Grace Farm as a Model for Reimagining the Suburban Landscape

This program will discuss the award-winning Grace Farms in New Canaan, CT, which seamlessly joins architecture and landscape together for a cohesive visitor experience. A moderated panel discussion will explore the design and what it takes to keep up with 80 acres of meadows, woods, wetlands, and ponds. Mark Fowler, Grace Farms Foundation's Nature Initiative Director, and Penn Marchael, Landscape manager, will review the history behind Grace farm and move on to such topics as Nature-Based Solutions, the Pollinator Northeast Pathway program, and Reimagining the Suburban Landscape.

Presenter

Mark Fowler is a National Geographic Channel filmmaker and Emmy-nominated wildlife television host who grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut. In addition to his film work, he serves as the Vice President of Conservation, Wildlife and Sustainability at the Explorers Club. Mark graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Environmental Studies and Natural Resource Management. He devotes his career to preserving the natural world, restoring endangered species, combatting wildlife trafficking, and inspiring the public to experience the awe and wonder of nature.  Mark serves as Nature Initiative Director for Grace Farms Foundation.

Penn Marchael is a Landscape contractor based in Brooklyn and Bedford Hills NY. Throughout his career he has cultivated a deep understanding of horticulture and ecology which he uses to execute successfully vibrant landscapes. Penn has over ten years of experience in project management, landscape construction, and maintenance. In those ten years he has installed and maintained meadows from Virginia to Northern New York with a total of over one hundred fifty acres installed and many more maintained and monitored. Previously working with Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, Eastern Land Management, JW Townsend and other firms. His present focus is growing his business, Pennington Grey, where he aspires to train a new generation of land managers that will lead the landscape industry away from traditional practices and towards a more sustainable and dynamic approach.

Objectives

At the end of this program:

1. Participants will be introduced to Grace Farm’s nature-based programming and how their site design approach can successfully be applied to the suburban landscape.  

2. Participants will learn how Grace Farms ntegrates design and ecology to achieve beautiful, resilient, low-maintenance meadows and grasslands for varying scales and conditions.  

3. Participants will learn effective design and specification approaches for meadow and grassland projects established from seed and live plants.  

4. Participants will learn about reliable strategies for managing meadow and grassland designs.

This program is being offered at no cost thanks to a collaborative effort between ASLA Connecticut and Grace Farms.

Approved for 1.0 hours HSW credit through LA CES

Course Codes: 100120

Provider: CT Chapter of ASLA