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Revised 05/28/08 |
MBC Spring Foray 2004 - Evening Programs, Field Trips, and Workshops Evening Programs Friday evening (8 p.m.): Bill Martinus (WPC) will provide the backdrop to our weekend explorations in a presentation entitled "Geobotany of the Straits Region".
Saturday evening (8 p.m.): Dr. Ed Voss,
a member of the Huron Valley Chapter and Curator Emeritus of the
University of Michigan Herbarium, will speak on the history of botany in the Upper
Peninsula in a presentation entitled "They Were Here First: Early Botanists
in the U.P." Sunday evening (8 p.m.): Mogens Nielsen will follow up his all-day field trip on Saturday searching for rare Lepidoptera with a presentation entitled "Unique Lepidoptera and Plant Associations of Michigan". Field Trips Pointe Aux Chenes: Picnic on Parabolic Dunes (Saturday all day) Phyllis Higman (RCC, Botanist, MI Natural Features Inventory) will lead you to this Candidate Research Natural Area in the Hiawatha National Forest. Treat yourself to an extensive landscape complex featuring a full buffet of high quality natural communities, including open dunes, interdunal wetlands, Great Lakes marsh, northern fen, dry-mesic northern forest, and wooded dune and swale. The marsh lies in a shallow embayment surrounded by dunes and beach ridges, interspersed with swales and shallow ponds. Overall, this complex provides suitable habitat for at least 14 rare plant and animal species. We will spend the morning poking around in the marshes, ponds, and swales where we are sure to find State and Federal threatened dwarf-lake iris and Houghton’s goldenrod, as well as State Threatened Lake Huron tansy. Bird’s-eye primrose will provide a splendid backdrop, and, if we’re lucky, we might see the first flowers of the season of State Special Concern butterwort! We’ll drive deep into the back dunes in the afternoon and venture into wooded dune and swale territory along the North Country Trail. If time permits, we might also take a peek in the foredunes for a glimpse of the lesser known State Threatened stitchwort (Stellaria longipes). This is a rigorous trip; come prepared to get your feet wet, climb some steep, sandy, bluffs and hike a fair distance. See the aerial photo of Isostatically-raised beaches near Pointe aux Chenes, Lake Michigan, about ten miles northwest of St. Ignace, MI. View to the east. (2Jun66) Pine Plain/Bog Butterflies (Saturday all day) Mogens (“Mo”) Nielsen (Michigan’s foremost expert on Lepidoptera and author of Michigan Butterflies and Skippers) will lead this all-day trip to Paradise Bog and its environs looking specifically for butterflies and diurnal moths. The potential exists to find some of Michigan's rarest Lepidoptera. Overview of Upper Peninsula Flora (Saturday all day) Dr. Ed Voss (HVC, Curator Emeritus, U-Michigan Herbarium) will take participants on a cross-peninsula tour of Whitefish Point, Tahquamenon Falls, and, if time permits, a nice bog in Luce County on the way back. A State Park Motor Vehicle Permit will be required on each vehicle to enter Tahquamenon Falls. The trip will be somewhat integrated with the evening talk. Registration preference for this trip will be to students and those who have not yet participated in a trip with Dr. Voss. Please note that this trip leaves promptly at 8 a.m. Urban Plant Identification and Museums (Saturday a.m.) Tom Trana (lichenologist, botanist) will lead a relaxed walking tour through downtown St. Ignace to open our eyes to the human-influenced plant communities of St. Ignace, possibly visiting a local museum or two, and maybe popping into the local bookshop. How often do we examine the range of plants growing in the urban environment? As a center of human activities, this environment often serves as an ideal disturbed habitat suitable for colonization by nonnative species. It then can serve as a source for these species to spread into outlying regions that are less disturbed, sometimes drastically affecting communities of native plants. Although gardens occasionally serve as a source of exotic species that disrupt the natural environment, they also provide an essential element of aesthetics in the human environment. Great Lakes Marsh Kayak Trip (Saturday and Sunday a.m.) The more adventuresome can explore the marshes of Duck Bay on Marquette Island from a kayak. This exclusive offer from Woods & Water Ecotours for $25 per person will give the complete novice an introduction to safe kayaking practices and at least 2 hours on the water. Refer to the special trip description for more information and complete the additional kayak tour registration form. Additional introductory trips may be added based on demand. Special guided tours can be arranged by calling Woods & Waters Ecotours. Botany of Karst Features in Mackinac County (Saturday and Sunday a.m.) Pteridologist (Fern-specialist) Robert Preston will lead a three-stop tour of karst features in Mackinac County. Karst are generally plateau features formed largely by underground drainage and characterized by caves, steep valleys, sinkholes, and a general lack of surface streams. The trip will include Hart's Tongue Fern habitat, the jointed limestone pavement at Caffee Corner, and a brief visit to the Fiborn Quarry Preserve of the Michigan Karst Conservancy north of Rexton. Birge Nature Preserve (Saturday a.m. and Sunday p.m.) Nadine Cain (local natural historian, TNC volunteer) will lead a pleasant trip to this 168-acre Little Traverse Conservancy parcel dominated by cedar wetlands and hardwood stands. A boardwalk and ¾-mile trail lead to a viewing platform overlooking Loon Lake. According to the donor family, the old wheel road that crosses the property is part of the oldest road in the area. Orchids, lady slippers, asters, marsh-marigold, Indian paintbrush, iris, and bald eagles are among the many species found throughout the preserve. Rails-To-Trails Hike (Saturday p.m.) Elaine Chittenden (RCC, botanist, experience with The Nature Conservancy and W.J. Beal Botanical Garden) will lead a botanical hiking trip along a segment of the St. Ignace - Trout Lake route managed by the Rails-to-Trails (RTT) Conservancy. The trip will focus on signs of recent disturbance, potentially adventive species, and why these species might be adventive versus those that are long established along the trail. The trail surface is crushed stone and listed as wheelchair accessible by RTT Conservancy. Carl A. Gerstacker Preserve (Saturday p.m. and Sunday a.m.) Nadine Cain (local natural historian, TNC volunteer) will lead a tour to this 879-acre Nature Conservancy preserve at Dudley Bay. The preserve features miles of Lake Huron cobbled bedrock beach, Little Trout Lake, interdunal wetlands, conifer swamps, and mixed hardwood forest. Dwarf lake iris, Houghton’s goldenrod, Pitcher’s thistle, and migratory songbirds are among the treasures that may be found here. Grasses and Sedges (Saturday and Sunday p.m.) Dr. Tony Reznicek (HVC, Curator, U-Michigan Herbarium) will lead a group interested primarily in upland and wetland sedges in sites near St. Ignace but to be determined as Spring develops. The focus will be to learn field recognition of common and interesting species, even when only in flower, and to learn the tricks and hints of sedge and grass identification. Upper and Lower Tahquamenon Falls (Sunday all day) Chuck Wade (Biology Faculty, Mott Community College) will take us on an all-day exploration of the Tahquamenon Falls area in search of woody plants and associated flora. We will be hiking on some well used but sometimes rough trails. The new national champion Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum; refer to The Michigan Botanist 41(3)) quietly resides in these woods. A State Park Motor Vehicle Permit will be required on each vehicle to enter Tahquamenon Falls. Summerby Swamp (Sunday a.m.) Elaine Chittenden (RCC, W.J. Beal Botanical Garden) will lead a hardy group to this Candidate Research Natural Area in the Hiawatha National Forest. Summerby Swamp is a large alkaline wetland complex exhibiting a very intact Northern Fen community. It contains numerous plants commonly found in alkaline wetlands as well as protected species. Participants will be able to contrast an acid wetland (bogs seen on other trips) with this excellent example of an alkaline wetland. Be sure to wear boots because the terrain will be wet. Spring Mushrooms of Michigan (Sunday a.m.) Join Dr. Heather Hallen (MSU, Dept. of Plant Biology, research associate specializing in mushroom taxonomy and classification, coauthor of Don’t Pick Poison) and fellow fungal enthusiasts to learn about these fascinating organisms. Some mushrooms form mutually beneficial relationships with trees, while others play a vital role as decomposers. Some are delicious, others are poisonous. All can be entrancing. On the field trip, whose location has not yet been determined, we are likely to see beautiful red cup fungi, delicious morels, and poisonous false morels, as well as many fungal surprises. There will be a cooking demonstration and a prize for the best find(s). Sand Dunes Trail (Sunday p.m.) Linda Swartz (Botanist, Hiawatha National Forest) will lead a short loop hike on the Sand Dunes Trail, just inland from Pointe Aux Chenes, to an interesting minerotrophic (groundwater-fed) seasonal wetland, numerous ombrotrophic (rain-fed) wetlands, and forested dunes. The trip will not be strenuous (no hills!) and lends itself to loop routes of variable lengths. See the aerial photo of Isostatically-raised beaches near Pointe aux Chenes, Lake Michigan, about ten miles northwest of St. Ignace, MI. View to the east. (2Jun66) Fiborn Quarry Preserve (Sunday p.m.) Pteridologist (Fern-specialist) Robert Preston will lead a group to this Michigan Karst Conservancy preserve to investigate the area in more detail (see Botany of Karst Features trip description). Lichen Foray (Sunday p.m.) Tom Trana (lichenologist) will lead a field trip to areas local to the Straits of Mackinac, which has one of the richest lichen floras of any part of Michigan, to locate lichens "large and small." One goal will be to find some lichens growing in places where you didn't realize something was growing! There will also be some discussion of lichen reproduction, propagation, and ecology. If you have a hand lens or even a magnifying lens of at least 3X magnification (though 5-10X is better), bring it along; you will only be able to see details of some of the species with a lens of some type. However, the group can share magnifiers; don't let the lack of one keep you from participating! Note that this will probably not be a physically demanding trip; more definite information will be available at the Foray. Workshops Algae Identification and Ecology (Saturday a.m.) Rick Carter (PhD candidate, Bowling Green State University) will teach you the basics of algae identification, a subject important to his study of the effects of zebra mussel invasion in northern Lake Michigan. Northern Michigan has some of the country's most diverse aquatic ecosystems considering the Great Lakes, numerous hard water inland lakes, bogs, fens, cedar swamps and rivers of all flow velocities and substrates. Each of these habitats has a unique algal flora. Rick will give a brief overview of what the term algae encompasses and then go in to specific habitats and the ecological factors that determine the flora that characterizes these habitats. Special emphasis will be directed to acidophyllic genera found in bogs, as they are some of the most beautiful and diverse genera. Plant Pressing (Saturday p.m.) Carol Phelps (WPC) will demonstrate the process of properly collecting, pressing, and using plants for a variety of purposes, including herbarium specimens, note paper, bookmarks, placemats, and even lampshades! Fresh and dried plants will be available to practice the art of pressing, mounting, and labeling plants. Lichenized Fungi - Textures on the Landscape (Sunday a.m.) Tom Trana (lichenologist) will present a slide show covering basic aspects of lichen biology, morphology, ethnobotany, and some of the ecological roles that lichens fill. After that, there will be lots of demonstration specimens on display to illustrate the range of growth forms and the morphological structures important in lichen biology and identification, as well as a section showing some of the common species likely to be seen in the area. Some hands-on activities may be available as well. Few people ever consciously think about lichens, yet if all lichens were suddenly removed from the world, only the most oblivious could fail to notice a drastic change in the aesthetic nature of both natural and some human-made environments. If you have a hand lens, please bring it to this workshop. Legal Land Descriptions & Shakespeare’s Flora (Sunday p.m.) Aylene Goddard (SWC, retired junior high and community college teacher, and docent for NC Conservancy, KBS Forest, and a Fish and Wildlife Refuge) will present a unique two-part workshop. The first part will focus on the story of accurately describing your location, whether it is a rare plant population or interesting natural feature, and will include a short video entitled “Surveying Michigan.” The second part will be a botanical exploration of Shakespeare’s literary works. Be sure to bring your favorite field guide to this workshop!
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