Native Plant Society Monthly Meeting and Walk

Tuesday, July 15, 2014: Vera Markgraf, “Botanical Assessment of Springs in Coconino County

Dr. Vera Markgraf earned advanced degrees at universities in Switzerland and Germany. She has done extensive field work on riparian ecosystems in Latin America and contributed to many articles and books on paleo-environments and climate change. Now adjunct faculty at NAU, she has held research and teaching positions in Switzerland, France, Australia, Colorado, and the University of Arizona. Vera generously volunteered her expertise in plant identification, geomorphology, and the vegetation dynamics of wetlands during a recent, multiyear inventory of 200 springs on the Coconino and Kaibab national forests.
Vera will present on the botanical assessments of springs in Coconino County. 
Saturday, July 19, 2014: Field Trip to Hoxworth SpringThis beautiful restored complex of springs and wetlands promises to be lush, green, and flowery in July. The springs are a quarter-mile walk from the parking area on Forest Road 296, 10 miles southeast of Flagstaff.
Carpooling is strongly recommended. Meet at the Credit Union at 8:30 a.m., as described above. The hike should not last beyond noon.

Native Plant Society Monthly Meeting & Walk

Tuesday, June 17, 2014: Kirstin Olmon and Susan Lamb, “Nature’s Notebook”

Kirstin and Susan will introduce Nature’s Notebook, a national program in which amateur and professional naturalists track local phenology: the emergence and blooming of plants and the behavior of birds and other animals, including insects. The program engages individuals, educators, and community groups in learning about local plants and animals and contributing to science. These long-term observations of plants and animals generate data for scientific discovery and decision-making.

Kirstin Olmon is a botany research assistant at the Museum of Northern Arizona. She is the manager of the McDougall Herbarium and curator of the living roof atop the Easton Collect Center.  She is a recent graduate of the botany master’s program at Northern Arizona University and has worked as a field botanist for the Diablo Trust’s Integrated Monitoring for Sustainability Program and the Grand Canyon Trust. 

Susan Lamb is the local author of over two dozen books on natural history. She originally came to northern Arizona to serve as Desert View District naturalist at Grand Canyon National Park, where she acquired a lasting curiosity and affection for regional plant communities. Susan keeps a yearly almanac of over two hundred native plant species in the Flagstaff area.

Native Plant Society Monthly Walk & Talk

Saturday, May 18, 2013: Field Trip with Patty West to Tavasci Marsh - 8:00 am to 3:00 pm

 
This is the Saturday BEFORE the regular Tuesday meeting.  

Patty West, who has an MA in Sustainable Communities from NAU, will lead us on a plant walk to Tavasci March next to Tuzigoot National Monument in the Verde Valley. The marsh has been manipulated in many ways but nevertheless has a high diversity of species in floating islands of vegetation. Patty spent two years completing a flora of the area that is incorporated into the Tuzigoot plant list on Seinet. 

It will be hot so bring lots of water, a sunhat, and sunscreen, and be prepared to get your feet wet. Bring a lunch and snacks, too. Don't forget money for carpooling. 

Meet at 8:00 am, at the Arizona State Credit Union at the corner of Butler and South Beaver.  The drive to the Tavasci Marsh trailhead in Deadhorse State Park will take about 1 1/2 hours.  Each car will will be charged $7.00.  

 

Folks could also just meet at the trailhead at 9:30 am, if they prefer to drive alone or are coming from the Verde Valley area. 

 

 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 7:00 pm at the Shepherd of the Hill Lutheran Church, 1601 N. San Francisco Street:

 

Sue Smith “A Celebration of Grapevine Botanical Area”

 

Sue Smith, a Budding Botanist and naturalist from Prescott, will talk about the Plant Atlas Project of Arizona (PAPAZ) project in the Grapevine Canyon near Poland Junction.

 

This area is a Prescott National Forest Botanical Protected Area. It lies on the eastern flank of lava capped Big Bug Mesa. The plant communities range from chaparral, oak woodlands to montane conifer forest. A perennial stream cascades down the canyon providing home to riparian species.

 

The Prescott Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society started collecting for PAPAZ in this Botanical Area in September 2010. There will be a discussion of the project to date, different plant communities, and an overview of the species collected in the area. 

 

Posted by D. Lamm 

Flagstaff Native Plant Society Monthly Lecture/Field Trip

Greetings, All, 

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012, Jan Busco will give a presentation - Penstemons of Grand Canyon National Park.  Jan is the horticulturalist in the Vegetation Program at the Park and a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic botanist of Northern Arizona native plants.  Jan's research on Penstemons is partially funded by a grant from the American Penstemon Society.  The meeting will take place at 7:00 pm in Room 328 of the Biology Building at NAU. 

The Sunday moss field trip with Theresa Clark, followed by an indoor workshop to observe collected mosses under microscopes, must be postponed due to a conflict in her schedule. We will announce a date in September for a moss walk at higher elevations.

At this moment, there is no Sunday walk scheduled for August 26.  Stay tuned. 

Posted by

D. Lamm

AZ Native Plant Society Monthly Talk/Walk

Tuesday evening talk on April 17, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Rom 328 of the NAU Biology Building
Mike Kearsley, Vegetation Mapping Coordinator for Grand Canyon National Park, has sampled and mapped over 200 plant communities across 1.4 million acres of diverse habitats from Lake Mead to the Kaibab Plateau since 2007. Mike will talk about the many significant range extensions and relocated species that his team has found for Grand Canyon and Arizona during their surveys over the past fifteen years.

Saturday morning field trip April 21, 2012.
Plant Walk at Homoloni State Park, Winslow, Susan Holiday, the volunteer botanist who is completing a floristic inventory of the park for Arizona State Parks, will be leading the walk. We will be looking at plants of the Navajoan Desert and nearby Little Colorado River. We will also be able to view the ruins and a graveyard dating from the early 1900's on site. A checklist will be available. Meet at the Arizona State Credit Union parking lot, southwest corner of Butler and Beaver at 8:30 am. Be prepared for all kinds of weather. It could be cold, windy, hot, etc. The weather at Homolovi is as fickle as the weather in Flagstaff. Come prepared with sun protection, water, food, and car or gas money for carpooling. The walk will be over at about 1:00 pm. There is a $7.00 charge per car.