2015 Florida Rare Plant Task Force Meeting
“Rare Plants and Their Habitats: Linking Science to Conservation Action”
April 9, 2015 General Session and April 10, 2015 Field Trips
Auditorium, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
Doyle Conner Building, 1911 SW 34th Street, Gainesville, Florida
REGISTRATION FORM
Complete the registration form and return with fee payment by mail (checks made out to Bok Tower Gardens) to
Cheryl Peterson, Rare Plant Conservation Program, Bok Tower Gardens, 1151Tower Blvd., Lake Wales, FL
33853. Alternatively, registration forms can be completed on-line at www.boktower.org, submitted by fax (to 863676-6770 Attn: Cheryl Peterson) or emailed to [email protected]; fee payment will be accepted during
registration at meeting. All confirmations will be made by email. Please return registration forms by April 1,
2015.
Last Name _________________________________ First Name______________________________
Title_______________________________________Email___________________________________
Institution__________________________________________________________________________
Mailing
address_________________________________City_______________________________State/Zipcode___________________
Phone____________________________
Fax_____________________________
Fee ($45.00):
check enclosed with form
check mailed separately
payment at workshop
I am a speaker or staff (no fee)
I would like to present a poster Yes No
Title of poster : _________________________________
Field trip Selection: Indicate 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice below:
____ Field Trip 1 – Trip to Etoniah Creek State Forest to see Conradina etonia.
____ Field Trip 2 – Trip to Split Rock Conservation Area.
____ Field Trip 3 – Agrimonia incisa and other surprises of a red oak woods restoration.
____ Field Trip 4 – Visit limestone outcroppings Paynes Prairie State Park.
in case of emergency contact:
Name_______________________________
Phone_______________________________
Refreshments and lunch are provided. Please indicate your
lunch preferences:
Check one: vegetarian; omnivore; turkey or chicken only
other_________________________________________
We wish to acknowledge the following sponsors and collaborators: Florida Rare Plant Task Force is sponsored by the
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry and is co-hosted by Fairchild
Tropical Botanic Garden and Bok Tower Gardens. Special Thanks to staff and biologists of the Florida Park Service,
Florida Forest Service and City of Gainesville for providing field trip options and support.
RPTF Meeting Day 2 - field trips
Friday, April 10, 2015
It is our recommendation that you wear a hat, sunscreen, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and close-toed
sturdy shoes for these field trips. Even seasoned field botanists can get stung, poked, and/or poisoned
by the local flora and fauna. Good clothes and a good sense of adventure can help make the experience
more enjoyable. We will provide water. The group will have lunch on their own at local restaurants.
Participants will meet at the DPI building at 7:45 am for directions and instructions, and can carpool or
drive on their own.
Optional Field Trip 1 – Conradina etonia in Scrub habitat of Etoniah Creek State Forest
Accompany Florida Forest Service staff to Conradina etoniah (Etoniah Rosemary) sites in the
very hilly and xeric Scrub habitat within Etoniah Creek State Forest (ECSF). This plant exists in stable
populations at ECSF, with almost 2000 individual plants tallied in 2014. This site is in the lower Trail
Ridge between Melrose and Palatka and has been a target for land acquisition to help preserve the
species, including some in residential areas. C. etoniah is sponsored and is undergoing conservation
activities from Bok Tower Gardens, including its propagation from tissue culture. Since 2000 FFS staff
and volunteers have conducted annual population surveys at ECSF. A variety of management activities
have benefitted the populations, including silvicultural, mowing, prescribed fire (some recent), and
“Crooked Wood” (Lyonia ferruginea) sales. A good hat, long pants and sleeves, closed shoes and bug
repellent are recommended to deter direct contact to some of the area’s more interesting flora and fauna
and high exposure to the Florida sun.
See Mike Jenkins for directions to Etoniah Creek State Forest.
Optional Field Trip 2 – Split Rock Conservation Area
Split Rock Conservation Area is considered one of the Gainesville area’s hidden gems. Join
Grace Howell of the City of Gainesville’s Natural Resource Management staff for a tour of this 240 acre
park that protects some of the last remnants of Sugarfoot Hammock, a once extensive area of mature
and diverse calcareous hardwood forest. In addition, the park boasts some picturesque limestone
outcrops and wetlands associated with Hogtown Creek. Rare plants we hope to see include Matelea
floridana, Gonolobus suberosus, and Forestiera godfreyi. Plan on a hike of 1-2 miles with some
topographic relief. Closed toe shoes and bug repellent are recommended.
See Grace Howell for carpooling to Split Rock Conservation Area.
Optional Field Trip 3 – Agrimonia incisa and other surprises of a red oak woods restoration
(limited to 15 people).
Join Florida Park Service District Biologist, Anne Barkdoll, on a walk through a unique private
property’s red oak woods restoration project. We will see a population of Agrimonia incisa discovered
during the restoration and explore the recently recognized and increasingly rare Upland Mixed Woodland
natural community that includes Solidago brachyphylla, Astragalus villosus, Lespedeza stuevei and
Castanea pumila. Be prepared for a 2-3 hour walking exploration of this area of southern red oak and
long leaf pine with an adjacent a stream to sink system. Long pants and sleeves, hat, closed shoes, bug
repellent and water are recommended.
Meeting location (same as Field Trip 4): La Chua Trail trailhead and parking lot at the north rim of Paynes
Prairie Preserve State Park. We will need to carpool from there. Meeting address: 4801 Camp Ranch Rd,
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Gainesville, FL 32641. This is accessed from SE 15 Street in Gainesville. If your GPS unit takes you to
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SE 60 Terrace and directs you to drive on the Gainesville Hawthorne Trail (paved bike trail) DO NOT DO
THAT! Do not go to the park entrance in Micanopy. If you are confused or lost, call Anne’s cell (352)3181176. Note: there is an honor box fee at La Chua for each car.
Optional Field Trip 4 – Adiantum tenerum and other north rim rarities at Paynes Prairie Preserve
State Park (Limited to 20 people)
Join Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Biologist, Andi Christman, for a walk through the
sinkhole swarm on the north rim of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. Participants will enjoy a the
opportunity to see Adiantum tenerum, Sideroxylon alachuaense, and Athyrium filix-femina subsp.
asplenoides and Forestiera godfreyi (time permitting) while walking the Rim Ramble trail on the north rim
of Paynes Prairie. Be prepared for a 2-3 hour exploration of this area of true mesic hammock and
sinkholes, with uneven terrain. Long pants and sleeves, closed shoes and bug repellent are
recommended.
Meeting location (same as Field Trip 3): La Chua Trail trailhead and parking lot at the north rim of Paynes
Prairie Preserve State Park. Address: 4801 Camp Ranch Rd, Gainesville, FL 32641. This is accessed
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from SE 15 Street in Gainesville. If your GPS unit takes you to SE 60 Terrace and directs you to drive
on the Gainesville Hawthorne Trail (paved bike trail) DO NOT DO THAT! Do not go to the park entrance
ion Micanopy. If you are confused or lost, call Andrea’s cell (352)258-9422. Note: there is an honor box
fee at La Chua for each car.
Information Exchange
There will be an Information Exchange table at the meeting. Please bring copies of any relevant
brochures, reprints, announcement, course offerings, job or grant opportunities or other printed material to
be made available to all meeting participants.
Poster Display
There will be an area for display of posters and time allotted within the meeting agenda for poster viewing.
Please use this opportunity to display current research or other poster displays for viewing by all meeting
participants.
DIRECTIONS
How to get to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
Doyle Conner Building, 1911 SW 34th Street, Gainesville, Florida
Map:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir//29.6344714,-82.3708884/@29.6436281,-82.389263,13z/data=!3m1!4b1
Head to Gainesville on I-75. Take the Archer Road exit (exit 384). Head east on Archer Road (SR 24)
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approximately one mile to SW 34 Street. Take a left and head north on SW 34 Street for approximately
one half mile. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry building
will be on the right at a stop light.
Lodging Information
Nearby suggested Hotels, both off I-75 and Archer Road. Please request the government rate for the
Rare Plant Task Force:
Hampton Inn at 4225 SW 40th Blvd, Gainesville, FL 32608 (352) 371-4171 is $94 per night.
The Lodge (formerly The Cabot Lodge) at 3726 SW 40th Blvd, Gainesville, FL 32608 (352) 375-2400
is $85 per night.