Bay Talks: A Speaker Event & Reception
April 23, 2026
6:30pm Speaker | 7:30pm Reception
Hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Trust
108 Severn Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland
Join us for an engaging event featuring environmental educator, Native Plants & Landscapes Extension Specialist, and lead author of Maryland Native Plant Guide: Piedmont Region, Lisa Kuder. Learn how thoughtfully designed landscapes can protect local waterways, support pollinators, and create beautiful, resilient outdoor spaces. Lisa will share practical tips, inspiring examples, and science-based strategies that homeowners, communities, and organizations can use to transform traditional yards into landscapes that benefit both people and the environment.
After “planting the seed” with ideas you can put into practice right away, we will shift to a hands-on conservation landscape challenge! Attendees will work in small groups to tackle a real-world landscape scenario in need of improvement, identify planting solutions, and present their ideas for a chance to win a native plant-themed prize.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Lisa Kuder, Native Plants & Landscapes Specialist, University of Maryland Extension
Lisa Kuder is a University of Maryland (UMD) alum with an MS in Entomology and a 2nd MS from Hood College in Environmental Biology. While at UMD, she worked with the Maryland Department of Transportation on Integrated Vegetation Management strategies that support pollinating insects via natural regeneration of native wildflowers. She also partnered with the UK company Wildflower Turf, Ltd. leading efforts to grow Maryland natives using their rapid meadow technology. This partnership included exploring the market potential for native wildflower sod in the Mid-Atlantic through 100+ customer discovery interviews with growers, retailers, and landscape professionals. Lisa has also served as a high school teacher in Frederick, MD teaching all levels of chemistry and Advanced Placement environmental science. In her spare time, she loves going to concerts with her kids, helping her daughter at regional dressage shows, reading, and exploring the world.
