Our annual native plant symposiums are a wonderful opportunity to broaden your knowledge of native plants and landscaping. Our speakers bring a wide range of experience and expertise to share.

2025 Symposium

“Naturally Connected: Strengthening Communities by Reimagining our Role in Native Habitats”

March 26, 2025
5:00pm – 8:30pm
Frick Environmental Center, Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh

Join the Western Pennsylvania Wild Ones for our 3rd Annual Symposium that explores the vital connection between communities and native ecosystems. This engaging event will feature thought-provoking panel discussions with experts and advocates, delicious food, refreshing drinks (including alcoholic options), and ample opportunities for socializing and networking. Together, we’ll reimagine our role in fostering harmony between human activity and natural habitats while celebrating the power of community. Whether you’re a conservationist, gardener, or simply a nature enthusiast, this gathering promises to leave you inspired and “naturally connected.”

Let’s grow together—because building stronger communities starts with restoring the land we share.

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We’re excited to introduce this year’s panelists!

Adam Haritan (Learn Your Land)

Adam Haritan is a nature enthusiast, observer, documenter, and faithful adherent to the land in western Pennsylvania. In 2015, he created Learn Your Land — an educational platform designed to integrate humans with wild places. Adam leads various classes and workshops on ecology; plant and mushroom identification; wild food harvesting; nutritional and medicinal components of wild foods; and the benefits of nature connection. Over the years, he has created over 200 instructional nature videos that can be viewed on the Learn Your Land YouTube channel.

Nick Liadis (Bird Lab)

Nick Liadis is an avian conservation biologist based in Pittsburgh. His work takes him across the human landscape gradient into urban, suburban, and rural areas to better understand how birds coexist with humans. Trained as an architect, he became involved in bird conservation by researching bird-window collisions. He founded Bird Lab, a non-profit dedicated to studying and implementing solutions to human-related sources of avian mortality, particularly within cities.

Nick has pioneered a novel approach to architecture by integrating his deep interest in the natural world, especially birdlife. Central to his cross-disciplinary work is resolving conflicts between the natural and built environments. Other research interests of his include how cities affect avian migration and how migratory birds utilize urban and suburban habitats.

With research and teaching appointments from California to Pennsylvania, Nick has gained significant insight into the challenges birds face nationwide. His unique perspective focuses on promoting healthy landscapes across the various ecosystems birds traverse during migration, from cities to forests.

Abigail Salisbury (State Representative)

Abigail Salisbury was elected to the House in 2023 to represent the 34th Legislative District in Allegheny County.

Salisbury was born in Conneaut, Ohio, and her family later moved to a suburb of Erie, PA. She graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2004 and earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2007. She also graduated from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh in 2013.

Earlier in her career, Salisbury worked on human rights and microfinance issues in Kosovo, Senegal, and Ethiopia. Salisbury went on to serve as the executive director of JURIST.org and to teach First Amendment law at the University of Pittsburgh, later establishing her own reduced-cost law practice for nonprofits and small businesses in Swissvale. She served on Swissvale Borough Council for five years, spending two years as council president.

Key issues for Salisbury include updating infrastructure, standing up for human rights for all citizens, fostering small business development, supporting public schools, and preserving the environment.

Heather Hulton VanTassel, Ph.D. (Three Rivers Waterkeeper and Carnegie MNH)

Heather Hulton VanTassel is the Executive Director of Three Rivers Waterkeeper- a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect the water quality in the Pittsburgh region. She is an environmental conservationist passionate about nature-based solutions that lead to the sustainability of our planet and equality for all. Heather’s passion began in a small rural community in Western Pennsylvania and flourished as a first-generation college student at Carlow University majoring in Biology. Heather went on to earn her doctorate degree in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The University in California, Riverside (UCR). Heather has held positions at UCR’s Center for Conservation Biology as a Research Specialist, Audubon South Carolina as a Program Manager of Sustainable Solutions, The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina as the State Conservation Coordinator, and at The Carnegie Museum of Natural History as the Assistant Director of Science and Research. Heather has had formal training and certification as a Master Naturalist in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Project Management Professional, Wetland Delineator, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace practitioner. Heather has a strong passion for both the environment and equity and believes that working towards sustainability also requires an equal effort towards social environmental justice. In her free time, Heather enjoys hiking, spending time with her friends, family and pets, and (of course) recreating on our Three Rivers!

Chris Murakami (Chatham University)

Christopher Murakami, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Agroecology at Chatham University and teaches in the Food Studies program and a member of Chatham’s Eden Hall Campus Farm team. Chris’s research is on the application of experiential learning and sociocultural learning theories to create educational environments to support agroecological identity formation throughout the lifespan. Additionally, Chris focuses on engaged community-based research through his work with urban farmers in Pittsburgh to explore effective ways to help farmers access local, state, and federal programs to support sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem services through urban agroecology. One of those current projects involves convening urban farmers in Pittsburgh to develop regional seed-keeping capacity of culturally relevant foods.

Tickets: $35.00 (Tickets include admission, food, x1 drink, and are nonrefundable)

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2024 Symposium

“What does ecologically responsible land stewardship look like?”

March 14, 2024
5:00pm – 8:30pm
Frick Environmental Center, Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh

Join us for an enlightening day of exploration into the realm of Ecologically Responsible Land Stewardship at the 2nd Annual Wild Ones Western Pennsylvania Area Symposium! This year’s event promises to be a captivating journey into the world of sustainable practices, with a focus on native plants and their crucial role in ecological harmony.

The panelists include:

Mark Brownlee, ArcheWild
Wil Taylor, Jennings Environmental Center
Jake Kristophel, Fallen Aspen Farm
Chris Kubiak, Western Pennsylvania Audubon Society
John Creasy, Garfield Community Farm
Ashley Funk, Mountain Watershed Association

Wild Ones Western PA Chapter 2024 Native Plant Symposium

2023 Symposium

“How we can better utilize our many public green spaces and vacant lots to create native habitats?“

March 29, 2023
Tree Pittsburgh, Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh

Our friends at Tree Pittsburgh will host our 2023 native plant symposium. Hear from an exciting panel of local people who, in their various fields, encounter the different benefits of creating habitats with PA native ecotype plant species. See and learn about different habitats in and around our public green spaces — our parks, waterways, urban gardens, and vacant lots.