FALL PROGRAMS

Saturday, November 4, 2:00 pm

"Adventures in Alaska: f= rom Prudhoe Bay to Homer"

by Judy Kelly, Henry Ford Community College Biology professor and HVC member. Judy has been to Alaska three times on Chautauqua short courses for college professors, sponsored by the National Science Foundatio= n. She took a course on Energy Development in the Arctic for which she visited= the Prudhoe Bay oilfields. She also studied = the Ecology of South-central Alaska, and this last summer she took a course on Glaciers in Alaska. She will touch a little on each of= these subjects in her presentation which will be accompanied by some excellent slides.

Saturday, December 2, 2:00 pm

TBA

MEETING LOCATION

We will meet at the Carl Sandburg Branch Li= brary in Livonia. It is located at 30100 W. Seven Mile Rd. This is just west of Middlebelt. See the map on the back. These two meetings will be on S= ATURDAY since this library is not open on Sunday. There is plenty of free parking j= ust outside the door. Join us thi= s fall and bring a friend. Refreshme= nts will be provided after each program. =

FALL FIELD TRIP

SUNDAY, OCT. 15, 2 pm

GOLDEN PRESERVE

OAKLAND= LAND CONSERVANCY<= span style=3D'font-family:Shruti'>

The preserve is a beautiful mix of prairie, oak woodland and wetlands in the headwaters of the Shiawas= see River. Natural communities include: dry sand prairie, dry-mesic southern forest, oak barre= ns (restoration in progress), southern swamp, prairie fen, southern wet meadow, emergent marsh and ponds. The preserve was purchased by The Nature Conserva= ncy in 2002 and held for The Oakland Land Conservancy until 2006. Prescribed fi= re (and periodic wildfires created from the adjacent railroad tracks), woody r= eduction and spot weed control are some management tools used.Golden Preserve is in = Springfield Township= , southeast of Davisburg, in northwest Oakland County (near 11406 Clark Road, Davisburg, MI 48350-26= 00). The dirt road into the parking are= a is east of the Clark Rd./Grand Trunk Railroad intersection.Directions (from southern Oakland County): 1-75 North to Dixie Hwy. = (Exit 93), Left to Big Lake Rd.<= /st1:address> Right on Big Lake Rd. to Clark Rd.= (Big Lake Rd. turns to the left, Clark R= d. is straight). Follow Clark= Rd. about 3 miles to RR tracks (Clark Rd. makes a couple of turns, keep an eye out f= or the road signs). Parking in preserve along dirt road on right before RR tra= cks.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS

OF INTEREST

Royal Oak Nature Society meetings a= t the Royal Oak Senior/Community Center, 3500 Marais, Call (248) 246-3380 for more information.

Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 pm, <= b>Eastern Bluebirds in Oakland County

Eastern bluebird populations have declined precipitously since the 1950s. Bluebird numbers are slowly growing in Oakland County, thanks to the efforts of volunteers who have established and maintained bluebird nest box trails in some of the county and city parks. Learn more a= bout how we can help bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds like screech owls = and kestrels. Mary Karshner, a Royal Oak libra= rian, and her husband have volunteered for twenty years setting up and maintaining nest box trails at Independence, Orion, an= d Addison Oaks County Parks and Lloyd= Stage Nature Center. Mary will share nest box bas= ics and interesting bluebird encounters.

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Michigan Botanical Club, Huron Val= ley Chapter meetings at Matthaei Botanical Gardens auditorium, 180= 0 N. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor. Call = (734) 663-5667 for more information.

Monday, October 16, 7:45 pm Fos= sils, Molecular Clocks and the Origins of Tropical Rainforest Tree Diversity = by Christopher Dick, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Herbari= um, University of Michigan, and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Tropical rainforests are renowned = for their taxonomic diversity and species richness of trees. For example, over 1000 tree specie= s are documented in small forest inventory plots (~25 hectares) in the Amazon Basin and Southeast Asia. While ecologists have addressed the question of how so many species can co-exist in spite of competition for similar resources, the evolutionary question of why there are so many speci= es in the first place has received less attention.

Chris will discuss how advances in molecular systematics and fossil dating of tropical tree lineages has recen= tly advanced our understanding of the age and geographic origins of tropical rainforest diversity.

Monday, November 20, Plans for = making the University of Michigan Herbarium a better resource for local = and global research on plant diversity, by Paul Berry, Director of the Herbarium, University of Michigan

OFFICER POSITION= OPEN=

Unfortunately, our SEC vice-presid= ent has resigned due to other obligations.&nbs= p; We are seeking a new person to fill the remainder of the term through July 31, 2007. If you are interested in the position, please call or e-mail Alice Ward at (248) 673-1= 183 or aehward@comcast.net

MANUSCRIPTS FOR THE

MICHIGAN BOTANIST

SEC members and others are encouraged to submit manuscripts to= the Botanist. If you know of anyo= ne, especially students, who might have study results or thesis topics that wou= ld make a good manuscript, please encourage them to write it up and submit it = to the Botanist. Many profession= als have published their first paper in the Botanist, and these have enriched t= he journal and the Club, in addition to their impact on our understanding of t= he botany and natural history of Michigan a= nd the wider Great Lakes region. For guidelines, examples of style = and where to submit articles, check some recent issues of the Botanist.

If members of the club have saved their Botanist issues over t= he years and are wondering what to do with them, consider donating them to your local college library or nature center.&nb= sp; This is a great way to generate interest in botany and the Club.

The following letters were received from the two University of Michigan-Dearborn students that the Southeastern Chapter sponsored to the 2= 006 Spring Foray at the Indiana Dunes.

Dear Michigan Botanical Club Members:

My name is Emily Johnson and I am a student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn studying Environ= mental Land Use under Dr. Orin Gelderloos. This year your generosity sent me to the Spring Foray held in Michigan = City, Indiana. While there I atte= nded numerous field trips starting at the Indiana Dunes State Park Saturday morning, where we saw numerous species of plants as well as a very quick ribbon snake! That afternoon I had the privilege of going on a Fungi tour of an area of Dune Acres with John Rippon leading the way. As I have a special fondness for the fungus we live with this was an exciting opportunity for me.

On Sunday we had exceptionally warm weather for my all day tri= p to Kankakee Sands Preserve, led by Gus Nyberg. We were taken out to the Nature Conservancy’s prairie restoration and shown how they manage the land = and plant with seeds they collect themselves. It was a large and amazing operat= ion that I have a great respect for, especially for the seed separators, it loo= ked like tedious work! It was an interesting day to say the least.

I would like to say thank you to all of the wonderful people of the Botany club who put the foray together. Everyone was very kind and eage= r to make myself and the other students feel at ease. To all of the members, tha= nk you for this scholarship opportunity, your generosity, and a great weekend.=

Now I can’t wait for next year!

Sincerely,

Emily Johnson

Dear Michigan Botanical Club Members:<= /o:p>

I would like to thank the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the Michigan Botanical Club for choosing me as one of t= wo students from the area to attend the 2006 Foray in <= st1:City w:st=3D"on">Michigan City, Indiana. My experience over the Foray weeke= nd was both fun and educational and I met many wonderful and interesting people. The location in Northern Indiana was excellent for learning first hand about succession= , a subject that I had previously had little exposure to. One aspect of the weekend I most appreciated was the variety of topics covered in the field trips. The field trips I attended include= d a hike through thousands of years of dune ecological development, a tour of a unique bog environment, bird watching, and of course a look at many wonderf= ul plant species of the region. = One trip I especially enjoyed was to the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve, where= we were shown multiple aspects of the planned community and its ecological restoration. With sustainable development being a main focus of my educational and career goals, I was pleasantly surprised to find a trip that fit so well with my interests.

Thank you again for choosing me for the scholarship and allowi= ng me to attend the foray. I gre= atly appreciate the experience and continue to tell people of my experiences.

All the best!

Traci Asher

The scarlet of maples can shake me=

<= span style=3D'font-family:Shruti;color:black'>like a cry

Of bugles going by.

And my lonely spirit thrills<= /o:p>

To see the frosty asters like smok= e

<= span style=3D'font-family:Shruti;color:black'>upon the hills.<= /i>

<= span style=3D'font-family:Shruti;color:black'>William Bliss