2007 Spring Rare Plant Identification Workshop

The North Carolina Association of Environmental Professionals (NCAEP), in cooperation with the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announces the first of two opportunities in 2007 to learn about North Carolina's federal and state threatened and endangered plant species. One field trip to the coastal plain of eastern North Carolina is scheduled for May and is described below. A second field trip to Schweinitz's Sunflower sites in the Piedmont will be held in September; details will be described in a later announcement.

These field trips are designed for environmental professionals, botanists, and students who are responsible for conducting rare plant surveys during the course of their environmental assessments. The workshop will address the types of habitats that should be surveyed for these species, the optimal survey times for each species, what to do if you find a rare species, and landowner rights and responsibilities. These trips will be especially useful for environmental professionals working on transportation, communication tower, water/wastewater, wetland and stream mitigation and other development projects. Handouts and other information about each rare species will be provided.

May 30-31, 2007 Coastal Plain Field Trip

This overnight trip includes visits to Haws Run Mitigation Site, Sandy Run Swamp Powerline Savanna, and Pettiford Creek Open Flatwoods and Hobbs Road Pine Ridges in the Croatan National Forest in Pender, Onslow, and Carteret counties. These stops are designed to see federally listed species such as Cooley's Meadowrue, Golden Sedge, and Rough-leaved Loosestrife, plus various state listed species in their natural habitat as well as in disturbed sites. We will also review the natural communities in which some of these plants occur, including Pine Savanna (Wet Clay Variant), Mesic Pine Flatwoods, and Pond Pine Woodland, so please bring your copy of Classification of the Natural Communities of North Carolina by Schafale and Weakley. If you do not have a copy, one can be purchased from the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program for $15 at the workshop or you can download and print relevant portions for free at http://www.ncnhp.org/Images/Other%20Publications/class.pdf. Please bring a lunch for Wednesday as we will not be stopping at a restaurant on the first day. We will stop for lunch at a restaurant on Thursday. The registration fee does not include meals or lodging.

Cost: $150

Workshop participants are responsible for making their own room reservations. We will be staying in the Morehead City/Atlantic Beach area on Wednesday night. Two hotels you might consider are the Best Western Buccaneer Inn in Morehead City (252-726-3115) or the Atlantis Lodge (1-800-682-7057) at Atlantic Beach. Rooms at the Best Western are $100 double occupancy or $65 for state employees and rooms at the Atlantis Lodge range from $70 to $123 (no state rate available). A variety of other options exist in the area if you prefer alternative accommodations. Lodging is NOT included in the registration fee.

Notes: In order to make the most of this learning experience and for the safety of all participants and the habitats we visit, we must limit the number of participants on each field trip to the first 20 registrants. Due to this limitation, we will only be accepting three attendees per company or organization through May 1, after which registrations per organization will not be limited. Registrants will receive a registration confirmation and additional trip details by email. The workshop fee includes transportation by van. Due to limited parking at the rare plants sites, carpooling with other workshop participants or riding the van is strongly encouraged. The van will leave from the Park and Ride at the corner of Trinity Road and Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh.

We will make break stops at service stations along the way. Please wear appropriate field clothes and shoes and bring insect repellent and sunscreen. Also make sure to bring plenty of water and a camera if you are interested in photographing the plants in flower. Participants will not be allowed to collect specimens. The field trips are planned rain or shine, so please plan and prepare accordingly. Also, please pack lightly as luggage space we will be limited to the space available under the van seats and its rear cargo area. In the rare event of emergency cancellation or last minute updates, registrants will be contacted via email.

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