Tuesday, March 21, 2017
OSMT Meeting – Location: Cheekwood

7 pm Presentation: David Lincicome, Natural Heritage Program Manager — “Capacity Building for Plant Conservation:
Establishment of a Tennessee Plant Conservation Alliance” (Refreshments at 6:30 pm)

Location: Cheekwood Botanical Gardens – directions, 1200 Forrest Park Drive Nashville Tennessee 37205

David Lincicome, Natural Heritage Program Manager, will be our speaker at the next OSMT meeting on the “Capacity Building for Plant Conservation”.

On January 19th, 25 native plant enthusiasts from across the state met at Cheekwood Botanical Garden to form the Tennessee Plant Conservation Alliance. With the guidance of Matt Richards, Conservation Horticulture Manager at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and representing the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, the committee members discussed the structure of the proposed alliance and shortly after 1:00 p.m. voted to form the Tennessee Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA).

The alliance is a network of private and public entities that agree to work together to leverage expertise and resources for a common goal to conserve the state’s native plants and their habitats. In close coordination with the TDEC – Division of Natural Areas, which has lead responsibility for plant conservation in the state, the alliance will prioritize native plant species and plant communities for conservation projects.

The alliance will be project driven and focus on preventing plant extinctions in the state. A coordinator will be hired in the near future to facilitate communication among members, including volunteers, and implementation of alliance activities. The coordinator will be positioned within the Center of Excellence for Field Biology at Austin Peay State University.

The Tennessee PCA will be a statewide network of conservation professionals and specially trained volunteers actively working to conserve and restore Tennessee’s imperiled plant species and their habitats.