Maintaining Plantings for Insects and Pollinators
Dr. Joyce Fassbender, FGCU

Nature-Based Solutions: Resilient native landscapes for stormwater, dunes, and coastal communities
Chad Washburn, Naples Botanical Garden

About the Speakers
Dr. Joyce Fassbender is an entomologist in the Biological Sciences department at Florida Gulf Coast University and an Ambassador for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. She has taught classes in biological sciences and entomology at the college level for over 20 years. Her research interests include insect biodiversity, pollinator/plant interactions, and carrion-feeding insect biodiversity and nutrition.

Chad Washburn is the Vice President of Conservation at Naples Botanical Garden and the Center for Nature-Based Solutions at Naples Botanical Garden. He is responsible for the development of the Garden’s plant conservation strategy and implementation of the program. Chad leads the Conservation and Natural Resources team, focusing on projects that ensure the long-term survival of the flora and ecosystems of South Florida and the Caribbean region through integrated plant conservation efforts. These efforts include natural resource management, seed banking, conservation plant collections development, threat assessments, restoration and resiliency projects, and capacity building in the region. Throughout his time at the Garden, he has led efforts to address the region’s most pressing challenges through nature-based solutions, including restoration of coastal beach dune plant communities, development of resilient urban forests, and stormwater management.