Sustainable Landscapes and Integrated Pest Management
New York State Integrated Pest Management 2023 Annual Conference

In-Person Option
Cornell AgriTech, Geneva, NY
- $30—Reduced rate
- $40—Full rate
- $45—Sponsor rate
June 15
Thursday
9 A.M.–4 P.M.
Online Option
Zoom
Cost: $25
Save the Date
Learn how to create a more sustainable, environmentally friendly landscape while reducing the impacts of pests during NYSIPM’s 2023 Annual Conference. Speakers will provide insight and instruction on incorporating sustainability and trusted IPM strategies to create landscapes that combine ecological, climate and societal considerations to achieve a more beautiful space with less work.
Registration coming soon
In order to make this meeting accessible to as many people as possible, we are inviting participants to pay what they can afford. All participants (virtual and in-person, regardless of the rate you choose) will receive the same resources after the meeting. Lunch and refreshments are included for all in-person participants.
- $25–Attend virtually
- $30–Attend in person at a reduced rate: We want you to be able to come.
- $40–Full rate: What it costs us to offer this meeting.
- $45–Sponsor rate: Can you help someone else attend?
Please don’t let the registration fee keep you from attending! If the suggested reduced rate poses a barrier, please contact Amara Dunn (arc55 [at] cornell.edu or 315-787-2206).
Topics
Gardening for the Birds
The Challenges Birds Face & How Our Gardens Can Help
Becca Rodomsky-Bish
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Birds, bees, butterflies, and biodiversity are in decline, but they don't have to be. We each have a role to play in bringing back wildlife populations. The choices we make on our properties and in our communities, matter. We'll discuss actions people and communities can take to support resident and migratory birds to help revive our declining bird populations in North America.
Effective Communication on Sustainable Landscapes
Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann
New York State Integrated Pest Management
Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann
New York State Integrated Pest Management
Ecological Landscapes
Principles and Practices of Ecological Gardening
Jennie Cramer
Cornell University School of Integrative Plant Science
Understanding the core principles and practices of an ecological garden will help you rebuild your garden ecosystem, with its natural feedback loops that result in greater abundance, lower pest pressure, and natural disease resistance, and natural resilience to the erratic climatic conditions we live with today. Learn a framework for understanding the garden ecosystem and how to restore the natural patterns and processes that make it thrive.
Climate Resiliency and Landscapes
Gardening in a Warming World
Ashley Helmholdt
Cornell University School of Integrative Plant Science
Ashley Helmholdt
Cornell University School of Integrative Plant Science
Transforming Lawns Into Landscapes With IPM Principles
Transforming Lawns to Landscapes “The Broccolo Way”
An Environmental Approach to Design, Installation and Maintance.
Laurie Broccolo
Broccolo LEEDS
Laurie started the Broccolo Tree and Lawn Care Business in 1990 and has proudly nurtured many people for careers in the Green Industry. Her company sets the standards for implementing environmental initiatives in home and commercial landscapes from Rain gardens to Green Roofs.
She will share with you insights for installations and maintenance that fail and how to succeed in turning lawns into natural landscapes.
Overcoming Barriers to Sustainable Landscapes
Blocks in Bloom—Using Front Yard Gardens to Build Sustainable Blocks
Kathy Lewis
Cornell Cooperative Extension Monroe County
Participants will learn about the Blocks in Bloom model as a replicable means to connect with lower-resourced neighborhoods. Blocks in Bloom is a volunteer-led effort that results in more gardening knowledge for residents, beautified blocks, and stronger connections among neighbors.The model can be used by other interested communities. Aspects of sustainable landscapes will also be presented.
Hands-on Demonstrations
Soil Health
Lawn IPM: Managing Residential Turfgrass for Multiple Ecological Benefits
Kyle Wickings
Cornell University Department of Entomology
In this talk, we will visit Cornell AgriTech’s Lawn Demonstration Site to discuss different approaches to DIY pest management in lawns. We’ll take a close look at the impacts of different pest management strategies on turfgrass and soil quality. We will also discuss the costs and benefits of reducing lawn mowing frequency and increasing mowing height. If time permits we will also demonstrate scouting and decision making practices for common lawn insect pests.

Invasive Weeds
Understanding the biology of landscape weeds to select the best management approach
Bryan Brown
New York State Integrated Pest Management
Bryan Brown will discuss key differences in the biology of various weed species that must be considered in order to maximize the effectiveness of management strategies. He will also review some of the situations when it is most appropriate to use hoeing, mulching, or herbicides. Several potted weed species will be on hand to assist with proper identification and to showcase plant identification apps. A variety of hand weeding tools and mulches will also be demonstrated.

Creating Beneficial Habitats
Feeding Friendly Insects
Amara Dunn
New York State Integrated Pest Management
Jen Lerner
Cornell Cooperative Extension, Putnam County
Attract and feed pollinators and natural enemies of pests. In this hands-on presentation, you will observe insects, flower shapes and succession of bloom with annual and perennial flowers that support and attract these friendly insects. When used as part of an IPM approach in a landscape, natural enemies of pests can help keep pest populations low, reducing the need for pesticide applications. We will use these demonstration beds to discuss how to select and establish plants that support these friendly insects, as well as how to recognize these insects.

About our Speakers
Laurie Broccolo, was a tree hugger long before it became cool. Her love of Nature is why she pursued a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Environmental Conservation in 1978. She was the first recipient of FLCC’s Alumni Award, the first EPA’s Environmental Leadership Award from Lawn and Landscape Magazine in 1989 and the first to be recognized in Cornell’s Excellence in IPM Award.
Laurie started the Broccolo Tree and Lawn Care Business in 1990 and has proudly nurtured many people for careers in the Green Industry. Her company sets the standards for implementing environmental initiatives in home and commercial landscapes from Rain gardens to Green Roofs.
Bryan Brown is the Integrated Weed Management Specialist in the New York State IPM program at Cornell University. His extension and research aims to improve management of weeds, while minimizing the associated environmental, economic, and human health risks. His responsibilities include weed management in all agricultural crops and community settings in New York. Bryan earned his Ph.D. at the University of Maine, where he compared weed seed versus seedling-focused management strategies.
Jennie Cramer is an educator with Cornell Garden-Based Learning. She is an ecologist turned enthusiastic horticulture educator with 25 years of experience in organic gardening, regenerative agriculture, natural history and botanical education. She is especially fond of teaching students how to create a resilient, abundant, and beautiful garden ecosystem by applying ecological principles.
Amara Dunn is the Biocontrol Specialist with the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, a part of Cornell Cooperative Extension. Her goal is to support all New Yorkers in the effective use of biological control, both in agricultural settings and in the places where people live, work, learn, and play.
As coordinator of NYSIPM’s Community program, Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann works to reduce pest risks and increase awareness of safe and effective pest management tools in non-agricultural settings at the regional, state and national level. Her work includes preserving and managing bees and wasps in structures and landscapes; providing outreach and education on bed bugs; conducting tick surveillance; safeguarding Long Island’s water quality through the Our Land, Our Water campaign and building awareness of safe IPM practices in schools, public spaces and the home environment.
Ashley works as the Adult Program Leader for Cornell Garden Based Learning. Ashley’s background is in sustainable planning, environmental education and civic engagement processes, focused on food systems and gardening projects. She has an Urban Planning and Environmental Studies BS from Michigan State University, and an Applied Research in Human Environment Relations MS from Cornell. She’s worked with national and regional non-profits, like Earth Force and the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition, as well as with local government sustainability and farmers market management, developing new grants and education programs on food security, climate change and community gardens. She’s excited to support professional development resources for the Master Gardener Volunteer and Seed to Supper programs.
Programs she supports include:
Jen Lerner is a Senior Resource Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Putnam County. With a degree in horticulture from Cornell, Jen got her footing in the landscape industry and has been with extension now for 19 years. Her areas of focus include creating pollinator habitat in managed landscapes, log-grow Shiitake culture, and serving commercial horticulture audiences include turf and landscape industries.
Kathy Lewis became a Master Gardener in Monroe County NY after retiring from a career with job titles ranging from School Bus Driver to Director of the Office for the Aging (and several others). After retirement she sought to combine her experience working with community groups with her passion for gardening. She developed Blocks in Bloom as a way to help connect Cooperative Extensions with residents of lower-resourced neighborhoods, using gardening as a tool to strengthen community.
Becca Rodomsky-Bish is the Project Leader for the Great Backyard Bird Count and Nest Quest Go! at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She has an M.S., Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England and B.A., Anthropology/Biology from Sonoma State University. As an avid gardener with a passion for birds, she actively creates abundant, beautiful gardens while supporting biodiversity in the Northeast.
Kyle is the Turfgrass Entomologist for Cornell University and leads the soil insect ecology lab at Cornell AgriTech. Research in Kyle’s program aims to develop sustainable and effective soil and pest management practices for the turfgrass industry and to increase the ecological value of turfgrasses and other greenspaces.
New York State Integrated Pest Management’s 2023 Annual Conference is presented by the NYSIPM and Sustainable Landscapes Work Teams