Jun. 9—SAYBROOK — Months of hard work and organization came to a conclusion on Friday evening when nationally renowned environmental advocate Doug Tallamy spoke to an estimated 400 people at Lakeside High School.

A collaborative effort between the Ashtabula County Master Gardeners and the Northeast Ohio Pollinator Society led to the large crowd after months of discussing a book written by Tallamy, detailing the importance of landscaping to help save nature.

The two organizations partnered with the Robert S. Morrison Foundation and the Ashtabula Foundation to fund the event. Early this year, representatives of the ACMG and the NPS visited area libraries and challenged people to read “Bringing Nature Home”.

The Friday evening lecture was free of charge to Ashtabula County residents.

“This is our last chance,” Tallamy said of the need to provide more habitat, on private property, for wildlife that helps create the conditions necessary for human life.

Tallamy told those in attendance of the importance to save ecosystems and save the planet. He said humans have used too many natural resources, which has led to the extinction of many insects, animals and plants.

“Nature is on the ropes because we didn’t listen to Teddy Roosevelt,” he said of the former president who worked hard to protect nature. Tallamy said five percent of nature remains pristine.

“We can save our insects … but we will have to change the way we landscape,” Tallamy said.

“We need to renew all parts of habitats but for now let’s focus on important species,” he said.

Tallamy said caterpillars are an essential part of healthy ecosystems, and creating food for the creatures is an important first step. He said huge amounts of caterpillars are needed to feed birds.

“We add caterpillars by adding plants,” he said. Many insects have selective diets and the plants they eat must be planted in private landscapes, he said.

Tallamy told of his 20-plus year adventure in adding plants to the land surrounding his home in Oxford, Pa. he said to draw Canadian Owlet moths he had to plant a specific plant on which the moths feast.

He went on to detail the many kinds of small decisions, regarding plants, that create ecosystems that assist pollinators and provide ways for nature to rebound.