RIWPS members Karen Asher and Elizabeth Dickson monitoring 6 RI rare species through NE Plant Conservation Program

Searching For Rare Species for the New England Wildflower Society Contributing to the Field, in the Field

Part of the New England Plant Conservation Program (NEPCoP), Plant Conservation Volunteers (PCVs) help the Society maintain current information about the status of rare plant species in New England.

Since 1998, hundreds of volunteers across the region have donated more than 50,000 hours of field work and provided invaluable data to state Natural Heritage Programs in all six New England states. 

This summer, RIWPS members Elizabeth Dickson and Karen Asher volunteered to monitor six rare species in Rhode Island. We conducted site visits in Washington County, completed written surveys, recorded the number of plants we found as well as the other species growing nearby. In addition we made recommendations for protection strategies when appropriate.

We had a wonderful time doing it!  Slogging through muck at Wordens Pond, or traipsing though woods and meadows at Epply Preserve, it’s a great way to spend time outdoors.  We also surveyed on private property and found the owners helpful and very interested in the plants growing on their property. We recommend that other RIWPS members give it a try next season. You’ll enjoy yourselves, learn a lot and see some species you might never see otherwise.

 

By Karen Asher