2020
Sponsored by the Montana Native Plant Society &
the Montana Natural Heritage Program
April 8 – 9
GranTree Inn
Bozeman, Montana.
Join us at the GranTree Inn in Bozeman for the 2020 Plant Conservation Conference.
- Conference Registration Form to print out (has all the information you need).
- Online Registration now available – scroll down for online registration form. Payment by credit card or PayPal account through PayPal.
- Governmental Offices that must have an invoice for payment authorization should contact MNPS Treasurer, Shannon Kimball [shannonfitzkimball@gmail.com] to request one.
- (You will need to arrange accommodations separately – see below.)
Conference Overview
The first day of the conference will be a symposium of scientists presenting their experiences monitoring plants, plant communities and pollinators in attempts to understand the effects of Climate Change in the Northern Rocky Mountains and elsewhere.
The second day of the conference will be a workshop to complete the update of the Montana Native Plant Society threats assessment for Natural Heritage Program species of concern (SOC) list, providing new information on distribution and threats and suggestions for rank changes We began this process at the 2018 conference and hope to finish. Amateur and professional botanists alike can contribute to both workshops and help protect our state’s natural heritage.
And please bring your own water bottle and cup for coffee or tea—this is a conservation conference!
For a downloadable copy of all the information, click on Proceedings of the 2020 Plant Conservation Conference.
Detailed Conference Schedule
Wednesday, April 8
9:30-9:45 Welcome and Introduction to Symposium
Gretchen Rupp, MNPS president Moderator: Chantelle DeLay, Flathead National Forest
9:45-10:10 The Future Climate and Distribution of Plant Species in Montana
Bruce Maxwell, Montana State University
10:10-10:35 Monitoring Changing Ecotones in Wetlands.
Dave Hanna The Nature Conservancy
10:35-10:50 Break
10:50-11:30 Southern Margin Populations: Looking for Early Signs of Global Warming
Peter Lesica, University of Montana
11:30-11:55 Climate Change Monitoring Above Treeline: Baby Steps in the Anaconda Range. Jessie Salix, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
11:55-12:30 The USA-NPN: A National Network for Collecting, Storing, and Sharing Phenology Data and Information
Erin Posthumus, USA National Phenology Network
12:30-1:30 Lunch (Conference lunch available with registration by April 1 or on your own)
1:30-1:55 Hager Lake Fen Monitoring; Sixty Years of Change
Derek Antonelli, Idaho Master Naturalist Program
1:55-2:20 Insights on GLORIA Sites,
Martha Apple, Montana Tech
2:20-2:45 Challenges and Strategies for Long-tern Plant Monitoring
Brian Smithers, Montana State University
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00-3:25 Western Bumblebee Sampling Initiative
Tabitha Graves, USGS Glacier Field Station
3:25-3:50 Monitoring for the Effects of Climate Change on Plants Pollinators and their Interactions.
Laura Burkle, Montana State University
Thursday, April 9
Andrea Pipp, Botanist, Montana Natural Heritage Program and Peter Lesica, Conservation Chair, Montana Native Plant Society.
Andrea will present a short update on the status of Montana’s plant Species of Concern (SOC) and Potential Species of Concern (PSOC). The attending group will contribute information on threats and and related data that are used to assign threat and species ranks. Please review the Montana Threat Ranks posted on the conservation page of the MNPS website. An update to the threats ranks will be posted by March 16, 2020. Please review this information before the meeting and be prepared to contribute any new data or thoughts during the discussion. This process helps to improve the SOC/PSOC listings, which agencies and NGOs use to direct conservation actions.
10:15-10:30 Break
10:30-12:00 Workshop continued Threats and Ranks of Montana’s Plant Species of Concern
12:00-1:00 Lunch (on your own – see below)
1:00-3:00 Workshop continued Threats and Ranks of Montana’s Plant Species of Concern
Accommodations
(with approximate costs)
GranTree Inn 866-487-3177 ($97 booked prior to March 7)
Hilton Garden Inn 582-9900 $126
Holiday Inn 587-4561 $99
C’Mon Inn 587-3555 $99
Ramada Inn 585-2626 $79
Comfort Inn 587-2322 $114
Microtel 586-3797 $74
Super 8 586-1521 $80
Thursday Lunch On-Your-Own
On-site GranTree Restaurant ($12-$16)
Bobcat Burgers, 1417 N. 7th Ave
Santa Fe Reds (Mexican), 1235 N. 7th Ave
Farmers’ Daughters Café, 510 N. 7th Ave
Fork & Spoon Restaurant, 302 N. 7th Ave
Applebee’s Grill, 1108 N. 7th Ave
This is a biennial project of the Montana Native Plant Society. The 10th Conference was held in 2018 in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service & the Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana’s biennial Plant Conservation Conference treats emerging issues in applied botany for managers, scientists, students, and plant enthusiasts. The first day of the meeting was a symposium on Montana’s threatened plants, including the potential ESA listing of whitebark pine and the delisting of water Howelia. Abstracts for the presentations are available in the 2018 Conference Proceedings.
For information about threat rankings and a taxonomial update, see the threat assignment page
Links to Proceedings: 2016 Conference Proceedings; 2014 Conference Proceedings; and here for the 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012 conferences.
