By Julian Campbell
Conservation is a primary interest of KNPS, as stated in the mission statement and elsewhere, but what are its precise goals for “education, preservation, and protection of Kentucky’s native plants and ecological systems”? Are we just going to accept goals developed by government, or will we seek a more cooperative discussion? Without clear goals, how can we assess progress?
Natural Heritage Programs were developed for each state government about 50 years ago through partnerships with The Nature Conservancy. There is a need to revive this system through stronger grass-roots interactions, inviting all people committed to our native flora and fauna. There is now greater potential for more effective flow of new information through networks of observers. The NHP (as managed by Nature Preserves in Kentucky) was initially envisaged as an integrated system of databases, linking records at whole site level (prioritized lands and waters for conservation), habitat level (including degraded types for restoration), and species level (especially those rare natives deserving recovery). There was also an elaborate system for maintaining stewardship records, but never widely adopted. Priorities for action have become relatively clear at site and species levels in most of our 120 counties. However, the habitat level generally needs a lot more work to define types in an understandable manner, to design restoration of degraded types, and to keep track of progress.
KNPS could become the botanical glue that builds (or mends) the network we need in Kentucky. It is particularly important to seek more interaction among the few scattered professional botanists, restorationists and horticulturalists interested in promoting natives. There has not been enough bonding between such varied groups of ‘plants-people’ in the state. It is of course difficult for KNPS to work across the whole state, but we could start at more amenable regional or local scales.
I have become increasingly interested in the potential for county-based efforts in conservation planning. KNPS and Nature Preserves could play a central role. In brief, I envisage that we—with partners—would focus on a few counties at first, perhaps starting with Fayette as a model. We could begin this winter. We would host a one-day meeting for each county, developing clear goals for conservation and assessing progress with following agenda.
1. Invite all professional and amateur people interested in direct action, aiming to get 10-100 key people. I would contribute $500 for refreshments and supplies. I am sure we could get more donations to cover short-term expenses, and grants for subsequent follow-up.
2. There would be a tabling room for informal standing conversations, and there would be another room for more formal presentations and seated discussions among participants.
3. Each relevant organization (or significant individual) would get 5 minutes for introductory remarks, focusing initially on suggestions for a collaborative map to show priorities for design and care of more natural areas in the county. We would indicate the range of potential wildness, from strict preserves to strips of riparian or roadside corridor with varied types of plantings.
4. We would allow a few hours in middle of the meeting for presentations and discussions of how to define natural habitats in most need of restoration, and how to manage them. Issues would be at least outlined if not resolved—these include difficult matters concerning areas set aside for old growth forest (ideally with removal of aliens), streams or wetlands (with or without beaver), and grassland or shrubland or open woodland (with browsing, burning or mowing at best season).
5. We would finish by reviewing less common native species that deserve recovery and more invasive aliens that deserve reduction. In addition to background with lists of species, which would be presented in the tabling room, there would be brief presentations on case studies.
In subsequent follow-up and field trips, we would continue to refine this material. We would develop an educational booklet (and website) on “Natural History and Conservation Planning in ___ County”. Such booklets would be produced and revised in partnership with Nature Preserves staff, linked to databases as much as possible. They would become an essential resource!
If you are interested in working with Julian Campbell on this concept or if you have any questions or ideas of your own, you can email him at julian.campbell@twc.com or call him at (859) 229-7711.
Julian Campbell is a botanist, a founding member of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, and creator of the Kentucky Plant Atlas.