sean will start off with a brief overview of the plant conservation efforts at the Arnold Arboretum, and how plant conservation fits into every part of the Arnold’s mission.  He will then cover the basics of seed biology, and how seed biology and plant sexuality guide decisions about conservation and propagation. Sean will conclude by covering the many roles an urban tree may play, while highlighting a few underutilized native trees and shrubs. Questions are welcome throughout, with more opportunity for discussion at the conclusion of the talk.

Sean Halloran received a Bachelor’s in Horticulture and a Master’s degree in Plant & Environmental Science from Clemson University where he focused on nutrient media in tissue culture propagation. His professional background includes private residential horticulture, greenhouse and nursery production, plant nutrient management in soil-less media, and temperate woody plant propagation and conservation. As the Arnold Arboretum’s Plant Propagator, Sean continues a 150-year tradition of growing woody temperate species from seed, cuttings, grafts, layers, and more; as well as being given the honor to travel and wild collect plants for the Arnold Arboretum.

rsvp to Jolinda Taylor before April 8 by clicking HERE. Tea and light refreshments will be served after the lecture. Please be sure to let Jolinda know if you’ll be staying afterwards.

Note the change of location. This program was originally planned to be at the Lutheran Church but will now be at the College Club

Tuesday, April 5, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Saving Yellowstone: The Creation of a National Icon, Online

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In 1871, the Smithsonian-backed geologist-explorer Ferdinand Hayden led a team of scientists through a narrow canyon into Yellowstone Basin, one of the last unmapped places on the continent, in hopes of proving that the rumors of majestic landscapes and untold natural wonders were true.

Upon returning, Hayden and his team urged Congress to take ownership of the land and give control of it to the Department of the Interior, an unprecedented extension of the federal government’s authority. On March 1, 1872, with little fanfare, the Yellowstone Act was signed into law by President Grant.  

Author Megan Kate Nelson traces Yellowstone’s journey online on April 5 from 7 – 8:30. Her new book, Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America, traces Yellowstone’s journey from unexplored landscape to national icon.

Far more than a story of adventure and exploration, it exposes the conflicting interests in this wilderness of individuals ranging from Sitting Bull, who tried to protect the rights of the Hunkpapa Lakota peoples, to railroad magnate Jay Cooke, who hoped to exploit the region to expand his business.

It also recalls how the Yellowstone Act came to overshadow Congressional investigations into the Ku Klux Klan in the Reconstruction-era South, and how the focus on “unifying” the country through this symbolic act denied newly freed Black citizens desperately needed federal support. Ultimately, the Yellowstone story reveals how the government tested the reach of its power across an expanding and divided nation.

$20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Register HERE. A purchase discount for the book is available through the link.