Sunday, August 11, 2019: 7:00 AM-4:00 PM
Market Street Pre-function, Kentucky International Convention Center
Trip Leader:
Alexa McKerrow
Co-leaders:
Chris Thornton
,
Cheryl Coon
,
Travis Swaim
and
Chad Menke
This trip will include visits to high quality examples of plant communities in the Interior Low Plateau in the Hoosier National Forest. Three stops will include the Tell City Barrens, Buzzard Roost, and Hemlock Cliffs. At Tell City Barrens visitors will learn about the management activities specific to restoring the globally rare post oak (
Quercus stellata) and blackjack oak (
Q. marlandica) barrens and Central Limestone Glade communities. Buzzard Roost provides a diversity of eastern deciduous forest types to explore, in addition to a spectacular view of the Ohio River. Finally, Hemlock Cliffs, a box canyon, provides a unique set of plant communities, including the Eastern Hemlock – Tuliptree Forest Alliance with one of the southern disjunct populations of Eastern hemlock (
Tsuga canadensis). Resource managers will be hand to discuss Hoosier National Forest management priorities and the ecology of the forest communities. Ecologists from ESA’s Panel on Vegetation Classification will provide resources (data, keys, written descriptions) to help link the what we see in the field with the U.S. National Vegetation Classification and other classification systems.
Registration Fee: $55
Equipment and Attire: August is one of the warmest months in Southern Indiana, with average high near ninety degrees and lows in the sixties. Lightweight clothing (layers), hiking boots, insect repellent and sun protection (sunscreen, hats), are recommended. Hiking will be mostly on trails, but visitors should expect uneven ground and some steep slopes. Water will be provided and should be carried by all. Hikers should be aware that ticks, poison ivy, and copperhead and timber rattlesnakes do occur in the area.
Itinerary: We will travel directly to Hoosier National Forest from Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville. It will take 1.5 hours to travel from Louisville to the forest. We will start at the Tell City Barrens or Boone Creek site (2 hours), and then travel to the Buzzards Roost (2 hours including lunch). The final stop would be Hemlock Cliffs (2 hours). From there we would return to the Convention Center (1.5 hours). The trip will be 9 hours total, leaving around 7 am.
