<div dir="ltr"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-ce9d2668-7fff-9036-77bb-7cbf5170e36b"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Submissions are now being accepted for abstracts for an oral or poster presentation at the 2019 Rare Plant Task Force Meeting, being held on April 11th and 12th at Archbold Biological Station. This year’s theme is "Planting Seeds: Enhancing Plant Conservation Efforts through Outreach and Education" and invitations are now open for abstracts for oral presentations focusing on education and outreach efforts that have enhanced ongoing plant conservation efforts or perhaps even started new initiatives, in addition to any novel techniques, approaches, or technological advances that have made outreach and education easier or more effective. However, all plant conservation-related submissions will be considered based on merit. </span><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Please submit all abstracts by Jan 31, 2019.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Date/location: April 11-12, 2019</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(84,141,212);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">What will you learn?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Bok Tower Gardens, and Archbold Biological Station are</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">pleased to announce the 2019 Florida Rare Plant Task Force sponsored by the Florida</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry. Each year, the Rare</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Plant Task Force of Florida serves as the place for Florida’s professional plant conservation</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">community to share ideas, discuss, prioritize, and coordinate ongoing plant conservation efforts</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">around the state.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Thursday, April 11, 2019 will offer a full-day program featuring oral presentations and tours of</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">ABS facilities followed by an afternoon meeting of the Florida Plant Conservation Alliance. On</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Friday, April 12, 2019, there will be optional field trips to local rare plant habitats and other</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">points of interest.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">This year’s meeting will feature a keynote address from Edwin Bridges, entitled “Multiplying our networks: Harnessing social media to develop citizen scientists”. Edwin has made an profound effort to educate those interested in Florida botany and ecology through social media that has connected plant enthusiasts and professionals alike, personally unlocking his own mental database for us all to explore and providing a platform for informative discourse on a number of plant-related topics on a number of levels.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">More Information: </span><a href="https://boktowergardens.org/conservation/rare-plant-task-force/" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">https://boktowergardens.org/conservation/rare-plant-task-force/</span></a></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To submit an abstract for an oral or poster presentation please limit content to 250 words. Indicate whether this is an oral or poster presentation. Oral presentations will be 15 minutes in length. Presenters are encouraged to allow up to 5 minutes for questions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:Arial;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Please submit abstracts and direct any questions to Jimmy Lange, jlange at <a href="http://fairchildgarden.org">fairchildgarden.org</a> with any questions.</span></p></span><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><font color="#0c343d" style="font-size:12.8px">Leah Prescott</font><div style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="color:rgb(12,52,61);font-size:12.8px">Bureau of Land Management</span><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="color:rgb(12,52,61);font-size:12.8px">Plant Conservation & Restoration Program </span></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="color:rgb(12,52,61);font-size:12.8px">Data Coordinator</span><span style="color:rgb(12,52,61);font-size:12.8px"><br></span></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><font color="#0c343d">202-912-7232</font></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/national-seed-strategy" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:12.8px" target="_blank">National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration</a><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><a href="http://www.plantconservationalliance.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:12.8px" target="_blank">Plant Conservation Alliance</a><br></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:12.8px"><a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/native-plant-and-seed-material-development/collection" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Seeds of Success</a></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>