Member Exclusive: Coffee & Pastries with Keith Nevison

Details:

Join Keith Nevison, Director of Horticulture and Operations, for a morning of coffee, pastries and learning as we discuss one of Santa Barbara Botanic garden’s newest projects: The 805 Initiative. This year, the Garden is launching a “local natives” project to collect seed, grow out and make available for purchase, plants with genetic adaptations to our local ecosystems. We’ll learn why this approach is important to consider, especially for landscapes located at the wildland-urban interface and for ecological restoration projects. All seed for this initiative is ethically collected by staff and volunteers, and plants from this project are currently available for sale in our Garden Nursery.

Come for the coffee and donuts, the walk, or both! Gluten-free and vegan options will be available. We look forward to seeing you!

Coffee & pastries for this event generously donated by Dune Coffee Roasters and Anna’s Bakery

Pricing:

This event is free for members. Please note registration is required.

About Keith Nevison:

In 2022, Keith Nevison relocated back to his home state of California to step into the role of director of horticulture and operations at the Garden. With the opening of the Backcountry in June 2022, Keith has been excited to work with the Garden teams to establish a welcome space for the young and young at heart to have fun and create lasting memories, while learning about the ecological importance of native plants.

He moved to Santa Barbara from Virginia, where he served as the farm and natural resource manager at Bundoran Farm, stewarding 2,300 acres (930 hectares) of pastures, forests, and natural areas for a community association. In addition, Nevison spent three years cohosting “Virginia Home Grown,” a flagship Virginia Public Media program exploring the delights and challenges of gardening in the commonwealth. Prior to that, he served as manager of Monticello’s Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants and launched the Monticello Center for Food and Farming.

Keith obtained his master’s degree in public horticulture through the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware, where he studied pollinator interactions on native Phlox and its cultivars. He presently holds certifications as a master naturalist, FFT2 certified wildland firefighter, and an International Society of Arboriculture arborist. He loves exploring nature and native plants in the Golden State with his wife, Jennifer, and son, Felix.