Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Join the Journey

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"Protecting Rare Plants of the Appalachian Trail" Presentation

Asheville, N.C. (February 20, 2008) — The more than 2,000 occurrences of rare, threatened and endangered plants along the Appalachian Trail’s meandering corridor from Georgia to Maine is believed to be the greatest of any unit of the national-park system. With such great numbers comes great responsibility: The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) works with more than 100 volunteers to preserve and protect these special species and their habitats.

Kevin Caldwell of Mountains-to-Sea Ecological, Inc., and Julie Judkins of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will give a free presentation on rare plants of the Appalachian Trail and the ATC natural-heritage program that protects them at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, at the Botanical Gardens at Asheville. Caldwell also will share his discoveries from his work with the program.

Caldwell’s work is funded in part by proceeds from North Carolina’s specialty license plate program, which sends a portion of the plate fee to ATC for A.T.-related work in the state. “We’re so thankful for the specialty license plate program that makes work like Kevin’s possible,” said Judkins. “His work has not only aided the volunteers with field support and identification, but also provided technical resources, such as mapping and documentation of newly located species.” He was awarded a $5,000ATC grant in 2007.

More than 5,000 North Carolina-registered vehicles now bear the “Friends of the Appalachian Trail” plate. The southern regional ATC office in Asheville uses the funds —about $100,000 a year—for educational, trail-maintenance, and natural-resources activities throughout western North Carolina.

Applications for the next cycle of grants are being accepted through the end of this month. Detailed information can be found on the conservancy’s Web site at www.appalachiantrail.org/nclicenseplate.

Further information on the March 4 presentation can be obtained by contacting Judkins at (828) 254-3708.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a volunteer-based, private, nonprofit organization dedicated for more than 80 years to the conservation of the 2,176-mile Appalachian Trail, so that it will forever remain a simple footpath, within a protected greenway, along the Appalachian Mountains from Georgia to Maine.

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