Volunteers Sought for Appalachian Trail Invasive-Plant Inventory in Southern Nantahala Wilderness
Asheville, N.C. (August 21, 2009) — The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is seeking volunteers to participate in an invasive-plant workshop on the evening of Friday, August 28, and an invasive exotic plant inventory on Saturday, August 29.
The inventory will be on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness. The focus of the workshop on Friday is to educate hikers and the general public about the threats of invasive exotic (IE) plants and how to identify and inventory invasive species to help managers control the populations. The Saturday inventory will involve hiking 6.4 miles on the A.T. to inventory IE plants. There is no charge for the events, and participants are eligible to receive credits toward Criteria II or III for the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program.
On August 28, participants will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Upper Hightower Baptist Church, 6007 Highway 76E, Hiawassee, Ga. From there, the group will drive a short distance to a private residence, where workshop space and sleeping accommodations have been arranged. The workshop, led by expert instructors, will outline the threats that IE plants pose to native biodiversity and how to identify more than 12 of the most threatening species in this region. The workshop will offer training in the tools and techniques used to inventory IE plants, including an introduction to GPS technology and Eddmaps, an online database used to map IE plant populations nationwide. Guidebooks will be distributed to participants to aid them in future identification and control of IE plants.
On August 29, the group will hike 3.2 miles on the A.T. from Blue Ridge Gap to Bly Gap, in order to inventory IE plants along the trail. The group will then return to Blue Ridge Gap, for a total round-trip distance of 6.4 miles.
ATC will provide all equipment needed for the workshop and inventory as well as dinner for Friday night and snacks for Saturday. Volunteers are asked to bring breakfast, lunch, at least two quarts of water, rain gear, sturdy hiking boots or shoes, and clothes appropriate for hot or cool weather. Volunteers should also provide their own sleeping bags and sleeping pads if possible. Carpooling is available from the Forest Service Building in Asheville (160A Zillicoa St.) leaving at 3 p.m. on Friday and returning to Asheville by 7 p.m. on Saturday. If participants are unable to attend the workshop on Friday evening, it is possible to meet the group at Blue Ridge Gap at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 29 with advance notice.
Individuals or groups interested in volunteering or needing more information should contact John Odell, the ATC resource-management coordinator, as soon as possible by e-mail to <jodell@appalachiantrail.org> or by calling the regional office at (828) 254-3708.
ATC has long been a national leader in coordinating volunteers to conserve public lands, bringing under its umbrella about 6,000 men and women each year to contribute more than 200,000 hours in maintaining and managing the national scenic trail and its 250,000-acre greenway With the coordinated effort of such partners as the Western North Carolina Alliance; Equinox Environmental, Inc.; the U.S. Forest Service; and the ATC, the management of IE plant removal is greatly increasing.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to the preservation and management of the natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources associated with the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in order to provide primitive outdoor-recreation and educational opportunities for Trail visitors. More information about it and its programs can be found at www.appalachiantrail.org.
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