Ask An Expert: Gardening with Natives, Controlling Invasives

Native plants thrive in our region, making them uniquely qualified to be low-maintenance and supportive of our native birds, insects, and animals.

For our third Ask An Expert series, Mike Van Clef joined us to share insights and answer your questions about gardening with native plants and controlling invasive species. 

Mike is the Stewardship Director of Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space (FoHVOS) and also serves as the Program Director of their NJ Invasive Species Strike Team. He co-founded the Strike Team in 2008 with the goal of bringing greater efficiency and effectiveness to invasive species management. Mike has a Ph.D. in ecology from Rutgers University and over 25 years of experience in land stewardship, planning and research, working extensively in the evaluation and management of rare and invasive species and deer management. He has consulted with over 30 organizations in NJ including the NJ Invasive Species Council for which he prepared the New Jersey Strategic Management Plan for Invasive Species.

Click below to view the recording from this June 9, 2020 webinar. Visit our Natives vs. Invasives webpage to find some of the resources mentioned in this recording.