SFA Gardens lecture series to feature transformation of local home landscape

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin State University will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 18, in Room 110 of the Agriculture Building at 1924 Wilson Drive on the SFA campus.

Julie Shackelford, programs director for The Conservation Fund, will present "Urban Wildscaping: Bringing your Backyard to Life." She will talk about creating backyard habitats to attract birds, butterflies and other pollinators using native vegetation.

Shackelford has been dabbling in gardening since she and her husband purchased their first home in Austin in 1999. When her family moved to Nacogdoches, Shackelford took on the task of transforming large portions of the yard into bird and butterfly gardens. She has been with The Conservation Fund since 2004 and is involved in all facets of land conservation projects throughout the state, including evaluation of potential project locations, fundraising, real estate, partner support, outreach and project promotion. Shackleford received her bachelor's degree in biology from Carleton College in Minnesota and her master's degree in forestry and environmental studies from Duke University. She and her husband, Cliff, along with children Alex and Robin, have lived in Nacogdoches since 2007.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Garden Lecture Series is normally held the third Thursday of each month at the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture's SFA Mast Arboretum. A rare plant raffle will be held after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves lecture series endowed fund always are appreciated.

For more information, call (936) 468-1832 or email ggrantgardens@yahoo.com.