Events

2026

WATER AUTHORITY DROUGHT WEBINARS:

Every Other Friday at lunch.

May

May 15, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Prune With Confidence: Simple Techniques for Healthier, Better-Looking Desert Shrubs with Noelle Johnson Author, Horticulturist, Consultant

Simple Techniques for Healthier, Better-Looking Desert Shrubs:

Understand why many shrubs are pruned incorrectly and how it affects plant health and appearance.
Learn when to prune desert shrubs (and when not to)
Identify the three essential pruning cuts and when to use each
Recognize common pruning mistakes and how to avoid them
How to work with your landscaper

Webinar: Sign Up Here

May 29, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Irrigation Fundamentals for Greater Water Efficiency with Richard Perce, Project Manager at Anthropopulus Design + Planning

This webinar will focus on irrigation efficiency using the fundamentals supported by the ABCWUA Irrigation Efficiency Guide. Topics will include:

Soil and water interactions
Various types of irrigation delivery methods and their proper applications
The importance of hydro-zoning
How all of these factors affect an efficient irrigation schedule that maintains plant health while reducing outdoor water use.

Webinar: Sign Up Here

June

June 12, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Tree Biology with Joran Viers, Consulting Arborist at Legacy Tree Company

This webinar will focus on basic tree biology and what trees need to grow, thrive and heal.

Root to Leaf Balance
Water Needs
Wound Response

Webinar: Sign Up Here

June 26, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Healing Landscapes: Designing Beautiful, Drought-Tolerant Medicinal Gardens in New Mexico with Maria Thomas, Curator of Plants at the ABQ BioPark

This presentation explores how homeowners, gardeners, and landscape designers in New Mexico can integrate medicinal plants into aesthetically pleasing, water-wise landscapes. By combining medicinal plants with regionally appropriate design strategies, attendees will learn how to create gardens that are both functional and visually compelling while thriving in arid and semi-arid conditions.

Introduce a selection of medicinal plants well-suited to New Mexico’s climate
Highlight drought-tolerant landscaping principles and water conservation strategies
Demonstrate design techniques that balance beauty, biodiversity, and functionality
Encourage sustainable gardening practices that support pollinators and local ecosystems

Webinar: Sign Up Here

July

July 10, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Irrigation Smart Controllers – Going Next Level for Better Results with Richard Perce, Project Manager at Anthropopulus Design + Planning

This webinar will expand on and support the information available in the Water Authority’s smart controller study and subsequent literature. The webinar will discuss:

The fundamentals of how smart controllers function and the different types on the market
“Plug and play” benefits and savings
Things to watch out for when buying a controller
The key functions of the controllers to use and adjust to increase your system’s performance and conservation potential

Webinar: Sign Up Here

July 24, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Plant Adaptation to Change: Which Plants are Most Likely to Transition to Hotter, Drier Times by Judith Phillips.

Judith shares her knowledge from planting, designing, and researching native and xeric-adapted plants over the years and will present on these topics:

Recognizing plant traits that contribute to resilience: roots, leaves etc.
Sourcing: the more local the better
Stacking value: shade, habitat, food
Managing for resilience: recognizing the cost of over-fertilizing, over-watering, unnecessary pruning
Rainwater harvesting: planting stormwater reaps stacked benefits
Shading the soil: starting with seeds

Webinar: Sign Up Here

August

August 7, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Roses Reimagined: Sustainable Rose Garden Design and Maintenance for Arid Gardens with Maria Thomas, Curator of Plants at the ABQ BioPark

The session emphasizes creating balanced plant communities where roses coexist with companions that share similar water and soil requirements.

Identify hardy, drought-tolerant rose species and hybrids suitable for New Mexico
Demonstrate how to pair roses with xeric companion plants for water efficiency
Explore design strategies for year-round visual interest
Teach plant layering techniques for structure, function, and beauty
Promote sustainable, climate-appropriate gardening practices

Webinar: Sign Up Here

August 21, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Fundamentals of Lawn Care in a Changing Arid Climate with Richard Perce, Project Manager at Anthropopulus Design + Planning

This webinar will focus on the fundamentals of installing and maintaining turf grass in our increasingly hot and dry climate. The webinar will discuss:

the importance of proper soil preparation
what you can do to improve your soils after the fact
various types and varieties of turf grasses and where they are appropriate to use
proper maintenance practices including mowing, aerating, and fertilizing
basic irrigation maintenance and best practices to help ensure a healthy lawn while still conserving water

Webinar: Sign Up Here

September

September 4, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Designing for Dogs with Wes Brittenham Artist, Writer and long-time garden geek

Dogs are creatures of habit and happenstance. In this program Wes will use the example of how a Belgian Sheepdog and a Golden Retriever helped him design a backyard landscape that favored the dog’s requirements, while providing interesting challenges and details requiring observation, opportunity, and playfulness. This garden not only supported the dogs but also a wide variety of wildlife and pollinators and became a Certified Wildlife Habitat 25 years ago.

Webinar: Sign Up Here

September 18, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Tree Planting with Joran Viers, Consulting Arborist at Legacy Tree Company

This webinar will focus on all aspects of tree planting including:

Site conditions, irrigation, digging the hole
Root ball concerns and mitigations
Installing the tree and watering in.

Webinar: Sign Up Here

October

October 2, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Turtles From Outer Space puppet show with Monika Skiba, Environmental Educator and Artist, Stephen Williamson, Water Resources Outreach Educator, Jeff Tuttle, Education Coordinator Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority

Join us for a puppet show extraordinaire where we will take a journey with Luna & Mar, two kids from Albuquerque, who encounter two unexpected visitors from outer space. See how these brave kids teach the outer space visitors what it means to take care of the precious Rio Grande and how to respect all the plants and animals of the bosque. This puppet show is for all ages and includes songs and movements, so be ready to join in! The show will touch on some of these topics:

Animals in the bosque in Albuquerque, NM
Water is precious and needed for all life to survive
How to be a respectful visitor to a new place

Webinar: Sign Up Here

October 16, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Plants for Sensory Gardens with Wes Brittenham: Artist, Writer and long-time garden geek

In this webinar, we will identify many species of plants that make excellent additions to any landscape or garden but are especially intriguing for the sensory qualities they possess. Texture, form, fragrance, and feel make these plants an inviting addition for those with mobility issues, challenged vision, or other physical limitations that might make enjoying time in the garden a little more stimulating to the senses.

Webinar: Sign Up Here

October 30, 12 noon – 1 p.m.

Tree Pruning with Joran Viers, Consulting Arborist at Legacy Tree Company

This class will explore pruning effects on:

Tree health
Reasons to prune and when
Types of cuts, tools and limitations

Webinar: Sign Up Here

WEBINAR AND DISCLAIMER INFORMATION:

A link to the webinar will be sent to the email address entered in the registration form immediately after registering. If you do not see the email with the link, please check your spam or junk folder.
Participants must join the webinar by 12:15 (participants joining later will be denied).
Mobile users will need to download the free Microsoft Teams app from the app store or google play – give yourself extra time to do this before the webinar begins.
Participants are welcome to sign up for multiple classes; however, the $20 rebate will only be issued for the first class attended per fiscal year.(7-1/6-30)
Have questions or problems with registering: Please contact us at Askanexpert@abcwua.org or 505-842-9287 option 4. However, we are a very small group and cannot respond to registration questions on the day of the event.

Please note: All personal information will be kept confidential, and used for rebate purposes only.

For local programs near you we recommend you also check your local neighborhood association, community centers, senior centers, and neighborhood library. You can find all of those at https://www.cabq.gov/