AC2012 Is All About the Plants
The Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society (INPAWS) announces its 19th annual conference providing the know-how to help Hoosiers appreciate, grow, and conserve Indiana’s rich heritage of native plants.
Set for November 3, 2012, on the University of Indianapolis campus, the day-long conference will focus on two basics of botany: the identification of plants and their occurrence in nature. “The better we can identify native plants, the better we can be advocates for them,” says Mike Homoya, state botanist/plant ecologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, who had a hand in developing this year’s conference theme.
Among the featured speakers is Dr. Rob Naczi (knock-see), one of the leading botanists in the world. Naczi is the Arthur J. Cronquist Curator of North American Botany at The New York Botanical Garden and is revising one of the most commonly used guides to our North American flora, Manual of Vascular Plants of the Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (Gleason & Cronquist).
Also on the program are James Locklear, Director of Conservation at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska, who has just written the book Phlox: A Natural History and Gardener’s Guide; Dr. Paul Rothrock, an expert on sedges with the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at Taylor University; Sally Weeks, author of Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest; Kay Yatskievych of the Missouri Botanical Garden, who is coauthoring the Indiana Vascular Plants Catalogue; and Mike Homoya, author of Wildflowers and Ferns of Indiana Forests and Orchids of Indiana.
The conference will include a book signing and sale, vendor and youth education displays, and information on the Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society. Also rumored to be possible is a visit by the renowned Charles Deam, Indiana’s renowned pioneer botanist.
AC2012 Specifics
What: Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society 19th Annual Conference (AC2012)
Theme: “It’s All About the Plants”
When: Saturday, November 3, 2012; 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Schwitzer Student Center, University of Indianapolis, UIndy Hall
Who: Open to the public—anyone with an interest in native plants, conservation, botany, landscaping, and wildlife habitat.
Cost: INPAWS members $60 ($50 before October 25); Non-members $75 ($65 before October 25); Students $35
Sponsorships: Several levels of sponsorship are available. Sponsorship Information
Registration: Further event information is posted here. A downloadable registration brochure will be available September 15.
Contact: For media questions, contact Wendy Ford at webmaster@inpaws.org or 317-413-5918.