alpine botany survey: last-minute help needed

[arghman]

A potential hiking partner had to cancel on a botany survey I'm doing this wkend, so I need to find another person (possibly two) to help. Either day (Sat Aug 6 / Sun Aug 7) is OK, I have a slight preference towards Saturday. I can post partial details here, send me an email ASAP if you are interested.

Where: Somewhere in the Presidentials, between 4000-5000 feet. Plenty of time for above-treeline exposure.
What: Visit a site which is near one of the trails. (Some rock-hopping but no bushwhacking.) Help count plants of a particular targeted rare species, measure distances. (Don't worry about the ID, I'll take care of that.)
Start time: I'd prefer 9am but am willing to start as late as 10am.
Distance/el gain stats: Between 7 and 9 miles RT, 2500-3000 feet el gain.
Restrictions: Some of the data gathered will be confidential & public trip reports (here or elsewhere) are not allowed.

 

[carole]

arghmann: I may be interested in Sat. You can send me a PM or email.

 

[arghman]

This is still open...

Again if anyone is potentially interested, but looking for more details, please let me know ASAP & I will send back info on which trail I'm planning on taking. I am reluctant to post publicly.

I can do it alone, but it makes the logistics trickier. This is the last weekend I have in my schedule for a while, & if I wait I won't be able to catch the plant in question in bloom. BTW, this is for New England Wildflower Society.

(carole: tell them I didn't scare you away )

 

[dr_wu002]

This is still open...

Again if anyone is potentially interested, but looking for more details, please let me know ASAP & I will send back info on which trail I'm planning on taking. I am reluctant to post publicly.

I can do it alone, but it makes the logistics trickier. This is the last weekend I have in my schedule for a while, & if I wait I won't be able to catch the plant in question in bloom. BTW, this is for New England Wildflower Society.

(carole: tell them I didn't scare you away )

I'm hiking up Crawford Path on Sunday... should be starting at 7am and expect me to be at Pierce by 8:30am and Eisenhower by 9:30am. If you see me, flag me down and I'll help. I can spare about an hour or so, if you're desperate. Maybe my companions can help too.

-Dr. Wu

 

[carole]

(carole: tell them I didn't scare you away )

Actually I am very interesting in this but had to back out because my knee still hurts a bit (from banging it good last weekend). I did a short hike yesterday no problem but it aches today. I have to find something more mellow this weekend. It sure looks like a great day to be above treeline tomorrow.

 

[arghman]

Mission accomplished ... sort of. Thanks to J. from the Boston area for the help and the car ride. We went looking for what I'll call species X.1, on the NH rare list, which looks annoyingly similar to species X.2 (same habitat, much more common) except for a key characteristic of the flowers... which were past bloom (ARGH!) and it was difficult/impossible to do the site survey properly. We did, however, run across a significant population of species Y, a completely different one on the rare list, tucked in a corner of a seldom-used trail, which I get to report. goody! Serendipity again. :shrug:

A plug for New England Wildflower Society (NEWFS) and their conservation programs: (the blurb below focuses more on invasive plants, but the Plant Conservation Volunteer program which does the rare plant monitoring is also soliciting volunteers. If I had to guess I'd say Maine needs the most help, followed by VT and NH, but that's just a guess.)

Conservation Volunteers Wanted - The Conservation Department of New England Wild Flower Society seeks volunteers to join the Society's award-winning conservation programs including invasive plant mapping, and other critical field projects throughout New England . An important focus is the early detection and response to new invasions. No previous experience is necessary. Comprehensive free training will be provided. Volunteers are especially needed in Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Central and Western Massachusetts