Rare, threatened and endangered species are plants and animals that are very limited in their numbers or range. Species can be listed on either a national, state, or global level as rare. Globally rare species are ones most at risk of extinction and are found in only a few locations worldwide.
The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) corridor harbors more rare, threatened and endangered species than any other National Park Service unit. Most of those species are plants, but some rare animals, too. A.T. lands support populations of nine federally-listed and 360 state-listed species of plants and animals. Equally important, the A.T. provides a home for more than 80 globally rare species, most of which are found from Virginia southward.
Populations of rare species can be damaged or die out because of threats such as invasive species, pollution, recreational use, encroaching development, and climate change. Protecting individual populations of rare species is one of the ways to ward off extinction, and help land managers maintain global biodiversity and ecosystem health.
To help protect these rare species populations, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) coordinates a volunteer-based monitoring program that tracks the rarest and most threatened plant populations. Volunteers are trained to recognize the rare species as well as some of the likely threats, and are asked to report their results after their site visits. More than 200 monitors have been trained since 1991, and tracking the Trail’s rare species would not be possible without them.
If populations are found to be struggling based on information submitted by volunteers, the ATC and its land-managing partners take action to address the problem. For example, the Trail has been relocated away from populations to protect them from hiker trampling, rare plants have been fenced in to protect them from deer browsing, and invasive species have been pulled out before they choked out entire rare plant populations.
TRACK TO PROTECT RARE, THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ON THE TRAIL
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's regional offices have information about this program in your area. Contact the regional office near you to learn more about monitoring and management opportunities in your area.
RESOURCES