March Event: What to Grow When the Water Won't Go: Planning for Backyard Wetlands
Innis House (Inniswoods Metro Park) , 940 S. Hempstead Road, Westerville, OH Map
Public Welcome Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains
Program description: Join us for a presentation by Mark Dilley on backyard wetland gardens! Mark will talk about soils, site selection, grading and the various wetland plant species, from emergent herbaceous plants to shrubs and trees. He will also discuss the pollinator and wildlife values of healthy wetlands and wetland gardens.
Presenter bio: Mark Dilley earned a B.S. in Natural Resources (Fisheries Management) in 1991 and a M.S. in Environmental Science (specializing in wetlands) in 2003, both from The Ohio State University School of Environment & Natural Resources. He and his wife Christine are co-owners of a WBE, WOSB, and EDGE-certified environmental consulting firm, MAD Scientist Associates, specializing in ecological and wetland consulting. Their company strives to Make a Difference-- through Science, Service and Education. Mark is also a lecturer at The Ohio State University, where he teaches Wetland Ecology & Restoration, and he currently serves as the President of the Ohio Wetlands Association.
Mark has nearly 30 years of experience as a field biologist, ecologist, and wetland scientist. He is an Ohio EPA-certified Level 3 Qualified Data Collector (QDC) for fish and habitat studies in Ohio, a Certified Senior Ecologist, Certified Ecological Restoration Professional (CERP), and Senior Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS). Mark has conducted ecological surveys and ecological risk assessments on RCRA and Superfund sites in over 11 states for a variety of clients, including the Department of Energy, NASA, the U.S. military, landfills, and the manufacturing industry. His academic research has focused on biological monitoring of streams and rivers and atrazine (agricultural herbicide) fate and transport processes in constructed wetlands. In his current role as Chief Scientist at MAD Scientist Associates, he manages several dozen projects annually involving ecological surveys, environmental education, wetland delineation, permitting, and assessment, and wetland restoration and creation-- ranging conventional storm water detention basin wetland retrofits and landscape-scale restoration projects covering dozens to hundreds of acres. Mark and the MAD Scientist Team also provide construction oversight, planting, and invasive species control services for a wide variety of public and private clients.