[RWG] RSVP: Plant Conservation Alliance e-Meeting, January 8, 2025, 2-4pm ET, with Speaker Tony Romano

[Krone, Elizabeth C]

***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<https://www.plantconservationalliance.org/meetings>.

*** 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<https://teams.microsoft.com/downloads>.

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<https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/programs_natural-resources_native-plant-communities_national-seed-strategy_pca_Framework_6.11.2020.pdf>: 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)



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