2019 Illinois Indigenous Plants Symposium

2019 Illinois Indigenous Plants Symposium

Understanding the Research Behind Local Conservation
April 5-7, 2019

John A. Logan Center for Business and Industry
800 Mary Logan Rd.
Carterville, IL
(Directions are at the bottom of this page)

Cost (includes lunch):
INPS Members – $25.00 per person
Non-Members – $30.00 per person
Students – $15.00 per person

Download Symposium Booklet (pdf)

Online registration (credit, debit, or Paypal)

To register by mail, download the symposium booklet. A registration form can be found on the last page

Registration Information and Policies

We accept registrations by mail, in person, or online. Registration fee includes a box lunch. We cannot guarantee lunch for registrations at the symposium site.

Late Registration continues on-line through April 5, but will not include lunch.
Individuals can also register on Saturday at the registration desk with a check or cash. This will also not include lunch.

Cancellations will be accepted until Friday March 15, 2019.
NO REFUNDS AFTER MARCH 15, 2019.
Requests for refunds can be made in writing and sent to:
INPS – Southern Chapter
Attn: Symposium Registration
P.O. Box 271
Carbondale, IL 62903

The symposium is made possible by the southern chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society in collaboration with John A. Logan College, US Forest Service at the Shawnee National Forest, Southern Illinois University Department of Plant Biology, Green Earth, and University of Illinois Extension.

Schedule

Friday, April 5, 2019
2:00 PM Guided Hike at Atwood Ridge RNA, Shawnee National Forest

Saturday, April 6, 2019
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Registration
9:00 AM: Opening remarks
9:10 AM – 10:00 AM: Keynote Address – Chris Evans
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM: Break/Visit Vendor Area
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM: Session I
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM: Break/Visit Vendor Area
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM: Session II
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch/Visit Vendor Area
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM: Session III
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM: Break/Visit Vendor Area
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM: Session IV
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM: Break/Visit Vendor Area
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM: Closing Remarks – Dr. Justin Schoof

Sunday, April 7, 2019
10:00 AM: Guided Hike at Rocky Bluff Trail, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

Keynote Address: Chris Evans

Research Needs for Southern Illinois Native Plants and Natural Areas

Research plays a crucial role in the conservation and management of our native plants and natural areas. Connecting researchers with land managers is important to inform both relevant, applied research as well as directed, effective management. The presentation will discuss some of the major topics that are in need of more research and ways forward.

Changes Through Time Track

Session I – Developing a Land Management Plan for SIUC’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center
Dr. Charles Ruffner

Touch of Nature is dedicated to environmental education and personal growth through experiential learning in the outdoors. Over the last 50 years it has grown to include over 3100 acres of mostly forested rolling hills in Jackson County. I will discuss the need for, and the activities, that we have conducted to develop the Land Management Plan. My talk will include basic descriptions and current conditions of the landscape out there as well as the overall management objectives going into the next decade

Session II – Native and Exotic Tree-Killers: Bark and Ambrosia Beetles
Dr. John Reeve

Bark beetles and their influence on Illinois trees

Session III – A Treasure Trove of Biodiversity Revealed in Southern Illinois Pollinator Inventory
Dr. Sedonia Sipes

An inventory of floral visitors focusing on Federal lands in southern Illinois has revealed a rich native bee biodiversity. Our ecologically stratified sampling has yielded, for example, over 30 bee species not present in the INHS state records, as well as several putative species new to science. I will summarize some of our interesting findings and talk about future directions of biodiversity research in my lab.

Session IV – Stand Dynamics over 62 Years within a Protected Old-Growth Hardwood Forest in Southern IL
Dr. Jim Zaczek

Survival and growth of existing trees and that of ingrowth (new trees) and forest tree diversity were measured 8 times over 62 years in an oak-hickory forest located within a protected natural area in southern Illinois. Significant changes in tree species composition, survival, basal area, and diversity as well as growth, stand density, ingrowth, and importance values.

Biodiversity Track

Session I – Resiliency of Restored Grasslands to Drought
Dr. Sara Baer

One ecosystem attribute ecological restoration aims to achieve is that the restored ecosystem is resilient to a similar extent as a reference system. There is little information on the degree to which restored grasslands are resilient to drought and respond comparably to reference grassland. Aboveground net primary production data collected before, during, and after the 2012 were used to assess resilience of restored grasslands drought in (1) long-term restored prairie compared to never-cultivated prairie; (2) short-term restored prairie established in average precipitation and drought years; and (3) prairie restored with local and non-local ecotypes across a climate gradient. Data from multiple restoration experiments across space and time demonstrate restorations sown with local ecotypes or cultivars of native grasses exhibited resilience to the 2012 drought, with oldest restorations responding in harmony with native prairie.

Session II – Conserving our Region’s Rarest Plants: Ecological Research, Ex Situ Conservation, and Building Botanical Capacity
Dr. Kayri Havens

Rare plants are facing a multitude of threats, from habitat loss and invasive species to climate change and more. Effectively conserving these species requires understanding their biology and ecological interactions, addressing threats in situ, creating a safety net by maintaining collections ex situ, and confronting capacity issues. I will discuss both science and policy approaches we are taking to improve plant conservation efforts in the Midwest and beyond.

Session III – “Let The Sunshine In” Meets “Priority Implementation of Oak Ecosystem Recovery”
Nick Seaton

As the “Let the Sunshine In” campaign continues into the future, new projects are incorporating management that benefit oak systems and increase species diversity on private lands. Future work is shedding light on endangered and threatened species distributions along with resources to protect them from common forest threats in the Shawnee.

Session IV – Dichantheliums: Oh, the Stories They can Tell!
Justin Thomas

Dichanthelium is the second largest genus of vascular plants in the eastern half of North America; second only to Carex. It is also one of the most frustrating and poorly understood; second to Rubus, perhaps. In an attempt to dispel the myths surrounding Dichanthelium, expert on the genus, Justin Thomas, will address some of their reproductive behaviors, evolutionary trajectories, ecological affinities, and phytogeographical trends, as they relate to Illinois

Closing Remarks: Dr. Justin Schoof
Regional Climate Change Projections for Southern Illinois

Climate change is a global issue, but the impacts of environmental changes will occur across spatial scales.  This presentation will focus on (1) the process of developing regional climate change projections a (2) describing specific projections for southern Illinois based on state-of-the-art climate modeling techniques.    

Guided Hikes

Friday, April 5, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.

Trail Hike: Atwood Ridge RNA

The Atwood Ridge RNA contains several relatively undisturbed natural community types, including: barrens, hill prairie, dry upland forest, dry-mesic upland forest, and mesic upland forest. The RNA also contains two Illinois Endangered plants (including panic grass (Panicum ravenelii)), and an Illinois Threatened plant species, the chestnut oak (Quercus prinus). Several other uncommon and relict plants occur here as well, including the Cucumber-tree (Magnolia acuminata) and the rosebud-azalea (Rhododendrom prinophyllum), both southeastern species at the northwestern edge of their range. Read more at: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/rna/il/shawnee/atwood-ridge/

Directions: From Highway 146 west of Jonesboro, take Berryville Road south to Water Plant Lane and drive to the end. The last part of the road is steep with loose gravel, but it’s passable in a passenger car if it’s dry.

Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.

Trail Hike: Rocky Bluff Trail at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

The Rocky Bluff Trail winds through a wide variety of habitats and some of the most spectacular scenery on the refuge. There are intermittent waterfalls, sandstone cliffs, and some steep, rocky sections of trail may make hiking difficult at times, but very worthwhile. This trail is graced with over 60 varieties of wildflowers such as bluebells, Dutchman’s breeches and celandine poppy. A moderately difficult 2.2 mile loop.

Directions: Trail head is located on Tacoma Lake Road, 0.5 miles south of Grassy Road. Please note: all vehicles must have a visitor pass from Crab Orchard. You can purchase a day pass for $2 at the visitor’s center. You may purchase in advance. Carpooling is encouraged, as parking is very limited at the site.

Speaker Biographies

Chris Evans is an Extension Forestry and Research Specialist with the University of Illinois.  He has worked on conversation issues in southern Illinois for more than a decade and has been involved with the Native Plant Society, serving as a board member for the Southern Chapter.

Dr. Charles Ruffner has taught various forestry courses including Measurements, Mapping and GIS, Fire in Wildland Management, International Forestry, and Historical Ecology since joining the faculty of Southern Illinois University in August 1999. His main academic interests include International Ag Development, Fire History, and Oak Woodland Restoration. His SIUC Fire Dawg crew works closely with local agencies, landowners, and interest groups to reintroduce prescribed burning to forests and prairies of the Central Hardwoods region. He currently serves on the Governing Board of the Oak Woodlands and Forest Fire Consortium, also as Past-President of the Illinois Prescribed Fire Council, and is on his second term as an Illinois Nature Preserves Commissioner.

Nick Seaton works as the Project Coordinator for the River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area in Southern Illinois. He attended SIU for a BA for forestry and is expecting his MS in plant biology in 2019. Nick is currently the caretaker for Audubon’s War Bluff Valley Sanctuary in Pope County. 

Dr. Kayri Havens holds a B.S. and an M.A. in Botany from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Indiana University. She spent three years as the Conservation Biologist at Missouri Botanical Garden before joining the Chicago Botanic Garden in April 1997. She is currently the Garden’s Senior Director of Ecology and Conservation and Senior Scientist. Her research interests include the effects of climate change on plant species, restoration genetics, pollination networks, ex situ conservation, and invasion biology. She chairs the Non-federal Cooperators Committee of the Plant Conservation Alliance, is active in plant conservation advocacy with elected officials, and collaborates with a variety of academic institutions, agencies and stewardship organizations to help improve conservation efforts for plants and plant communities.

Dr. Sedonia Sipes is an associate professor at SIU whose research has included specialist bee ecology, rare plant breeding systems, and bee evolution. Her lab presently is conducting a pollinator inventory focused on the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and Shawnee National Forest regions. By sampling different habitats across the flowering season and recording other ecological information like floral associations, she hopes to elucidate patterns of pollinator diversity in southern Illinois.

Dr. Jim Zaczek is a Forest Ecologist and Chair of the Department of Forestry at SIU Carbondale. His research interests include the biology, ecology, and genetics of trees; regeneration and restoration ecology of hardwood forest ecosystems; stand dynamics in old growth hardwood forests; propagation of recalcitrant woody plants especially oaks; ontogenetic changes in trees; giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea) and canebrake ecology, restoration, and habitat rehabilitation.

Dr. Sara Baer is a professor and chair of the plant biology department at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She completed a Ph.D. at Kansas State University. Her research centers on bridging ecological theory with restoration ecology to improve the structure and function of degraded ecosystems. She is particularly interested in the degree to which the recovery of soil microbiological processes, carbon pools, and nitrogen dynamics influence floristic diversity in disturbed, restored, and native ecosystems. Much of her research has focused on agroecosystems restored to tallgrass prairie species. These studies have demonstrated that grassland restorations are dynamic ecosystems belowground, with continual increases in total soil carbon and rapid recovery of labile organic matter pools, while becoming increasing nitrogen limited.

Justin Thomas is the Science Director for NatureCITE (www.naturecite.org) where he oversees and conducts ecological and botanical research and instructs plant identification workshops. He has 22 years of professional field-based experience, and a Master of Science degree in Botany from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio). He teaches Botany and Field Botany at Missouri University of Science and Technology, is the junior author of the Ecological Checklist of the Missouri Flora, and holds a research associateship at Missouri Botanical Garden.

Dr. John Reeve is an associate professor of zoology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of California. His research involves the ecology of bark beetles and their natural enemies, especially the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis).

Dr. Justin Schoof is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Resources at SIU Carbondale.  He earned a PhD from Indiana University in 2004 and has been at SIU since 2006.  His teaching and research interests are in the field of climate science with a focus on understanding regional climate variability and change.

Vendor Registration

Educational Exhibit, no sales (display table) – $50
Vendor with items for sale (1/4 page ad and display table) – $100
Sponsor (1/2 page ad, display table, and 1 complimentary lunch) – $200
Booklet advertising only (Business card size) – $50
Shawnee Sponsorship – $300

Online Registration for Vendors (credit, debit, or Paypal)

Mail-In Registration for Vendors (cash or check)

We will provide one (1) table 4′ x 8′ for your display.

If you have any questions, please contact: indigenousplants@hotmail.com

Directions

From I-57 in Marion (east), go west on Illinois Route 13. Turn right on Greenbriar Rd– there is a traffic light, school sign, but no street sign. Turn right on Logan College Rd, then make 1st left on Mary Logan Rd. Make the second right on Mary Logan Road. The center is at the end of the parking lot. Follow the signs to the atrium.

From Carbondale (west) go east on Illinois Route 13. Turn left on Greenbriar Rd – at the traffic light, school sign. Proceed same as above.