[PCA] NOTES: Summary of Nov 10th PCA Meeting

[Plant Conservation]

Cross posted to all PCA lists.

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Notes taken by: P. De Angelis
Notes from PCA Meeting
10 November 04
NatureServe, Rosslyn, VA

Olivia Kwong (Soc. for Ecological Restoration & BLM) sitting in for Peggy
Olwell.
Sign-up sheet passed around.  Introductions.

New participants
US Army Corps of Engineer
 - T. Toplisek (deals with aquatic issues (invasives))
 - P. Bailey (botanist/landscape architect, responsible for restoration
projects)
EPA
 - E. Rubin (Superfund Sediment Resource Center)
At Large
 - J. Cohen (volunteer, Long Branch Nature Center)

Announcements

L. Morse (NatureServe): Botanical Society of America (BSA) - Annual
Banquet (December 8, 2004, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Institution, Washington DC, 6pm) - open to everyone - register by Dec. 2 -
contact Alan Whittemore (whittema at ars.usda.gov)

E. Rubin (EPA): International Phytotechnologies Conference (April
20-22, 2005, Atlanta, Georgia) - open to everyone - invites PCA
involvement in conference planning - contact Ellen Rubin
(rubin.ellen at epa.gov, 703-603-0141)

Gary Krupnik (Botany Dept, Smithsonian Institution): The Future of Floras
- New Frameworks, New Technologies, New Uses (April 15-16, 2005, National
Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC) -
registration begins December 6, 2004 - see http://persoon.si.edu/sbs/

S. Fredericks (EPA):	Landscaping with Natives (Dec. 6-7, 2004, Chicago
Botanic Garden, Illinois)

Updates on Committee Activities

Alien Plant (APWG, <http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/>) - Olivia:
 - Reorganizing Fact Sheet volunteers
 - Fact sheets are needed on several invasives (including aquatic ones);
if anyone here is interested in doing one, see the website

Medicinal Plant (MPWG, <http://www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal/>) - Patricia
De Angelis (US FWS):
 - Symposium III discussions getting underway - to be held October 2005,
possibly in Utah.  The goal of the symposium is to bring together the
spectrum of people representing the entire supply chain to discuss
sustainable use and conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants.  This
is our 3rd symposium and the planning committee decided to change the
venue this year in order to encourage more botanical raw materials buyers
to participate.  Traditionally, there have been two major groups we have
had trouble getting to the table - the diggers and the major buyers.  We
reasoned that we would need funds for diggers regardless of where we held
the meeting so we decided to move the meeting closer to some major raw
materials buyers.  We anticipate obtaining support of local partners who
have experience in planning large meetings such as this to assist us on
site.  Aveda has once again pledged an excess of $30,000; Aveda has always
been our major funding source.  This year, we plan to get more sponsors in
order to provide scholarships to diggers/harvesters, etc.  See website for
electronic proceedings from Symposium II
(http://www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal/symposium/2003/)
 - MPWG Five Year Review - compiling information for a comprehensive
overview of MPWG's activities since inception in 1999.  Really exciting to
see what we've done.  Once this info is compiled, we need to revamp the
website to make it more accessible.  Currently, the information is
available, but buried in annual reports, appendices, etc.  My goal is to
have the activities organized by field site, for example, our field
projects in NC will all be in one place.

Native Plant Materials Development (NPMD,
<http://www.nps.gov/plants/sos/>) - John Englert (NRCS):
 - Federal agency meeting was held on October 27, 2004, after the Poor
Symposium, at Chicago Botanic Garden
 - Congress gave PCA the role of organizing the NPMD
 - Agencies represented included DoD, USDA-ARS, FHA, EPA, USFWS, no one
from USDA-FS
 - Each agency gave 20 presentation about their uses of and need for
native plant materials
 - Identified high priority needs, current and future directions; some
were short term (such as each agency compiling fact sheets on how they use
native plants, including PCA logo); others were long-range (such as
developing a multiple agency restoration demonstration project)
 - We contracted with CBG to pull all the notes together; once we receive
them we will need to assign leads and timelines
 - Chris Topik also attended (House Appropriations Committee) to hear our
progress and provide perspectives on the future of appropriations for NPMD
 - Other ideas included asking member agencies to assist in funding a
coordinator position, adding specific Member Agency field stations to the
website for those that are doing good work with natives

Public Outreach
 - No report

Restoration (RWG, <http://www.nps.gov/plants/restore/>)
 - No report

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF,
http://www.nps.gov/plants/nfwf/index.htm) - Ellen Lippincott (NFWF):
 - Met in October to review NPCI grants - just getting those through right
now
 - Pulling Together Initiative - received 200 pre-proposals (that's twice
the number received last year)!
 - NFWF hoping to move their awards up to coincide better with field
seasons

MOU - Olivia:
 - BLM has signed on!  Signatories now include: FWS, FS, NPS, FHWA, BLM
 - We have received positive indications from DoD and EPA that it will be
signed, US Army Corps of Engineers also interested in signing
 - De Angelis: EPA had very good outreach materials at the Fed. Cmtee.
Mtg.
 - Scott Fredericks (EPA): Region 5 is very active in revegetating
superfund sites - see announcements for upcoming mtg in Chicago

Poor Symposium - Olivia/Patricia:
 - Ninth symposium sponsored by Janet Meakin Poor
 - About 125 attendees; that's about 25 more than usually attend the Poor
Symposium
 - Great speakers - Patricia briefly discussed each presentation
 - Really great to see the diversity of projects and people involved in
PCA activities; need to have a regular get-together
 - Olivia has copy of program and presentations - to put on website?

Other - Scott Fredericks (EPA):
 - Beyond Hydroseeding, an 8-hour course, will be given to EPA managers
next week but will soon be revamped to 4-hours and made available online
 - Proposes that PCA be involved in a dry run of hydroseeding course
before next PCA mtg (January 2005); will send announcement to Olivia for
listserve
 - Revegetating with Natives will also be put online

Wayne Owen (US FWS):
 - Compiled a list of North American species that are invasive elsewhere -
although due to be unveiled at an upcoming meeting, believes that it could
be made available now

Upcoming Meetings - Patricia
 - January Meeting - looking at having the Garden Club of America speak to
us about the projects/work they are involved in - provide primary
volunteer base for the MPWG projects but also involved at various levels
in other PCA activities; for instance, Janet Meakin Poor is with GCA
 - March Meeting - will try to get speaker from North American Pollinator
Protection Campaign (NAPPC)
 - May or July Meeting - will check on tour of gardens at the National
Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) - tour by Donna House?

Meeting Adjourned.