Xerces Society Online Short Course: Farming with Life - The Joy of Soil (New Mexico/Southwest Region)
What: Healthy soil is the foundation for thriving ecosystems that provide habitat for critters large and small as well as food for humans. Isabelle Jenniches' presentation will provide an overview of the principles of soil health, how they relate to life in the soil, and how we can support soil invertebrates while improving carbon sequestration. Participants will learn about common soil invertebrates, their ecology and roles in soil health, scouting methods, and management strategies to increase beneficial soil animal populations.
This online short course is intended for NRCS staff, Soil and Water Conservation staff, Extension Educators, farmers, and other agricultural professionals in the US.
This course will be presented by Stephanie Frischie, Agronomist & Native Plant Materials Specialist with the Xerces Society, and guest presenter Isabelle Jenniches, Co-founder of New Mexico's Heathy Soil Working Group.
When: Tuesday, July 25th; 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Where: Virtual course.
Click here to learn more and register!
This event will be recorded and available on the Xerces Youtube Channel. Closed Captioning will be available during the webinar.
Speakers:
Stephanie Frischie - Agronomist & Native Plant Materials Specialist, Xerces Society
Based in northwest Indiana, Stephanie provides pollinator habitat expertise to farms in Canada and the U.S. She also works with the native seed industry and researchers to plan and develop seed supply of important plant species for restoration of insect habitat. Before joining Xerces, Stephanie conducted research on the potential of native cover crops in Spanish olive orchards at Semillas Silvestres, S.L. through the Native Seed Science, Technology and Conservation (NASSTEC) grant. Previously, she was the plant materials and conservation programs manager for eleven years at the Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands restoration project in northwest Indiana. Stephanie volunteers as a rare plant monitor with Plants of Concern and is the secretary of the International Network for Seed-based Restoration. Her master's of science is from Northwestern University/Chicago Botanic Garden’s Conservation Land Management Program and she holds a bachelor's of science in international agronomy from Purdue University.
Isabelle Jenniches - Co-Founder, NM Healthy Soil Working Group
Isabelle Jenniches is co-founder of the NM Healthy Soil Working Group, a grassroots advocacy group that formed in 2018 to pass the NM Healthy Soil Act. A skilled community organizer with experience in policy and farmer-to-farmer education, Isabelle is dedicated to realizing soil health as a climate solution. Drawing from her background in theater and design, she attends to storytelling, communications and outreach as well as program development and coordination.