Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us.

To create landscapes that enhance local ecosystems rather than degrade them, more people must remove the invasives on their property and add the native plant communities that sustain food webs, sequester carbon, maintain diverse native bee communities, and manage watersheds.

Area residents will have the opportunity to hear author and lecturer Doug Tallamy speak via Zoom on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 pm. The lecture is being sponsored by C.H. Booth Library.

In his book Nature’s Best Hope Tallamy says governments cannot be depended on to protect important ecosystems because of the limited land areas in public ownership. His vision is for a grassroots approach to conservation, encouraging homeowners everywhere to turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats.

Tallamy’s message is one of hope and is supported by practical and effective suggestions that can be incorporated into any backyard. He suggests acting now to help preserve precious wildlife — and the planet — for future generations.

Tallamy calls this collective effort Homegrown National Park, a reference to the development of small parks in backyards across the country. A network of viable habitats across the US will provide vital corridors connecting the few natural areas that remain. This approach to conservation empowers everyone to play a significant role in the future of the natural world. It is also enormously restorative for those who take action.

Tallamy is The T.A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 111 research publications and taught insect-related courses for 41 years. His book Nature’s Best Hope is a New York Times Best Seller.

There will be a live Q&A period at the end of his lecture. Those who already know what questions they would like to ask Tallamy can submit them during registration; he will try to address them during his presentation.

Registration for “Nature’s Best Hope: Doug Tallamy” is required and can be done by contacting Kate Sasanoff at 203-426-4533 or ksasanoff@chboothlibrary.org, or online at chboothlibrary.org.

In addition, at 6:15 pm March 14, Randy Walker of Nature’s Book Club and Pootatuck Watershed Association will host a Zoom event concerning Tallamy’s work and the Homegrown National Park initiative. Those who would like to participate in that program should contact Walker at info@pootatuckwatershed.org.

Finally, an initiative to support Homegrown National Park in Newtown will be launched on April 29 by a coalition of several conservation-minded organizations including Pootatuck Watershed Association and Protect Our Pollinators. Additional details will be announced.