From patricia_deangelis at fws.gov Mon Jan 6 08:36:11 2025 From: patricia_deangelis at fws.gov (De Angelis, Patricia) Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2025 14:36:11 +0000 Subject: [RWG] PUBLIC COMMENT by Jan 16, 2025 // US preparations for next CITES meeting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The next meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20) will take place from November 24 to December 5, 2025. On December 26, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published its second Federal Register notice outlining U.S. preparations for CoP20. For more information, please visit: USFWS Federal Register Notices. The Notice covers taxa being considered for amendments to the CITES Appendices, as well as proposed resolutions, decisions, and agenda items. An extended table of taxa is posted on the USFWS website, providing a comprehensive list of the species being considered and explaining the rationale for the United States' current positions. The USFWS will consider written information and comments submitted through the Federal Register Notice by January 16, 2025. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From elizabeth_krone at fws.gov Mon Jan 6 14:25:24 2025 From: elizabeth_krone at fws.gov (Krone, Elizabeth C) Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2025 20:25:24 +0000 Subject: [RWG] RSVP: Plant Conservation Alliance e-Meeting, January 8, 2025, 2-4pm ET, with Speaker Tony Romano Message-ID: ***RSVP*** Please RSVP to attend our first PCA meeting of 2025 where we welcome Tony Romano, Botanist, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, who will discuss ?Remnant Habitat and Rare Species Along Kentucky?s Roadsides?. ABOUT THE PRESENTATION: Roadsides are increasingly recognized for their potential conservation value. In Kentucky, roadside habitats can support rare plant species, high quality natural communities, and important resources for pollinating insects including monarch butterflies and native bees. If these resources are not identified and incorporated into management plans, they can be vulnerable to harmful management actions and potentially degrade. In 2020, the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP), in partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), began a 5-year habitat survey of the state highway system. Since 2020, our team surveyed nearly 30,000 miles of roads for pollinator habitat, rare plants, and remnant native plant communities. OKNP utilized flexible rapid assessment methods to identify, map, and evaluate the quality of roadside habitats. Along the way we documented hundreds of rare plant populations and high-quality pollinator habitats. This survey has produced a baseline data set that can inform and improve roadside management in sensitive areas. As a result of these efforts, OKNP has coordinated with KYTC district managers to prioritize the highest quality sites and designate them as roadside conservation areas with special management requirements. This program is a critical first step in realizing the potential conservation value of rights-of-way along Kentucky state highways, but there are still challenges ahead. ABOUT OUR PRESENTER: Tony Romano is a botanist and geographer with a passion for exploring wild places and learning about our shared natural heritage. He studied geography at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (M.S.) and has 15 years of experience in conservation land management, habitat assessments, and botanical study. At the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves he conducts botanical inventories, rare species surveys and monitoring, and coordinates conservation efforts with land managers and partners. Most of all he loves revealing and educating others about the fascinating biogeographic patterns and incredible diversity that occurs all around us. This meeting is held remotely and open to all. More information about the presentation can be found on our PCA Meetings page. *** PLEASE RSVP TO ATTEND THIS MEETING *** RSVP by Tuesday, January 7, to elizabeth_krone at fws.gov The meeting login details will be shared with all respondents via calendar invite and email by Tuesday January 7. This meeting will be hosted using Microsoft Teams. You will be able to join the meeting from the web or via the Microsoft Teams app. The PCA general meetings are open to everyone and follow this format: >Updates on PCA Activities - learn about and get engaged in the Plant Conservation Alliance >Invited Speaker ? a topical presentation to explore any of the six focal areas identified in the PCA National Framework for Progress: collaborative conservation; education; restoration; research and development; sustainability; and information sharing >Native Plants Roundtable - all participants are encouraged to share information on national native plant events and activities ? This meeting is brought to you by the Plant Conservation Alliance Speaker Organizing Team ? Gary Krupnick (Smithsonian Institution) / David Lincicome (Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation) / Elizabeth Krone (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) / Gina Zweng (Bureau of Land Management) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From patricia_deangelis at fws.gov Mon Jan 6 15:33:01 2025 From: patricia_deangelis at fws.gov (De Angelis, Patricia) Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2025 21:33:01 +0000 Subject: [RWG] CORRECTION: PUBLIC COMMENT by Jan 27, 2025 // US preparations for next CITES meeting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: **A correction was published today, updating the public comment period to close on January 27, 2025 (instead of January 16, as stated in the previous email). The corrected FR Notice can be accessed here: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-HQ-IA-2024-0033.** Below are the key details from the previous message: The next meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20) will take place from November 24 to December 5, 2025. On December 26, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published its second Federal Register notice outlining U.S. preparations for CoP20. For more information, please visit: USFWS Federal Register Notices. The Notice covers taxa being considered for amendments to the CITES Appendices, as well as proposed resolutions, decisions, and agenda items. An extended table is posted on the USFWS website, providing a comprehensive list of the species being considered and explaining the rationale for the United States' current views. The USFWS will consider written information and comments submitted through the UPDATE Federal Register Notice by January 27, 2025. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rbarak at chicagobotanic.org Wed Jan 22 17:16:32 2025 From: rbarak at chicagobotanic.org (Rebecca Barak) Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2025 23:16:32 +0000 Subject: [RWG] Reminder: Survey on seed banking goals and practices: Seeking participants! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello, thank you to those of you who have already participated in our seed banking survey. We wanted to send out a reminder about the survey. Please see below for more information: *** We are seeking participants for a survey on seed banking goals and practices in the United States, focused on banking native seed for conservation and restoration. Purpose: To gather information from seed banks on their goals and practices for seed collection, testing, and storage. We hope to better understand the diversity of seed banks and seed banking practices across the United States. Who: Seed banks in the United States. Ideally we would receive one response per seed bank from the individual that works most closely on seed banking activities. Seed banks of any size are welcome to participate. What: One web-based survey (should take approximately 10 minutes) Survey link here: https://northwestern.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Vxvqve12iNv726 Please take the survey and share with relevant colleagues. If you do not work with a seed bank, we would greatly appreciate your help in connecting us with a seed bank or seed bank professionals in your network by sharing the survey with them. This survey was created by Sarah Hollis, a master's student in Plant Biology and Conservation at Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden, and Dr. Becky Barak in partnership with the Standards and Practices and Liaison subcommittees of the National Association for Restoration Seed Banks. For any questions related to the survey, please reach out to Sarah at shollis at chicagobotanic.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: