About Natural Areas Association

Last month the NAA board of directors met in Cleveland, Ohio for the annual spring meeting and conference preview. The board had a productive meeting thanks to its new “Action Teams” formed as a result of the NAA Action Plan developed this past fall in Flagstaff (more on this below). Several board members stayed after the meeting to take a special tour of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, our 2007 Conference co-host.

Led by conference organizers Jim Bissell, Director of Conservation, and Renee Boronka, Associate Director of Conservation, we were given an incredible behind-the-scenes tour, in addition to an overview of the Museum’s natural areas system-- an outstanding educational and scientific resource. The CMNH natural areas are model scientific field laboratories in which curators and other scientists can conduct longterm studies in locations relatively free from human interference (so now we can’t wait for conference field trips!). We also saw some of the Museum’s unique exhibits—the famous “T-Rex named Sue” and “Balto,” the heroic husky who led a dogsled team carrying life-saving medicine through a blizzard to Nome, Alaska, during a 1925 diphtheria epidemic. There was too much to see during our short visit—but we’ll be back, along with you, for the Awards Banquet and Auction and another “Night at the Museum.”

Where the ‘Action’ Is! The NAA Action Plan resulted from a recognized need for an updated operational plan to address several critical organizational needs. Under the plan, priorities and timelines were established and “Action Teams” formed to carry out specific projects. Each team will remain in place until its identified projects are completed. The goal-oriented nature of the Action Teams also lends itself to more direct participation by NAA members to help us move forward on some of our most pressing challenges.

Our working board is in need of support, and if you are an NAA member, we encourage you to join in and assist us with those projects that may be of special interest to you. If you’ve ever considered being more involved in NAA, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the organization and its programs. And make no mistake, this is a critical time for our organization. Your help could provide that extra ‘oomph’ to ensure NAA’s future. Following are just a few of the Action Teams and projects where new team members and volunteers are needed:

Fundraising Action Team – grantwriting and fundraising activities

Membership Action Team – membership services, membership drives

International Program – international workshops and international scholarships

Natural Areas Apprentice/Internship Program

State Natural Area Roundtable

Land trust stewardship workshops and cooperative events

NAA website development; electronic Journal and Newsletter.

To learn more, or to volunteer, contact Deb Kraus today at: mail@

naturalarea.org or (541) 317-0199. ▪

A *NEW* Tool for
Land Managers!

The DCNR Invasive Exotic
Plant Management Tutorial for
Natural Lands Managers http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/
invasivetutorial/

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources and the Mid- Atlantic
Exotic Pest Plant Council, Inc. have combined
forces to produce the Invasive Exotic Plant
Management Tutorial for Natural Lands
Managers—a “one-stop-shop” for natural
resource managers who are interested in
organizing on the- ground efforts to prevent,
control, and manage invasive exotic plants.

There is an immense amount of information available that addresses the topic of invasive exotic plants and their impact on natural lands. For the land manager tasked with controlling these species, wading through the available information can be as daunting a task as tackling the invasive plant problem itself! The tutorial first provides sufficient background information on a management problem.

This allows a land manager to more readily apply available information to their specific invasive plant problem. While DCNR staff are the focus for the development of this education tool, other Pennsylvania resource agencies, and similar agencies in other Mid-Atlantic states, can benefit from the tutorial as well. Private landowners, including land trusts, should also view this tutorial as a tool for their land management efforts. ▪

Join The Circle!

Editor’s Note: Hi, this is Rook Cleary, co-editor of the Natural Areas News. I recently asked the biologists in the Florida Park Service (a division of my agency) to contribute to “Steward’s Circle.” Two articles in the previous NAN and two in this issue are a portion of the response to that request. I am fairly certain that there are biologists working in the other 49 state park systems who have useful and interesting information to share with their fellow NAA members. Are you one of them? Then send your article to me (ruark.cleary@dep.state.fl.us) with the subject line “Steward’s Circle.” Join the “Circle” today!

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