Winter Lecture: Invasive Species from Field to Plate:
Other
This event immediately follows the 2025 WeConservePA meeting of members. You can attend one without the other. In any case, the same registration is used for both the annual meeting and winter lecture.
As land stewards, we regularly find ourselves making decisions about subtracting or adding to local plant communities in service of a healthier landscape. With biodiversity as one of our goals, we often remove species labeled as non-native or invasive. It may surprise some to learn that many of these species have hidden value – and that we may be able to find appreciation and build new relationships with them while continuing to prevent their spread. At the same time, learning and sharing the edible or medicinal value of native species can inspire people to protect, propagate, and incorporate these plants into their own communities.
Foraging – the act of finding and gathering wild foods – can be one tool in the toolbox for conservationists and land stewards in our efforts to educate the public, restore healthy ecosystems, and connect on a much deeper level to the landscapes in which we live and work. We’ll discuss foundations of the practice along with some of the most common–and forageable–invasive species found in Pennsylvania. We’ll also highlight some delicious natives that we can tend and support as foragers.
The Horn Farm Center is an educational non-profit based in the Lower Susquehanna Riverlands region of York County, PA. We offer classes, events, training programs, and volunteer workdays that connect people with the land, supporting our vision of a world where people live in reciprocity with nature and our agricultural practices revive ecosystems and human well-being. Learn more about our work at hornfarmcenter.org.
Presenter:
Jonathan Darby | Farm & Agroforestry Manager, Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education
Jonathan Darby is dedicated to educating people about the intersection of farming and ecology, to growing tomorrow’s farmers, and to building community resilience in uncertain times. Jonathan is a wild foods enthusiast and educator, former owner and operator of Sterling Farm, and has been active in the local farming community for over fifteen years.
Jonathan has been involved at the Horn Farm since 2008 when he volunteered on the committee that conceived and created the Incubator Farm Project. Since then, Jonathan has served the organization in varying capacities for over 15 years, including as Farm Manager, Education Director, and even as a member of the Board of Directors. Today, Jonathan serves as Farm & Agroforestry Manager, leading Horn Farm Center’s demonstration projects and training programs. Jonathan received his Permaculture Design Certification in 2011 from Susquehanna Permaculture and in 2014 completed his Permaculture Teacher Training through Dynamic Ecological Design.