[MPWG] Volunteers needed: MPWG-PfP Study Site (near Harrisonburg, VA.)

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

Please contact Jim Chamberlain (see below) if you are interested in joining
us for our first year at the Reddish Knob study site!

I'll be there - would love to meet you!

-Patricia

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
US Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276
Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
resources.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>

                              YOU ARE INVITED
                                  to the
                               Reddish Knob
                       BLACK COHOSH MONITORING STUDY
                           near Harrisonburg, VA

The USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Garden Club of
America invite you to participate in monitoring an important native
medicinal plant, black cohosh (Actaea (=Cimicifuga) racemosa). As part of
the Medicinal Plant Working Group (MPWG; www.nps.gov/medicinal), these
organization have worked together for four years to establish long-term
monitoring sites for black cohosh in the eastern United States. Black
cohosh roots are wild-harvested for use in alleviating menopausal symptoms.

                               We need you!

These projects are designed so that volunteers can participate in
activities that contribute to the sustainable use and conservation of
important medicinal plants on public lands.

Dates:  26-28 June 2005

Location:  The Reddish Knob study site, located in the George Washington
Jefferson National Forest, is one of two new monitoring locations being
established this year.  Located in the Shenandoah Mountains, west of
Harrisonburg, VA., the site is in the Dry River Ranger District, near the
West Virginia border.

General Plan:  The study is conducted over a 2.5 day period.
   Day 1: Sunday, 26 June, 5 p.m.:  Meet at the Village Inn (see
      accommodations, below) for a short training session on procedures and
      study protocols.
   Day 2: Monday, 27 June, approx. 8 a.m.:  Caravan/carpool to the study
      site, which is about 45 minutes away, to begin data collection. We
      will eat lunch at the study site. Time and weather permitting, we may
      go swimming after work (bring a suit!). We will return to the hotel
      in time for dinner.
   Day 3: Tuesday, June 28, approx. 8.a.m.:  We will continue to work on
      the site until all plots have been sampled.

Accommodations:  The closest hotel is the Village Inn (540-434-7355 or
800-736-7355). It is 2 miles North of I-81 Exit #240 on Rt. 11 [4979 South
Valley Pike, Harrisonburg, VA 22801]. Other hotels are available in
Harrisonburg, but they are less convenient to the study site.

What you need:  Work boots, long pants, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent,
water, lunch,* snacks, rain gear; a sense of adventure and civic duty. No
restrooms are available, so prepare appropriately.  *Boxed lunch is
available for $5 (or less).

Questions:  Contact Jim Chamberlain, USDA Forest Service, Blacksburg, VA
540-231-3611 or jachambe at vt.edu.  If you prefer a boxed lunch, please be
sure to indicate your sandwiches preferences.

Project url: http://www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal/projects/2005virginia.htm