Northern Neck Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society
Public Program, Thursday, March 19th Noon
Lancaster Public Library, Kilmarnock, VA
The Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society (NNVNPS) is excited to invite Chapter members and the public to a free and friendly Zoom Presentation about “Virginia’s Natural Area Preserves: Highlights, Rare Flora, and Conservation Challenges” by Dr. Mary Jane Epps, Natural Areas Biologist with Virginia Division of Natural Heritage in the Dept of Conservation and Recreation.
Virginia has 69 Natural Area Preserves and has added three in the past year. These Preserves protect many of the Commonwealth’s rarest species and most unique ecological communities. All 69 are protected in perpetuity with about one-third are open to all to bird watch, botanize and/or hike while many others have restrictions to visit and some contain such rare species or habitat, that they are only open to researchers. Here in the Northern Neck, we have four Preserves, all open to the public – Hickory Hollow, Bush Mill Stream, Hughlett Point and Dameron Marsh.
Dr. Epps joined Natural Heritage last year but prior to that she was a tenured Professor at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, VA. She has a broad background in botany and mycology and is a true naturalist and has studied and published her research on such varying subjects as the feeding of ants and beetles on fungi, the role of ants in the decomposition of woody debris and the pollination of various plants, such as Flame Azalea, by the wing movements of butterflies.
The meeting will begin at noon at the Lancaster Community Library in Kilmarnock in the upstairs meeting room. Please bring a brown bag lunch or snack and join us for a social lunch and light refreshments with members at noon before the program. Find out about what various committees have to offer and how you can participate.
Following some Chapter business, the Zoom program will begin at 12:30 pm.
If you cannot attend the Library, but would like to join the zoom at home, please email nnvnps@gmail.com by Wednesday evening of the 18th with your request and you will be sent the Zoom info.