BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Denver X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Denver BEGIN:VEVENT UID:29@rmc-nargs.org DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20251109T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20251109T170000 DTSTAMP:20251108T154412Z URL:https://rmc-nargs.org/events/rmc-symposium/ SUMMARY:RMC 2025 Symposium - Annual Meeting DESCRIPTION:Rocky Mountain Chapter of the\nNorth American Rock Garden Sympo sium\nNovember 9th\, 2025\nThe much-needed change of venue to Mitchell Hal l will enable us to serve water\, coffee\, and pastries (morning) all day. This will allow us to stay together more easily and comfortably. Attendee s will have the option to select 4 sandwiches for their boxed lunch or a S outhwestern salad.  Attendees may opt out of the lunch option and make al ternative arrangements to suit their needs.\n\nVenue: Denver Botanic Garde ns - Mitchell Hall\n\n 4 outstanding speakers\n Coffee\, water all day\, and treats in the morning\n Boxed sandwich lunch or Southwestern salad ( optional)\n 50th RMC Anniversary pin.\n Free Raffle of 64 Illhahe Plant Treasures\n Option to purchase plants and seed all day from various vendo rs.\n After the Symposium reception at a member's garden (weather permitt ing)\n\nSpecial Pricing for New Members\nNew members joining during the Sy mposium membership drive receive a discounted ticket price. New members wi ll receive the cost of the Symposium ($30.00) the cost of introductory mem bership ($20) and the cost of the lunch ($15.00) all\, for the discounted price of $45.00 - a $65.00 value.\nSchedule for the day\n\n 8:00   Door s open - Coffee and treats available\n 8:30   Chapter business meeting\ n 8:00 - 9:00 Meet and Greet\n 9:00 - 9:15 Announcements and Introductio n\n 9:15 - 10:00 Adam Black -- Plant Exploration: The Passion and the Ins anity\nBringing plants into cultivation can serve many purposes\, includin g the benefits of increasing urban landscape biodiversity as well as prese rving the genetics of species of conservation concern in safe sites. Plant exploration has many ethical\, legal\, natural\, and physical challenges to navigate\, but ultimately it is a necessary endeavor that seems to be t aken on only by a small collaborative group of the most passionate\, adven turous plant nerds who bridge the gap between the fields of botany and hor ticulture. Join one of these geeks as he chronicles the various exhilarati ng adventures\, unexpected complications\, and comical situations he has e ncountered in both far-flung regions of the world as well as the surprisin gly under-explored regions of the US where there are still adventures to b e had and significant plant discoveries to be made.\n 10:30-11:15 Morgan Cannon -  Plants in Cool Places\nRestoration in the Teton Range: From Sag ebrush to High Alpine Environments: This presentation explores ongoing pla nt conservation work in Grand Teton National Park\, from the sagebrush ste ppe to the park’s highest alpine ecosystems. Morgan will share insights from monitoring intact and disturbed sagebrush habitats\, as well as a re- piloted program focused on sensitive alpine plants and whitebark pine (a k eystone species in the region). By examining how these unique sites respon d to disturbance and climate pressures\, this work helps inform broader st rategies for climate adaptation and ecosystem resilience across the Mounta in West.\n 11:15-12:30 Lunch\n 12:30- 12:45 Announcements\n 12:45-1:30 Laura Swain  -- A journey from Erica to Echinocereus\nHear her story of t ransitioning from an east-coast-native-plant-nut to a rock hounding garden er of the west and how she is bringing a fresh eye to some well-establishe d gardens. Come along on a botanical journey - from the ericaceous coast o f New England\, through limestone outcrops of the Eastern Plains\, over Pi ke’s Peak granite in the high alpine\, and to the otherworldly canyons o f the Colorado Plateau - join Laura as she shares her enthusiasm for new p lants in new places.\n 2:00-2:45 Mark Akimoff -- Illahe Rare Plants: Pres erving Alpine Beauty for future Generations\nAt a time when more nurseries are closing than opening\, Illahe Rare Plants in Salem\, Oregon stands as both a refuge for alpine and rock garden plants and a model for how speci alty nurseries can adapt to a changing world. This keynote will share the journey of building and sustaining a rare plant nursery in the Willamette Valley\, with an eye toward the challenges of shifting demographics\, clim ate pressures\, and the future of horticulture.We will look at how Illahe balances preservation with innovation and a science driven approach to cul tivation—curating mountain flora for changing gardens\, cultivating resi lience in collections\, and fostering a new generation of enthusiasts. Far more than a place of commerce\, the nursery aims to become a living archi ve and a gathering point for community. This address will explore how smal l\, dedicated nurseries like Illahe can remain vital and inspiring in time s of transition and change.\n 3:15 Symposium over\n 3:00 - 5:00 Receptio n.  Details sent to members via a RMC Constant Contact email\n\nSymposium Speakers\nAdam Black\n\n Adam Black is Director of Horticulture and Plant Conservation at Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and Arboretum in Char lotte\, NC. He is a lifelong plant enthusiast with a passion for the rare\ , unusual and esoteric\, and combines his experience in the fields of bota ny and horticulture by promoting diverse landscapes of underutilized speci es while also collaborating with various botanic gardens\, universities an d governmental agencies in documenting and collecting imperiled taxa for t he purposes of research and conservation. In addition to extensive familia rity of the southern US flora\, he has been involved in field work and pla nt explorations in New Caledonia\, Taiwan\, The Philippines\, Mexico\, Sou th Africa and beyond.\n\nMorgan Cannon\n\nMorgan Cannon is the Northern Co lorado Project Coordinator for the National Forest Foundation\, based in E ster Park\, Colorado. She manages post-fire recovery projects\, including reforestation\, cone collection\, and watershed health initiatives across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. With a background in native pl ant propagation\, seed collection\, and alpine restoration\, Morgan has wo rked on ecological projects throughout the Mountain West. These have inclu ded long-term monitoring projects and hands-on restoration work in he dese rt southwest(Canyonlands National Park\, Arches National Park\, and Canyon lands National Park) and throughout the southern Rockies. In Grand Teton N ational Park\, she led native plant greenhouse operations. coordinated see d collection and propagation\, am]nd monitored high-elevation and sagebrus h ecosystems.\n\nPassionate about connecting people to conserve through pl ants\, Morgan continues to collaborate with agencies\, non-profits\, and v olunteers to help build resilient landscapes throughout the Rockies.\n\nLa ura Swain\n\nLaura Swain is a horticulturist at the Denver Botanic Gardens where she specializes in arid-adapted native plant collections\, includin g North American Steppe\, Dryland Mesa and Sacred Earth gardens. Laura is incredibly passionate about creating resilient landscapes for the future. She works at the intersection of ecology and horticulture – building hum an-friendly habitats with a focus in plant-pollinator interactions and low maintenance inputs. Her stewardship practice involves studying plant comm unities in situ\, elevating native species\, and highlighting their form a nd function in the urban ecosystem. When she's not in the gardens\, she’ s usually climbing mountains with a big backpack.\n\nMark Akimoff\n\nPropr ietor of Illhahe Rare Plants. For years\, Mark has provided a list of bulb s for a small number of connoisseurs and has now expanded his offerings to include Alpine plants of all kinds\, which he sells both spring and fall\ , and at various venues around the country. Mark has been an instructor in horticulture at a community college for many years\, and he also has done a great deal of research on geothermal greenhouses\, where he grows many of his treasures.  He has become known as one of the leading authorities on Alpine plants in North America.\nOptional Lunch Options -- Closed\nChoo se an box lunch with your booking that comes with Boulder kettle chips\, f resh whole fruit\, chef select cold salad\, gourmet cookie\, and a sandwic h or the Southwestern salad that comes with Boulder kettle chips\, and gou rmet cookie.\nThe following choices are available before midnight\, Thursd ay\, November 5th.\n\n\n All-Natural Turkey with Swiss Sandwich\n House Roasted Beef with Cheddar Sandwich\n Albacore Tuna Salad Sandwich\n Medi terranean Roasted Tofu Sandwich\n Southwestern Salad\n\nPlant &\; Seed Sales\n\n Mike Barbour selling a variety of hard-to-find treasures.\n K elly Grummons selling a variety of cacti and succulents.\n Justin and Chr istin Ruiz of Desert Blooms selling water-wise plant selections.\n Alan B radshaw of ALPLAINS will have a nice selection of seed for sale.\n The RM C purchased two flats of Illhahe Alpine treasures from Mark Akimoff for a free raffle. We will be raffling off these plants off all day - 64 winners !\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rmc-nargs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08 /conference-room-unsplash-scaled.jpg CATEGORIES:Rocky Mountain Chapter LOCATION:Denver Botanic Gardens - Mitchell Hall\, 1007 York St\, Denver\, C O\, 80206\, United States X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=1007 York St\, Denver\, CO\ , 80206\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Denver Botanic Gardens - Mitchell Hall:geo:0,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Denver X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Denver BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20251102T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR