ANPS Fall Meeting 2018
October 12-14
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you are a current ANPS member or not! Meeting registration is only $10 with no pre-registration required. Registration will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 12.
MEETING LOCATION
River Valley Nature Center
8300 Wells Lake Rd
Fort Smith, AR 72916
http://www.rivervalleynaturecenter.com
HOTEL LOCATION
Holiday Inn Express Fort Smith Executive Park
6813 Phoenix Ave
Fort Smith, AR 72903
(479) 452-7500
www.hiexpress.com/fortsmithar
The reduced-rate reservation period has passed. Please contact the hotel to check current availability and pricing. We have reserved 25 rooms (12 two queen rooms and 13 king rooms) at the reduced rate of $89.99 plus tax per night. Reservations must be received by August 31, 2018 to guarantee the reduced rate. Be sure to mention that you are with the Arkansas Native Plant Society when making your reservation. Individuals are responsible for their own room and tax.
Directions from the hotel to the meeting location: From Holiday Inn Express, turn left onto Phoenix Avenue and head east for 0.9 mile. Turn right onto Massard Road and follow for 3.5 miles. Turn left onto Wells Lake Road and follow for 0.4 miles, then turn left into the River Valley Nature Center.
DINING OPTIONS
We will have a potluck meal Friday and Saturday evenings at the Nature Center. Bring a dish or just come and eat! There are also several dining options in the Fort Smith area near the hotel.
EVENING PROGRAMS – at the River Valley Nature Center
Friday
7:00 p.m. – Our Annual NATIVE PLANT AUCTION! Bring your native plants, books, homemade jelly, jewelry, or plant art for the auction. Proceeds from the auction support the ANPS scholarships and research grants program and small grants program.
Saturday
6:00 p.m. – Membership Meeting
7:00 p.m. – Evening Program:
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p style=”padding-left:30px;”>7:00-7:30 p.m. – Logan Estes, Graduate Student at the University of Arkansas and 2017 ANPS Delzie Demaree Research Grant Recipient, will speak on the topic “Where are all of Arkansas’ chinquapins? – An ecological assessment of Castanea throughout the state.”
7:30-8:00 p.m. – Dwayne Estes, Professor of Biology at Austin Peay State University and Executive Director of the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative (https://www.segrasslands.org), will present the topic “The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative: Charting A New Course for Conservation in the 21st Century.” The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative (SGI) is a collaboration of leaders in international biodiversity conservation led by the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for Field Biology, in partnership with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, North Carolina Botanical Garden, and Roundstone Native Seed. The SGI seeks to integrate research, consultation, and education, along with the administration of grants, to create innovative solutions to address the multitude of complex issues facing Southeastern grasslands, the most imperiled ecosystems in eastern North America.
8:00-9:00 p.m. – John Manion, Kaul Wildflower Garden Curator at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (https://www.bbgardens.org), will speak on the topic “Conversion Therapy…to the Wonder of Native Plants.” Until as recently as a few decades ago, native plants were the purview of people who wore tied-dyed shirts and burned lots of incense; In other words, a counter-culture. Since that time, there has been a sea change in attitudes towards the importance of our native flora and its habitats. How do we continue this conversion to a deeper understanding that it’s about much more than pretty plants? John will illustrate how he and Birmingham Gardens work to archive this understanding.
FIELD TRIPS
Several field trips to areas of top botanical interest are scheduled for Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday morning field trips will leave from the hotel at 8:30 a.m. (except where noted below). Saturday afternoon field trips will meet at the trip locations at 2:00 p.m. You must sign up for field trips on Friday evening to allow for adequate logistical planning. Please wear long pants, sturdy boots, and a hat (a wide-brimmed hat if you’ll be on one of the prairie field trips), and bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and insect repellent!
Below is a quick look at the field trip schedule. You can also download and print the schedule here: ANPS 2018 Fall _Field Trip Schedule
SATURDAY MORNING – OCTOBER 13
Massard Prairie Restoration at Ben Geren Park
Trip Leaders: Jay Randolph (Ben Geren Golf Course Superintendent) and Brent Baker
When: Caravan/carpool from Holiday Inn at 8:45 a.m. or meet at park at 9:00 a.m.
Crack in the Rock Trail at Lee Creek Reservoir
Trip Leaders: Virginia McDaniel and Eric Hunt
When: Caravan/carpool from Holiday Inn at 8:30 a.m. or meet at trailhead at 9:00 a.m.
Boston Mountain & Warren Hollow Trails Walk at Lake Fort Smith State Park
Trip Leaders: Heather Hula (Lake Fort Smith State Park Interpreter) and Susan Hooks
When: Caravan/carpool from Holiday Inn at 8:45 a.m. or meet at Lake Fort Smith Visitor Center at 9:30 a.m.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON – OCTOBER 13
Cherokee Prairie Natural Area
Trip Leaders: Brent Baker and Eric Hunt
When: Meet at Cherokee Prairie at 2:00 p.m.
Riparian Forest Walk along the Arkansas River
Trip Leaders: Eric Sundell and Virginia McDaniel
When: Meet at trailhead at 2:00 p.m.
Crack in the Rock Trail at Lee Creek Reservoir
Trip Leaders: Susan Hooks and Jennifer Ogle
When: Meet at trailhead at 2:00 p.m.
SUNDAY MORNING – OCTOBER 14
Native Plant Gardens Tour at the River Valley Nature Center
Trip Leader: Ann Gordon
When: Caravan from Holiday Inn at 8:45 a.m. or meet in front of the nature center at 9:00 a.m.
Cherokee Prairie Natural Area
Trip Leaders: Brent Baker and Virginia McDaniel
When: Caravan/carpool from Holiday Inn at 8:30 a.m. or meet at Cherokee Prairie at 9:00 a.m.
Native Plant Gardens Tour at the Vogelpohl Place
Trip Leader: Sid Vogelpohl
When: Caravan from Holiday Inn at 8:30 a.m. or meet at the Vogelpohl place at 9:30 a.m.
FIELD TRIPS – FULL DESCRIPTIONS
Full descriptions of each walk, including directions and a Google Maps link to the site, trail length/difficulty rating, and trip leader contact info can be downloaded here: ANPS 2018 Fall_Full Field Trip Descriptions
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Jennifer Ogle at ranunculus73@gmail.com or Donna Hanke at djhanke@centurylink.net.
Arkansas Native Plant Society 