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Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Terre Noire Natural Area, a remnant blackland prairie in southwestern Arkansas.
State Natural Area Programs Activities 2007
This fall, during the annual Natural Areas Conference to be held October 9-12, a face-to-face roundtable will convene on Oct 9, to hold discussions relevant to state natural area and heritage programs. In addition, a special session of the conference will focus on management plans for state government-owned natural areas. For conference details visit: www.naturalarea.org/07conference/
Following is a preliminary outline of topics to be covered during the State Natural Areas Special Session on October 12th:
Your state’s approach to Natural Area Management Plans
- Required by State Law – Mandate – other?
- Ecological “concept” paper or Stewardship Work Plan or other or a blend
- Development process (in-house staff-time requirement, out-sourced to contractor, volunteers, etc)
- Public Involvement
- Approval process
Components of your state’s Natural Area Management Plans
- Distribute hard copy of a Management Plan
- Review the contents page
Implementation of Natural Area Management Plans
- Carrying out the plans (in-house staff-time requirement, out-sourced to contractor, volunteers, etc)
- Work activities
- Other practical applications
Monitoring and Assessment tools
- Site assessment reports
- Other ways to documenting progress
Communicating Successes
- Annual Report required by State Statute
- Press releases
For more information on the Roundtable to be held on Tuesday, October 9 or the SNA Special Session on Friday, Oct 12, use the email link below (please put “SNA/NAA Conference” in the subject line). You must register for the conference in order to participate in SNA Program activities.
Bringing Natural Area Professionals Together
During the 2006 Natural Areas Conference in Flagstaff, the NAA hosted a State Natural Areas roundtable, which in addition to showcasing natural area sites, presented information related to organizational structure within state government, budgets, staffing, and the approach each state takes toward acquisition, stewardship, and management of natural areas. The success of the conference roundtable led to the formation of an ongoing State Natural Areas Roundtable (SNAR) composed of the original 22 participants as well as new state agency members.
Current State Natural Area Reports
At the initial 2006 Roundtable, NAA board member Karen Shelly reviewed the Status of State Natural Area Programs Report, produced and published by the NAA in 2005. This study documented the status of natural area programs across the country (view the report by visiting State Programs on the home page). The Roundtable participants agreed that it would be beneficial to prominently feature up-to-date state-by-state high-level summary reports, plus updated contact information, on the NAA website.
All state natural area and heritage professionals are invited to help populate the map with current state natural area reports*!
Join Us!
The State Natural Areas Roundtable meets quarterly via teleconference, and is facilitated by NAA board member Karen Smith, of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. The meetings provide an active forum for information exchange and updates, including guidance on general planning and management issues.
All state natural area and heritage professionals are invited to participate in the Roundtable*,
* For information on: how to update your own state’s contact information, to provide a summary report for posting on the NAA website, how your state agency can become an NAA member, or for Roundtable meeting schedules, please email Deb Kraus (please put “SNAR” in the subject line).
Natural Areas Association · P.O. Box 1504 · Bend · OR · 97709
Phone: 541 317 0199 · Fax: 541 317 0140 · Send Email