2011 Walks & Workshops 2007
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012  SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2011
Lisa Lofland Gould Native Plant Program Lecture & RIWPS General Meeting
Guest Speaker: Arthur Haines, Research Botanist, New England Wildflower Society
Agnes G. Doody Auditorium
Swan Hall
University of Rhode Island
60 Upper College Road
Kingston, RI
PRESS RELEASE
Flora Novae Angliae: Rhode Island 1:00 pm- Business meeting
1:30 pm -Refreshments & fellowship
2:00 pm - Guest Speaker – Arthur Haines --
Flora Novae Angliae: Rhode Island Free and open to the Public. Bring a Friend!
RIWPS members: If your last name begins with the letters A-M, please bring refreshments to share.  Flora Novae Angliae: Rhode Island
Speaker: Arthur Haines
The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society is pleased to announce that Arthur Haines, Research Botanist
for the New England Wildflower Society will be the Guest Speaker for the 2011 Lisa Lofland Gould Native Plant Program Lecture.
Arthur Haines is the author of the recently published -- New England Wild Flower Society's Flora Novae Angliae
: A Manual for the Identification of Native and Naturalized Vascular Plants of New England. He was initially hired by the New England Wild Society to examine specimens of ca. 530 rare or
poorly known native species in regional herbaria. The goal was to verify the accuracy of determinations and enter the corresponding label information into a Microsoft Access database
named HERB. The information is being used to update distributions and Natural Heritage Program files, as well as complement on-going studies in New England (e.g., Conservation Plan writing and
relocation of historic taxa). Haines is presently working with the New England Wildflower Society on Go Botany, an online botany education site using Flora Novae Angliae
as a resource. In addition to his work with New England Wild Flower Society, Haines owns and manages the Delta Institute of Natural History in Canton, Maine, a school for
small group instruction on a diversity of natural history topics with focus on plant taxonomy and primitive technologies. Arthur
Haines began his botanical study in the mountains of western Maine searching for state rare species with Les Eastman. His early
experience involved working at the University of Maine Herbarium and participating in field trips of the Josselyn Botanical
Society. He performed graduate studies in systematics at the University of Maine under Christopher Campbell (Flora of Maine
and hybridization in Schoenoplectus). In addition to taxonomic classes, he is also is involved in primitive skills instruction. These
skills include edible, medicinal and useful plants; knapping stone; fire making; shelter fabrication; constructing wooden bows and
arrows; fiber arts; hide tanning; etc. Various classes are taught around New England and make use of wild-collected materials from local landscapes. For more information, please visit www.arthurhaines.com.
Lisa Lofland Gould Native Plant Program Lecture is a fund shared by the College of the Environment and Life Sciences
(CELS), the Rhode Island Natural History Survey (RINHS) and the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society (RIWPS).
 LISTENING TO THE LANDSCAPE: Using Nature's Clues to Design a Garden that Works
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
7:00 pm
URI
Kingston, RI
Fee: $5 members, $10 non-members
Limit: Max 80
Advanced registration required. Click the link above to register online or contact the RIWPS office at office@riwps.org or 401-789-7497.
Exact location will be sent to all who have registered and paid by 10/17/2011 or earlier.
 What does your landscape tell you about how to manage it most successfully? How do you work with
what you hear?
Scott LaFleur's lecture will pick up where Debbi Edelstein left off last year in her lecture describing RI
ecoregions. He will discuss ecological landscaping principles: soil, water, plant specimens as well as pollinators and other habitat occupants. Scott will help you think about a blueprint for designing
sustainable landscapes using native plants and ecologically sound practices for your landscape whether it is a meadow, a coastal sand plane, a bog or a woodland.
Scott LaFleur is Horticulture Director and Curator, Garden in the Woods.
A graduate of the University of New Hampshire horticulture program specializing in perennial garden
design, Scott started a professional gardening service and expanded it into a landscape design and installation company on the seacoast of New Hampshire. After selling the business, he undertook a three
year project, designing a 135 acre Vermont farm into rolling green hills, extensive gardens and a network
of trails to access the property for horses and hiking. Scott joined New England Wild Flower Society as Senior Horticulturist of
Garden in the Woods in 2005 and became Horticulture Director in 2008. Currently as Botanic Garden Director, he is curator of
the plant collection and oversees facilities, visitor services, and retail services at Garden in the Woods. ECOREGION #3: NICHOLAS FARM WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA
Saturday, September 17, 2011
9:00am - 12:00 noon
Coventry, RI
Rain date: Sept. 18 same time
Effort: Moderate
Fee: Members $5, non-members $10
Limit: Min # 5; Max # 20  On the far west side of the state lies the quiet and peaceful Nicholas Farm. Although most of the area is
considered pitch pine / scrub oak barren, the name "barren" can be misleading. Many plants and animals thrive in a habitat of poor, sandy soils. Tiger beetles and burrowing wasps, for example, are active on
bare sand. The forest has stands of pitch pine, white pine, red maple and several species of oak. Water
features here are also interesting. Scattered about are sphagnum-filled kettle holes. The Moosup River – a slow moving stream with flood plain swamps and evidence of beaver activity – runs along the northern
boundary. A brook runs through a sphagnum bog. We should find cotton grasses and pitch plants growing in the moss. We should see some late-season bloomers in the fields and trails, and a variety of
shrubs, club-mosses and some unusual ferns.
AQUATIC PLANTS IN LATE SUMMER: BOATING BOTANY SECRET LAKE
Saturday, August 27, 2011
10:00am - 1:00pm
Secret Lake
North Kingstown, RI
Leader: Sindy Hempstead
Rain date:
Sunday, August 28
Fee: Members $5, non-members $10
Limit: Min # 1 boat; Max # 4 boats  Paddle around in the best kept secret of Secret lake – a natural water garden of showy Bur Marigold
(Bidens laevis), Pickerelweed, Water-pepper, and Arrow-arum, aquatic cousin of Jack-in-the-pulpit. We'll also explore the nooks and crannies of Secret Lake among the floating water lilies and above the
underwater ecosystem of so-called waterweeds. All of this is while sitting comfortably in a kayak or canoe. Bring your own kayak or call us if you need a place in a canoe.
RARE NATIVES IN A CITY PARK
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
10:00am - 12:00 noon
Warwick City Park
Buttonwoods section
Leader: Francis Underwood
Rain date: Thursday, July 21
Fee: Members $5, non-members $10
Limit: Min # 5; Max # 20  Warwick's City Park contains unique natural habitats for several rare and unusual plants. At least eight
species of plants included on the RI Rare Plant List are found in the park (see
www.among-ri-wildflowers.org/amateur-botanist.html). The highlight of this walk will be the Butterfly
Weed, Ascelpias tuberosa. We also will look for the Starry False Solomon's Seal, Maianthemum stellatum. Although it will not be in bloom, it leaves are distinctive.
The park's sandy soil supports a natural community of Pitch Pine and Scrub Oak that provides ideal habitat for several species of milkweeds, grasses and other rare native plants. Bulldozers destroyed a
population of a rare milkweed species few years ago. Preservation of the park's fields and woods is necessary to maintain the habitat for these plants. Join this walk to learn the locations of these
sensitive areas and the rare specimens they support. With the knowledge you'll gain from this walk, maybe you can be instrumental in the future in preserving the habitat. ECOREGION 2: BRUSHY BROOK
Saturday, July 16, 2011
9:00am – 12:00 noon
Arcadia Wildlife Management Area
Exeter, RI
Rain date: July 17 same time
Effort: Moderate to strenuous
Fee: Members $5, non-members $10
Limit: Min # 5; Max # 20
What's an ecoregion and how would knowing more about the ones we live in Rhode Island help us better understand and promote native plants? The EPA has identified
three Level IV ecoregions that cover Rhode Island – Southern New England Coastal Plains and Hills (59c), Narragansett/Bristol Lowland (59e) and Long Island Sound Coastal Lowland (59g). Moving up one
level to Level III, Rhode Island, much of Connecticut and central and eastern Massachusetts belong to the Northeastern Coastal Zone
. While native plants are beautiful, adaptable and contextually appropriate, Bill Cullina strengthens the case for planting natives because they foster biodiversity
by providing food directly or indirectly for just about every other living thing. The Rhody Native project is designed to create a production and distribution system to bring more native Rhode Island
plants to the marketplace – and therefore into a variety of residential and institutional landscapes. Three RIWPS summer walks lead by Doug McGrady
will take a closer look at Ecoregion 59c to help us see which plants thrive under what conditions. We'll also become more conversant with the interplay of soil, water, flora and fauna in managed and natural
ecosystems. Brushy Brook emanates from wooded swamps in a remote part of Arcadia, southeast of Deep Pond. The brook follows the base
of Dye Hill. Dye Hill forms a 200 foot slope that extends for two miles in a fairly straight line. Since no roads pass through, the area remains fairly secluded.
Dye Hill is a bit unusual. The hill slopes down toward the brook for a two-mile stretch, yet there are no little streams or rivulets
running down the hill to feed the brook. Instead, any water on top, such as rainfall, seems to pass right through the hill and
seep out the bottom. These seeps areas are usually wooded, with few shrubs, but lush in herbaceous plants.
The bottom land has a lot of diversity. You can see patches of rich, fertile soil with sugar maples and rattlesnake ferns. In
contrast, you can walk a little further down the trail and find yourself in a pitch pine / scrub oak community. ECOREGION 1: PINE TOP
Saturday, June 25, 2011
9:00am – 12:00 noon
Arcadia Wildlife Management Area
West Greenwich, RI
Rain date: June 26 same time
Effort: Moderate
Fee: Members $5, non-members $10
Limit: Min # 5; Max # 20
What's an ecoregion and how would knowing more about the ones we live in Rhode Island help us better understand and promote native plants? The EPA has identified
three Level IV ecoregions that cover Rhode Island – Southern New England Coastal Plains and Hills (59c), Narragansett/Bristol Lowland (59e) and Long Island Sound Coastal Lowland (59g). Moving up one
level to Level III, Rhode Island, much of Connecticut and central and eastern Massachusetts belong to the Northeastern Coastal Zone
. While native plants are beautiful, adaptable and contextually appropriate, Bill Cullina strengthens the case for planting natives because they foster biodiversity
by providing food directly or indirectly for just about every other living thing. The Rhody Native project is designed to create a production and distribution system to bring more native Rhode Island
plants to the marketplace – and therefore into a variety of residential and institutional landscapes. Three RIWPS summer walks lead by Doug McGrady
will take a closer look at Ecoregion 59c to help us see which plants thrive under what conditions. We'll also become more conversant with the interplay of soil, water, flora and fauna in managed and natural
ecosystems. Thirty-five years ago this portion of Arcadia was one of Rhode Island's premier ski areas boasting a 280-foot vertical drop. When
it closed the state bought the land. Today it's a great spot for botanizing. The forest here is fertile and moist. Numerous small
brooks and seeps trickle down the hill depositing silt and moisture along the way. Some parts of the old gravel parking lot have
become saturated and peaty, creating a shallow bog, allowing us to get close to wetland plants such as sundews, rose pogonias and poison sumac without having to get our feet wet. THE CUMBERLAND MONASTERY
New England Wild Flower Society
Saturday, May 14, 2011
10:00am - 12:00 noon
Cumberland, RI
Course Code: FDT7025
Leader: Kathy Barton, naturalist, cofounder of
among-ri-wildflowers.org
Fee:
$20 (Member) / $24 (Nonmember)
Limit: 16
Credit: Field-all certificates
To Register: Contact the NEWFS Registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.
More Info:
Visit www.newenglandwild.org/learn Cistercian Monks established a 550-acre monastery here at the turn of the last century, using the land for orchards, woodlots
and farming, even quarrying. After a fire destroyed the abbey buildings in 1950, the Town of Cumberland purchased the land for
public use. A variety of successional habitats and wetlands now exist on the property, including meadows, old fields, streams,
ponds, vernal pools, and rich woods. We seek out such interesting plants as nodding trillium, perfoliate bellwort, and white baneberry. This walk is appropriate for beginners. NATIVE FOREST WALK
Saturday, April 16, 2011
9:00am – 11:00am
Rhode Island College Learning Ecology Trail
Rhode Island College
Providence, RI Leaders: Paul Dolan and John Campanini  The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society and Rhode Island College will co-sponsor a Native Forest Walk
on Saturday April 16, 2011 from 9 A.M. to 11 A.M. Our guides through this urban forest will be Paul Dolan, DEM Forester, and John Campanini, Founder and Director of the Rhode Island Tree
Council. A new initiative at RIC is to preserve this mini-forest as a "Learning Ecology Trail". The forest has been undisturbed for over seventy years and needs a professional inventory followed
by a detailed preservation plan for the next century. John and Paul will guide us to better understand the life within this forest and will show us some of the forest's biological balances,
including micro-organisms, insects, healthy trees, decomposition and regrowth.
Pre-registration required 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $5, non-members $10
Min: #5; Max: #30 USING NEWCOMB'S WILDFLOWER GUIDE
Class session, Saturday - April 16, 2011
10:00am 12:00 noon Leader, classroom session: Leslie Duthie, Norcross Sanctuary  Guides for field sessions: Kathy Barton, Hope Leeson, Doug McGrady, Carl Sawyer, Frances Topping.
Field sessions will only be open to participants in the class:
- May 21, 2011
- June 18, 2011
- July 9, 2011
- September 10, 2011
- October 1
Registrants will receive site information and exact times for walks. Field sessions will be held around the state.
Series cost: $85.00 members $100.00 non-members, including the classroom session, field trips and social hour (following the final field trip).
Limited to 35 people. URI Master Gardeners (10 places will be held for URI MGs) will receive credits for the sessions they attend.
Whether you are an amateur or a field botanist, this series will help you quickly and accurately identify almost any wildflower, flowering shrub or vine.
The course consists of a mandatory classroom session at URI in April in which you will learn how to use the key.
The classroom session will by followed by 5 field trips to different sites between May and September. You can join one, some or
all of the field walks. Just bring your Newcomb's. An experienced Newcomb's user will be on hand to help you if get stuck with
an identification. You'll also have your fellow classmates with whom to practice your blossoming botanist skills. The last 10 minutes of each field trip will be devoted to reviewing specimen identifications.
The closing session will be a social hour with refreshments in October. What you'll need:
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, available both new and used in bookstores and at Amazon.com
- A notebook to keep track of your field notes and identifications
- A lupe or other magnifying glass is recommended
- Sun block, hat and water for the field trips
BEAVER HABITAT WALKING TOUR
Saturday - April 2, 2011
10:00am to 12:00 noon
Rain date: Saturday - April 9, 2011
Pulaski Park
Chepachet, RI Leader: Paul Dolan  When spring rolls along a young beaver's fancy turn to making dams to stop the flow of water.
Come along with us to see what these first engineers of the forest have designed and created. In pre-colonial times our swamp meadows and wetlands were created by beavers. With the
advent of the European fur trade, the beaver nearly disappeared from our landscape. Now the beaver is back, but the human population has changed and now classifies beavers as good
beavers and bad beavers. Join us to tour Peck's Pond and see the wonders created without a wetlands permit.
Pre-registration required 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $5, non-members $10
Min: 5; Max: 20
ANNUAL MEETING & GUEST SPEAKER
Saturday, March 12, 2011
** no weather date **
North Kingstown Senior Center
44 Beach Street
North Kingstown, RI  Guest Speaker: Debbi Edelstein, Executive Director, New England Wildflower Society
- 1:00 - 1:30 pm Business Meeting
- 1:30 - 2:00 pm Refreshments & Fellowship*
- 2:00 - 3:30 pm Speaker
How Local is "Native": An Ecoregion Perspective
Debbi Edelstein became Executive Director of the New England Wild Flower Society in February
2009. She traces her commitment to nature to those carefree childhood years spent wandering in
the great suburban outdoors, courtesy of the safe environment on the military bases on which she grew up. After a career as a
writer and editor, she made her interest in conservation official by going back to graduate school to earn a degree in
environmental planning. Before coming to the Society, she was a senior manager at the Northeast's regional air quality
association; a Vice President of National Audubon Society and the Executive Director of Audubon Washington; head of the
Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve project for The Trustees of Reservations; and Executive Director of the Taunton River
Watershed Alliance. Debbi graduated from Bryn Mawr College and completed graduate studies at Indiana University and MIT. Free and open to the public. Bring a Friend!
Members: If your last name begins with the letters N-Z, please bring refreshments to share. Thank you. INTRODUCTION TO HABITAT ASSESSMENT
Saturday - March 5, 2011
2:00 to 4:00 pm
Only extreme weather will cancel this session as it can be indoors.
Audubon Society of Rhode Island's
Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge
Exeter, RILeader: Scott Ruhren, Senior Director of Conservation, Audubon Society of Rhode Island  Land owners and habitat managers are just some of the people who may need to
evaluate features of natural spaces. Assessing natural areas is a challenging and rewarding skill that gets easier with practice. This program is suitable for anyone wishing
to start or hone their observation skills and get some field experience evaluating habitats. There are 1,000 acres of diverse habitats in close proximity at Fisherville,
perfect for this program. The goal is to assess some of this diversity. The emphasis is outdoor experience but we will have the option of using an indoor space if necessary for part of the program.
Dress appropriate for a winter hike; sturdy footwear, preferably waterproof; note books and field guides to woody plants and animals of New England.
Pre-registration required at least 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $5, Non-members $10.
Minimum 5, maximum: 15
Directions and meeting place will be sent to those who have registered.
Leave plenty of time to get there!
NATIVE PLANT STEM CUTTING AND PROPAGATION WORKSHOP
Sunday - February 27, 2011
1:00 to 4:00 pm
URI Greenhouses
Greenhouse Road
Kingston Campus
Leaders: Brian Maynard and Hope Leeson
Offered with RINHS  Dr. Brian Maynard, Professor of Horticulture at the University of Rhode Island, will conduct a workshop on
native plant propagation from hardwood stem cuttings. He will discuss native species appropriate for winter
propagation. Hope Leeson, Botanist with the Rhode Island Natural History Survey and coordinator of the Rhody Native initiative, will speak about the importance of documentation, voucher specimens, and the
ethics of collecting and propagating native plants.
The workshop will include a demonstration of propagation techniques as well as time for attendees to prepare
cuttings. A variety of native tree and shrub species will be on hand for participants to set up, take away and
grow out. Prior to the workshop, participants will receive information on taking hardwood stem cuttings that
will enable them to successfully cut material from their own properties if they are interested. Participants will be able to visit URI's state-of-the-art propagation greenhouses and to see student work. Participants should bring their own clippers, if they have them. All other materials necessary for the workshop will be provided
and paid for through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funding the RINHS's Forest Health Works Program. Pre-registration required at least 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $5, Non-members $10.
Minimum 5, maximum: 15
Directions and meeting place will be sent to those who have registered. JANUARY GENERAL MEETING
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Providence Country Day School
Metcalf Hall
660 Waterman Avenue
East Providence, RI 02914
(Corner of Pawtucket Ave. & Waterman)
Directions
- 1:00 – 1:30 pm Business Meeting
- 1:30 – 2:00 pm Refreshments & Fellowship*
- 2:00 – 3:30 pm Speaker
Guest Speaker: Hope Leeson, Botanist
Rhode Island Natural History Survey Rhody Native Project
 Rhody Native is an initiative to make indigenous plant material available to homeowners and
organizations involved in habitat restoration. The Rhode Island Natural History Survey, along with the University of Rhode Island, Outreach Center, Master Gardeners Association, and the Plant Sciences
Department, as well as the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, have partnered to source native plant material from Rhode Island wild stock through seed collection and stem cutting, to be grown and sold
by the RI nursery industry. At present, much of the native plant material sold in Rhode Island, is sourced from material grown around the country in ecotypes that differ from those of Rhode Island.
Differences in phenology place plants on time schedules that differ from those of our native flora and fauna. Rhody Native is an opportunity to promote local Rhode Island businesses, educate the public
about RI's native biodiversity, and improve our natural environment. The initiative is made possible by an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act grant, administered through the United States Forest
Service, and awarded to the RINHS in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Free and open to the public
Bring a Friend!
*If your last name begins with the letters A-M, please bring refreshments to share. |
