Event Focuses on Bringing Nature Home

Do people want to see native wildlife again? One local naturalist hopes a community event will spark interest in restoring Castro Valley's original flora and fauna. 

Bringing Nature Home, moderated by Kathy Kramer, will host a discussion with the community about making living, working, and play spaces more welcoming for natural birds, butterflies, and bees. 

This special event, co-sponsored by the Castro Valley Library and Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. It is free to the public, and reservations are not needed.  

Kramer founded the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. The organization brings people around the Bay Area to plant and promote native plants.  

Kramer explained that the pain point of Bringing Nature Home is watching and discussing Doug Tallamy’s talk, “Nature’s Best Hope.” Tallamy is an award-winning author and a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware.  

“I'm hoping that the people who will come to this evening will really think about what he had to say and think about their own gardens,” Kramer told the Forum.  

Bringing Nature Home marks Kramer’s first time holding this type of event. She wants to cultivate a discussion about what kind of environment people want to live in. She also hopes these events will become monthly meetings and plans to expand the programming to Livermore, Berkeley, and Southern Alameda County. 

“I hope that finding out what people want to do and what they have to offer will be the conversation for the first night, and then at the following meeting, I'd like to follow up on that and see: How do people want to work together? How do they see themselves being able to move ahead and carry out projects?” Kramer said. 

In addition to viewing and discussing “Nature’s Best Hope,” Bringing Nature Home offers attendees free native wildflower seeds, a free drawing to win a native garden design consultation, and a native plant cutting and seed swap.  

Attendees are encouraged to bring labeled seeds and cuttings of native plants that they may have. These seeds and cuttings can be swapped amongst attendees and brought home to be planted.  

Kramer explained that having native plant gardens is important because they allow natural wildlife to return. Attendees will learn about, discuss native gardening, and brainstorm ideas for their own gardens.