Schedule

Friday September 20	Massanetta Springs Conference Center
4:00pm – 6:30pm	Meeting Registration
6:00pm	Buffet Dinner
7:00pm	Presentation by Dr. Andrea Weeks of George Mason University on “Lena Artz in the Massanuttens – Her contributions to Southeastern U.S. Botany”
Saturday September 21	Massanetta Springs Conference Center
8:00am	Continental Breakfast
8:30am	Field Trip Registration
10:00am	Presentation by Dr. Iara Lacher, Research Associate at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute on “Species Range Maps – how science and technology shape our understanding of nativity and conservation action”
11:00am	VNPS Annual Business Meeting & Elections – Nancy Vehrs, President
11:45am	Pick up box lunches and depart for afternoon field trips
Afternoon	Field Trips
5:00pm – 6:00pm	President’s Reception, Cash Wine Bar
6:00pm	Buffet Dinner
7:30pm	Entertainment & Social
Sunday September 22	Massanetta Springs Conference Center
8:00am	Continental Breakfast
9:00am	Pick up snacks and depart for field trips
3:00pm	Annual Meeting Ends Safe Travels Home!

Business Meeting & Elections

Please attend the Annual VNPS Business Meeting on Saturday at 11am. We will also conduct an election of board members.

View the 2024 Slate of Nominees for Election to the VNPS Board of Directors.

Speakers

Andrea Weeks is Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Ted R. Bradley Herbarium at George Mason University. Dr. Weeks’ research focuses on the systematics, historical biogeography, and evolution of flowering plants, particularly those within the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. She is interested in testing hypotheses regarding how plant lineages are related, how their extant geographic distributions became established over time, and how their morphological and physiological features evolved. Her studies rely on both molecular data gathered in the laboratory and morphological observations gathered in the field and the herbarium. She also conducts molecular phylogeographic studies of single species to inform taxonomic decisions, establish conservation priorities for vulnerable taxa, and investigate the history of domestication for cultivated species. Dr. Weeks is also director of the Ted R. Bradley Herbarium at George Mason University and is engaged in making this valuable resource of information about the Virginia flora available to the public via the Internet.

Iara Lacher is a landscape ecologist with expertise in plant ecology, ecosystem function, land use, and native plant propagation. She is the owner of Seven Bends Nursery, a native plant nursery located in the northern Shenandoah Valley, offering landscape design, consultation, and long-term ecological management planning services. She focuses on projects that involve local communities, serving through education and outreach as well as through her roles on the board of directors of two local non-profits: The Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. She earned a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of California, Davis, where her dissertation evaluated the climatic responses of native plant species and the use of species distribution models to predict extinction risk.

Field Trips

Field trips, within an hour or so of Harrisonburg, are scheduled for Saturday afternoon (after 1 pm) and Sunday morning (after 10 am), September 21 and 22. All field trip registration will be on Saturday morning beginning at 8:30 am and some trips will be limited in number. Field trips will be led by experienced leaders as listed below. All field trips will be about two hours not including travel time. Field trips with an asterisk(*) are rated easy and accessible but still quite interesting. All field trips will leave from Massanetta, and it is hoped that carpooling with be used due to some sites with limited parking. More field trips are being planned! Please watch this space for further field trip announcements.

Saturday Field Trips

Cowbane Prairie Natural Area Preserve

Led by Devin Floyd and/or Associates, the founder of Center for Urban Habitats and the Piedmont Discovery Center. Cowbane is a 157-acre Preserve on the western slope of the Blue Ridge, near Stuarts Draft. This protected Preserve is an exceptional example of wet prairie and calcareous spring marsh communities that were once widely common in the Shenandoah Valley but have been greatly reduced by agriculture and industry.

Maple Flat Ponds in the George Washington/Jefferson National Forest

Led by Gary Fleming, retired Virginia Division of Natural Heritage botanist and vegetation ecologist. This site, near Stuarts Draft, is a phenomenal example of a “sinkhole” pond; a pond formed over 15,000 years ago. Come learn why it is called a sinkhole, how it was formed and its very rare plants.

 

Edith J. Carrier Arboretum at James Madison University*

Led by Keala Timko, a JMU volunteer and Master Gardener with a focused interest on native plants and ecological restoration. The JMU Arboretum is a 125-acre botanical preserve in Harrisonburg with 33 acres of botanical gardens and a 92-acre forest.

 

Reddish Knob, near the West Virginia-Virginia Border

Led by Dr. Conley McMullen, a JMU Professor and botanist. Reddish Knob is one of the highest points in Virginia and on this trip, you will journey from an elevation of about 1,320 feet to nearly 4,400 feet with Dr. McMullen guiding you through all the floristic community changes.

Sister Knob, Bath County

Led by Johnny Townsend, Senior Botanist with Virginia Division of Natural Heritage. This trip is a bit farther away than others and a bit more strenuous as it requires a moderate mountain hike of a mile or so but worth it as the destination is a “Shale Ridge Bald,” an uncommon but fascinating floral community.

Sunday Field Trips

Cowbane Prairie Natural Area Preserve

Led by Nate Miller, an adjunct professor of Horticulture and Landscape Design at Piedmont Virginia Community College. This is a repeat of the Saturday trip but with a different leader.

Maple Flat Ponds in the George Washington/Jefferson National Forest

Led by Chris Ludwig, a retired Virginia Division of Natural Heritage botanist. This is a repeat of the Saturday trip but with a different leader.

Sunnyside Retirement Community*

Led by Gail Fisher, a retired teacher and resident of Sunnyside. Over the past few years, the Sunnyside residents have created native plant corridors, removed invasive species and maintained a bluebird trail with 40 nest boxes. And the community has 52 qualified acres listed with Homegrown National Park.  Sunnyside is just across the road from our Massanetta meeting site.

Mount Joy Pond Natural Area Preserve, Augusta County

Led by Johnny Townsend, Senior Botanist with Virginia Division of Natural Heritage. This is another globally rare Shenandoah Valley “Sinkhole,” like Maple Flats, with a large pond supporting a series of rare plants. Fewer than two dozen of these sinkhole ponds are left in the Valley restricted to Augusta, Rockingham and Rockbridge Counties.

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For questions or comments, contact VNPS First Vice President at kevinmhowe@gmail.com.

Accommodations

If you wish to stay at the Massanetta Springs Conference Center Hotel or reserve a campsite, please contact the VNPS Office at info@vnps.org for reservations.

• Standard Room: Single Occupancy, 2 Single Beds, Shared Bathroom
  $90 per night (Add $40 per night for double occupancy)
• Deluxe Room: Single Occupancy, 2 Queen Beds, Private Bathroom
  $130 per night (Add $40 per night for double occupancy)
• Campsite: $38/night

Cancellations & Refunds

Please contact the VNPS Office if wish to cancel your registration or Conference Center Hotel reservations. Email us at info@vnps.org or call 540-837-1600.

Registrations may be canceled without penalty through September 1, 2024. Cancellations made September 2-6, 2024, will receive a 50% refund. Due to contractual obligations, cancellations received September 7, 2024, and after will not receive a refund.