WALK NOTES REGISTRATION & FEES: Pre-registration is required for all events with fees (and sometimes for those without fees). CONFIRMATION: Registered participants will receive directions to the site and more details prior to the event by EMAIL OR BY PHONE IF NECESSARY. DIFFICULTY: Our walks are rated "easy," "moderate," or "strenuous" for your guidance in selecting events. These levels are for people of average physical ability who are in good health. Our leaders are volunteers and may have no special training in first aid; therefore, participants assume full responsibility for their well being on RIWPS walks. CANCELLATION: If it is necessary for you to cancel, please notify the person with whom you registered as soon as possible so that we may contact the people on the waiting list. Please leave a message on the answering machine if no one is there. If you cancel within 24 hours of an event, or on a weekend, call the coordinator listed on the event confirmation form so that someone on the waiting list can be called. DRESS AND EQUIPMENT FOR OUTDOOR EVENTS: Dress appropriately. This means, in almost all locations, long pants and sturdy shoes and socks (for protection from poison ivy, briers, and ticks). Other options, depending on the season, weather, and subject, might include insect repellent, hat, rubber boots, field guides, hand lens, small notebook, hiking stick. PLEASE HELP US PROTECT OUR NATURAL AREAS: No smoking, collecting, or pets at our events.

WE WELCOME people of all botanical abilities at our events. Beginners or experts, amateurs or professionals ... we all come to enjoy and learn about wild plants.

Advance registration is required. Register by contacting the person noted for the event who will provide directions. Payment must be made at the event with exact change (cash or check). Please do not register any earlier than two weeks prior to the event.

 PROGRAM & GENERAL MEETING
Audubon Society Environmental Education Ctr
1401 Hope Street (Route 114)
Bristol, Rhode Island
Saturday, November 8, 2008
1:00 pm

Guest Speaker:  John Burns
NEWFS Plant Conservation Volunteer Coordinator
"The Vital Role of the New England Plant Conservation Volunteer Corps"
Plant conservation is a major part of the mission of any wild plant organization. The New England Wild Flower Society administers NEPCoP, which is a voluntary alliance of organizations and individuals committed to the protection of the native flora of our region. Come learn more.

1:00 – 1:30 pm Business Meeting
1:30 – 2:00 pm Refreshments & Fellowship
2:00 – 3:30 pm Program

Free and open to the public.

RECENT WALKS & LECTURES

 FREE LECTURE: RICHARD LOUV
Saturday, September 27, 2008
7:00 pm
CCRI - Warwick Campus
Don't miss this important event! Save The Bay is co-sponsoring this FREE speaking event featuring Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. He will be introduced by U.S. Senator Jack Reed and will sign books after his talk. Louv has been credited with spurring the national conversation about the disconnect between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement. He is also the founder of the Children and Nature Network. Please register to attend online at http://www.rwpzoo.org/louvEvent.cfm.

 MUSHROOM WALK
Nettie Jones Preserve, West Greenwich
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Fungus is everywhere, but mostly we only notice it when it decides to send out its spore producing fruit, the mushroom. At Nettie Jones Preserve in West Greenwich, the variety of habitats from the mixed hardwood forest, streams and old fields should give us a diversity of mushrooms to look for. We will pick one of each type to try and identify it to a major group. There is no collecting on this foray. You are advised never to eat a wild mushroom unless you are positive of its species. Many mushrooms look alike, but some are deadly.

Leader: Noel Rowe, an amateur mushroom enthusiast [but is by no means an expert).

Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497.

 CREATING A WOODLAND GARDEN USING WILD PLANTS: Size Doesn't Matter
Bittersweet Cottage Gardens
Harmony, RI
Saturday, September 13, 2008
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Fall is the best time to start a new garden, especially one that uses native plants.  Join Cheryl Cadwell in her recently created woodland garden.  She will show you how to recreate a woodland setting in any landscape, no matter how large or small.
Cheryl, President of the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, garden columnist and lecturer, has been creating gardens for over twenty years.

Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497. The class is limited to 20 attendees.

 NORTH KINGSTOWN: Easy Paddle
Saturday, September 6, 2008
10:00 am
Bring your canoe or kayak to venture a view of Bidens laevis (tickseed) in bloom. By paddling around Secret Lake we will get up close to this flower in the Asteraceae family. It will feel like being in a meadow of sunflowers except we will be in the water.

Leader: Sindy Hempstead

Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497

 WEED IDENTIFICATION
URI Agricultural Experiment Station, URI Kingston
Saturday, August 23, 2008
9:00 am -12:00 noon, rain or shine
Got weeds? Don't know what they are? The first step in weed management is proper identification. Come and join Carl Sawyer, Research Associate at the URI Agricultural Experiment Station, and learn how to key out weeds using Weeds of the Northeast by Uva, Neal, and DiTomasso.  We will key out specimens brought in by participants, look at weed communities at the Station and talk about management strategies. A hand lens would be helpful. Limited to 15 participants.

Leader: Carl Sawyer M.S. in plant physiology and research associate at URI Agricultural Experiment Station.

Fee: FREE! Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497.

 QUEEN RIVER PRESERVE
Exeter, RI
Saturday, August 9, 2008
8:30 am -10:30 am
Let's try to beat the heat while exploring a little known area. The Nature Conservancy's Queen River Preserve is an easy stroll along forested pathways to a pristine stream. An unusual pine barren community, wetlands and woods can be explored, and together we can uncover its secrets. Bring an interest, or expertise, in mosses, ferns, lichens, flowering plants and trees and see why this area is an important area to protect.

Leader: Frances Topping, a nature generalist interested in the interactions of plants and animals, including humans.

Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497.

 FERNS FOR YOUR LANDSCAPE
Tiverton, RI  
Sunday, July 27, 2008
10:00 am
Nothing evokes serenity and "naturalizes" a landscape like a glade of ferns. They are easy to grow and provide season-long greenery and wonderful texture. This program will get you started in appreciating and identifying common native ferns with their appropriate soil and light conditions. After reviewing fern species, their interesting life cycle and propagation techniques, we'll tour the property where a variety of native ferns add to its natural diversity and aesthetic quality.

Leader: Garry Plunkett, naturalist and NEWFS Certificate Program graduate.

Fee: $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at RIWPS office 401-789-7497.

 CARNIVOROUS PLANT WALK -- Co-sponsored with the New England Carnivorous Plant Society
Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area, West Kingston, RI
Saturday, July 19, 2008
12:00  noon – 3:00 pm
Rhode Island is home to several species of flesh-eating plants. While most other plants are dependent on the soil for providing essential nutrients, carnivorous plants can get what they need from decaying insects. This allows them to survive in some nutrient-poor conditions such as sphagnum bogs, fens, wet gravel, or just floating in the water. The Great Swamp is a great place to see some of them. We should find pitcher plants, sundews and bladderworts, and with luck, most will be in bloom. The Great Swamp has a lot to offer botanically, from the stately American Holly Tree to the beautiful White Fringed Orchid.

Easy walk - No Fee. To register and for information and directions contact walk Leaders: Doug McGrady, 401-248-2967 (RIWPS) and John Phillip, 401-741-7825 (NECPS).

 TOUR PULASKI STATE PARK
Chepachet, RI
Saturday, June 21, 2008
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
This tour will highlight one of the jewels in the state forest system. Until the 1930's Pulaski Park was heavily used for forest products. The government bought the land to help forestland owners get back on their feet after the depression. Pulaski is a wonderful example of how a forest can recover and be restored as a vital habitat. The hike will tour thru the hemlock trail, and see some of the results of state management release of beetles in battling Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. There is also Lightning Hill, where trees meet the elements in large thunderstorms.

Leader: Paul Dolan, Assistant State Forester.

Fee: $5 members, $7 nonmembers. Register with Jackie at the RIWPS office 401-789-7497.

 Sprague Farm
Sunday, May 18, 2008 -- 1:00 p.m.
Chepachet, RI
The two primary forest formations of New England are the northern hardwood forest and the central hardwood forest. There is also an overlap region, the "transition zone" where many species of both formations can be found. This transition zone dips into parts of the northwest corner of Rhode Island, as evident in the forest at Sprague Farm that is owned and managed by the Glocester Land Trust. This thousand plus acre preserve includes the best striped maple (Acer Pensylvanicum) stand in the state, some magnificent chestnut oaks (Quercus prinus) and an Atlantic white cedar swamp (Chamaecyparis thyoides). With luck we should also catch some woodland spring ephemerals in bloom.

Leader: Garry Plunkett, naturalist and NEWFS Certificate Program graduate. Fee $3.00 members, $5.00 non-members. Register with Garry at 401-624-2549.

 Habitat Changes and the Forest
Saturday May 10, 2008 -- 10:00 a.m.-12 Noon
Powder Mill Ledges, Audubon Headquarters
Smithfield, RI
Come and tour the Audubon site and see how nature can coexist so close to a major business district. This area is very unique in the different types of habitat found in close proximity to each other. See the definite line when agriculture was abandoned. Learn how to read the forest. The emphasis will be tree identification and basic forestry concepts. Moderate hike, 2 -3 miles.

Leader: Paul Dolan Assistant State Forester. Register at pcdolan@cox.net. Fee: $3.00 RIWPS members, $5.00 non-members.

 Visit to Garden in the Woods
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Framingham, MA
Meet to car pool at 9 a.m. Time of tour: 11 a.m.

There is no better place to visit in early May than Garden in the Woods. The trails will be full of spring blossoms including blue phlox, white trillium, and yellow ladyslippers.  There are many different habitats with all sorts of native plants. We will have a guided tour. After the tour, relax with a picnic lunch (bring a brown bag lunch) and then continue wandering through the woods. The plant sale area at Garden in the Woods will be full of plants to purchase, and the shop full of books and gifts. A tour by electric cart is available, but restricted to those who have difficulty walking. Reserve early and indicate to RIWPS.

Transportation: Drive by private car and meet there. We will meet just off I-95 in South Attleboro at 9:00 for carpooling. The return to the same location will be around 3:30 or 4:00. If you are willing to drive, let us know when you register. Riders in car pool cars are expected to assist in furnishing gas and expense money to the driver.

Pre-registration required. The tour is limited to twenty. Please register early by contacting the RIWPS office at 789-7497. Fee: $12.00 RIWPS members, $15.00 non-members. NEWFS members can deduct $5 from the fee but MUST bring their membership card with them.

 Amphibian Vernal Pool Walk
Saturday, April 19, 2008 -- 10:00am
Carolina Management Area
This walk will focus on vernal pools and breeding ecology of pond-breeding amphibians.  We will visit a number of vernal pools in the Carolina Management Area, hiking on trails with a mild terrain. Meet in Stop and Shop parking lot in Hope Valley (east side of I-95, on Rte. 138).

Leader: URI Professor Peter Paton. Pre-register with Peter at ppaton@uri.edu or call the RIWPS office at 789-7497. Fee: $3.00 RIWPS members, $5.00 non-members.

 Buds, Twigs and Bark - Learn to identify local trees.
Saturday, April 5, 2008 -- 1:00 -3:00 p.m.
Tri-Pond Park Nature Center
Asa Pond Road
South Kingstown, RI
As spring emerges, learn to identify local trees and shrubs through their bark and buds. After some indoor exploration of samples and their characteristics, we will walk a short trail at Tri-Pond Park Nature Center to try our skills. Spring will be in the air -- an ideal time to learn before using your knowledge later on walks in the woods. Bring pencil and paper for notes.

Leader: Frances Topping, a naturalist interested in plants and their interactions with animals, including humans. Frances holds a BS in Geography with Botany and Zoology from Sheffield University, England, a Graphic Design degree from Akron, Ohio and a certificate in Natural Science Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Registration required. Contact Frances at 401-364-8002. Fee $8.00 RIWPS members, $10.00 non-members.

 RI Wild Plant Society Annual Meeting
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Weaver Auditorium, URI Coastal Institute
Kingston, RI
(corner of Flagg & Greenhouse Roads)

12:00 Noon: Business Meeting - Annual Report, Budget, Elections
1:00 pm: Refreshments and Fellowship
1:30 pm: Program

Changing Ecosystems, Changing Plants
As climate and species demographics change, which plants are native, exotic or invasive? Presented by Dr. Susan Gordon, Manager of the Kinney Azalea Gardens in Kingston and an Adjunct Asst. Professor of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at URI.

Rhododendron arborescens - Native?

 Christmas Tree Farm Tour
Scituate, RI
December 2, 2007
10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Please come join us as we tour Shire Christmas Tree Farm in Hope, RI. Learn what it takes to grow and manage Christmas Trees, and how this business enhances our environment and helps conserve open space by active management. Shire Tree Farm is located in the Hope Section of Scituate.

Leader: Paul Dolan, Assistant State Forester. Register at pcdolan@cox.net. Free.

 Thanksgiving Adventure
West Greenwich, RI
Saturday, November 24, 2007
1:00 pm - sunset (approximately 5:00 pm)
Join Matt Largess on a full-moon walk. It gets dark early in late November, so starting the walk around 1 pm assures that it will end as the sun sets and the moon rises. The walk will be in the wilds in West Greenwich, on the border lands. Hikers should wear good hiking boots and bring a snack. A lot of the walk will be off-trail in search of rare trees and plant communities. End your Thanksgiving weekend with an adventure!

Leader: Matt Largess. Register with Matt at Largesstree@aol.com or 401-533-2722 (cell) or 401-423-0508 (home). Free.

 Fall Coastal Habitats Walk
Conanicut Island, Rhode Island
Sunday, October 14, 2007
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm (low tide)
Crisp fall air, a moon low tide ... what better time to explore Rhode Island's coastal habitats? The Jamestown Salt marsh is one of the largest in the state, bisected by a tidal river that meanders out to the bay. We'll explore the various habitats, within and along the edge of the marsh, and discuss plant adaptations to the saltwater environment. We'll travel to the southern tip of Conanicut Island and walk along the coastal bluff of Beavertail State Park, looking at plants living at the juxtaposition of freshwater seeps and raging surf. You may want to bring an evening picnic and stay to watch the sunset and the moon rise. Participants should be prepared to walk on a combination of wet mud and sloping rock surfaces.

Walk Leader: Hope Leeson. Register with Hope at 401-783-5609 or
hleeson@rinhs.org . Cost $3 RIWPS members/$5 non-members.

 Oakland Forest and Meadow
Portsmouth, RI
Sunday, October 14, 2007
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Once hailed as the only "old growth" forest in Rhode Island, this magnificent stand of trees was saved because a local arborist was hired by a developer to mark trees for cutting but couldn't bear to see it happen.  His subsequent public outcry over the potential development eventually led to its preservation by the Aquidneck Land Trust. We will take a walk through this rare twenty-acre estate woodland, and discuss the ecology of old growth forest systems en route.  We will also take a lap through an adjacent meadow to check out the land trust's efforts in managing an early successional habitat.

Leader:  Garry Plunkett, Co-chair of the Tiverton Open Space Commission and long-time student of old growth forests. Register with Garry at 401-624-2549 after October 1. Free.