Biodiversity

FRI-D01: Designing with Care: Collaboration and Stewardship for Biodiverse Landscapes

Friday, September 18, 2026

3:00 PM - 4:15 PM PT

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

Speaker(s)

Brenna Castro Carlson, ASLA, PLA (she/her/hers)

Senior Associate
Atlas Lab
Sacramento, California
Haven Kiers, ASLA (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture
University of California, Davis
Davis, California
Rashid F. Poulson

Director of Horticulture
Brooklyn Bridge Park
BROOKLYN, New York

Ecologically vibrant landscapes do not emerge from design alone; they are shaped over time through care, adaptation, and the shared decisions of the people who steward them. This session will explore the maintenance challenges preventing widespread adoption of high-biodiversity landscapes, and present innovative models for stewardship, collaboration, and on-the-ground maintenance.

Learning Outcomes:

Apply an integrated, collaborative process—spanning design through construction and long-term management—to build a shared vision that guides everyday design and maintenance decisions.
Articulate the necessity and benefit of hiring, retaining, and empowering a passionate staff of maintenance professionals who serve as collaborators in building biodiversity.
Explore a shift from prescribed maintenance practices to adaptive landscape management techniques that allow habitats to evolve in response to changing conditions and wildlife needs.
Examine effective community engagement strategies that involve the public in stewardship and help reshape perceptions of wildness, care, and maintenance in the landscape.