The Field Studies committee sponsors plant inventories and other studies by CoNPS members or authorized non-members or groups. The Committee maintains records of species identified and makes plant lists available to CoNPS members as well as other interested persons as a means of furthering knowledge and appreciation of our native Colorado flora.
For information about the Field Studies Committee, please email Steve Popovich, Field Studies Chair or call him: 970-295-6641.
CoNPS 2008 Field Studies
Welcome to the CoNPS Field Studies web page. We are planning a healthy 2008 field studies program.
The Colorado Native Plant Society annually collaborates with various agencies, academic institutions, and other partners in field studies to promote the conservation and management of Colorado’s rare plants.
You are invited to participate in conducting field studies, such as, performing general plant inventories in rare habitats, counting or monitoring rare plants at known sites, assisting Master’s or PhD students in collecting field data about rare plants they are studying, or performing focused field surveys for a particular target species.
Field trips are lead by a CoNPS coordinator or person conducting the study. Trips are typically one or two days in length and may require overnight stays. Field sites can be anywhere in Colorado.
Field studies are a rewarding and hands-on way to view Colorado’s rare plants in their habitats, and your help contributes to the understanding of their ecology, distribution, and conservation needs.
To help defray travel costs, CoNPS funds are available to those who participate and request the assistance: In 2008, a $50 stipend can be awarded to travelers for each day in the field. An additional $50 can be awarded for preparation of a field studies report that may be used in the CoNPS newsletter and on this web site. The report should briefly discuss the experiences of the attendees and general field findings. There is a limit of four $50 stipends for enthusiastic individuals and one $50 stipend for a report per trip.
Please note that there are a limited number of openings (usually 5-15) for each trip and you must contact the trip leader to participate in any trip. Accommodations and food typically are not provided for participants on Field Studies trips; you will get details about these when you sign-up.
In 2008 the Colorado Native Plant Society will participate in several field studies, with at least one field trip on the west slope and one on the east slope. Trip agendas are posted below.
CoNPS 2008 Field Studies Trips
May 17: Search Bonny Lake State Park for Botrychium campestre (Prairie Moonwort)
As of May 12, there is only one opening left on this trip.
Join Moonwort specialists Peter Root, Erica Smith, Steve Popovich, and a Colorado State Parks staff person to look for this diminutive and interesting fern ally. The Prairie Moonwort is one of Colorado’s rarest and smallest plants, and has not been seen above ground at Bonny Reservoir, the State’s only confirmed site, for numerous years. Last summer, the team failed to detect this hard-to-find plant, even though soil samples collected during the trip by the State revealed below-ground presence. This year we will attempt to find plants in the plots where soil samples showed material.
We will discuss the life cycle and habitat requirements of this plant and general prairie ecology, and will spend a half day searching for the Moonwort. Patience and bending down or searching on all fours is required!
Bonny Lake State Park is several hours drive east of Denver near Kansas. We will car pool from Denver.
Partners:The trip is sponsored by a partnership of the Colorado Native Plant Society, the Colorado State Parks, the Colorado Natural Areas Program, and the United States Forest Service.
For information and reservations email Steve Popovich or call him: 970-295-6641.
May 22-23: Inventory for Oenothera acutissima (Flaming Gorge Evening Primrose)
Join Denver Botanic Gardens and Bureau of Land Management staff to survey and inventory populations of the rare Flaming Gorge Evening Primrose in Moffat County. We will be visiting known populations of this plant which have not been visited in recent years. At each site, we will conduct surveys in order to gain a better understanding of the number of individuals in each population.
This is a two-day field trip to the NW corner of the state. Conditions vary, and there is a possibility of long, hot days (90+ degrees is possible) with minimal shade. We will be staying overnight near the study sites. Accommodations and food typically are not provided for participants on Field Studies trips; you will get details about these when you sign-up. There is the possibility of carpooling from the Denver area if participants are interested. Due to the nature of the work, participation is limited to 4 individuals.
Partners: The trip is sponsored by a partnership of the Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver Botanic Gardens, the Colorado Natural Areas Program, and the Bureau of Land Management.
For information and reservations email Jenny Neale or call her: 720-865-3562.
June 12-14, 19-24, 26-28: Pollination Biology of Penstemon degeneri (Degener’s Penstemon)
Royal Gorge Bridge near Canyon City
Join Carol English, Masters student, for two or more days to observe pollinator behavior and capture bees visiting this rare elusive Penstemon. You can stay in a hotel in Canon City or camp near the study site. You are guaranteed to learn much regarding this and related Penstemon species!
Note: this study is highly dependent on exact blooming timing, so dates may shift due to flowering times.
Partners: the Colorado Native Plant Society,the United States Forest Service, and the University of Colorado at Denver.
For information and reservations email Carol English or call her: 303-697-3349.
July 4-18 Pollination Biology of Penstemon degeneri (Degener’s Penstemon)
Locke Park in the Wet Mountains south of Canyon City
Join Carol English, Masters student, for two or more days to observe pollinator behavior and capture bees visiting this rare elusive Penstemon. You can stay in a hotel in Canon City or camp near the study site. You are guaranteed to learn much regarding this and related Penstemon species!
Note: this study is highly dependent on exact blooming timing, so dates may shift due to flowering times.
Partners: the Colorado Native Plant Society, University of Colorado at Denver, and United States Forest Service.
For information and reservations email Carol English or call her: 303-697-3349.
July 10-11: Survey for Penstemon penlandii (Penland’s Penstemon)
Join Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado Natural Areas staff to survey and inventory populations of the federally endangered Penland’s Penstemon near Kremmling. We will be visiting known populations of the plant which have not been visited in recent years. At each site, we will conduct surveys in order to gain a better understanding of the number of individuals in each population.
This is a two-day field trip. Conditions vary, and there is a possibility of long, hot days (90+ degrees is possible) with minimal shade. We will be staying overnight near the study sites. Accommodations and food typically are not provided for participants on Field Studies trips; you will get details about these when you sign-up. There is the possibility of carpooling from the Denver area if participants are interested. Due to the nature of the work, participation is limited to 4 individuals.
Partners: The trip is sponsored by a partnership of the Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver Botanic Gardens, the Colorado Natural Areas Program, and the Bureau of Land Management.
For information and reservations email Jenny Neale or call her: 720-865-3562.
August 2: Wetlands Inventory in Mount Zirkel Wilderness
This trip will be a botanical reconnaissance of Jonah, Whale, Martha, and Shoestring subalpine lakes in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area of the Routt National Forest.
Join John Proctor and Steve Popovich (Forest Service Botanists) and Denise Culver (Colorado Natural Heritage Program Ecologist) in conducting a general inventory (perhaps including rare plants) at interesting wetlands. We will help produce a plant species list, complete Element Occurrence Records for plant species and plant communities we observe that are either tracked by Colorado Natural Heritage Program or by Routt National Forest, and complete survey documentation including rare plant species targeted, rare plant species found, and rare plant habitats encountered. Participants do not have to have a knowledge of wetland species.
Because the area is in designated wilderness, limit is 12 participants. We will strictly adhere to all “leave no trace” practices.
Lake visits require up to a 2.5 mile round trip along developed and undeveloped trails, with an elevation change of about 300 feet. The trailhead is at about 10,300 feet. Be prepared for subalpine climate, which can change quickly.
Partners: The trip is sponsored by a partnership of the Colorado Native Plant Society, United States Forest Service, and Colorado Natural Heritage Program.
For information and reservations email Steve Popovich or call him: 970-295-6641.