Hello and Welcome, I am so pleased you are able to join us for this year’s Natural Areas Conference! This event is the gathering for professionals working in natural areas conservation. It offers a chance to network, learn, and re-energize by spending time with individuals who have a similar passion for the work that we do. It’s also a forum in which we all can share our prEsEntEd by thE naturaL arEas association with co-host FivE rivErs mEtroparKs The Natural Areas Conference experiences and research and discuss new ideas in a welcoming, positive would not be possible without atmosphere. many thanKs to our sponsors the generous support of our sponsors. This will be my 20th year of attending Natural Areas Conferences, EcosystEm consErvator and I often reflect on how essential this event was to my work in ($10,000 – $24,999) the early years of my career as a natural areas manager in western Anonymous Pennsylvania. There weren’t many people in my state doing what I was The Nature Conservancy doing. The Natural Areas Conference was my chance to interact with individuals who had new ideas and more experience, and then bring LandscapE consErvator that knowledge back to my job. To this day, I feel that it is so important ($5,000 – $9,999) to encourage students and young professionals to attend the conference Cleveland Museum of Natural History and make the most of their time while they’re here. Davey Resource Group US Forest Service I’m particularly looking forward to our opening plenary session, which will feature speakers Emma Marris, Hugh Safford and Guy Denny. Their rarE spEciEs sponsor presentations promise to be thought-provoking and engaging, and the ($1,000 – $2,499) panel discussion that follows is sure to spark some healthy give and Cleveland Metroparks take. I think it will get everyone revved and ready for the rest of the Dayton Airport conference. Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association You may have noticed that the conference format has changed. That is Stantec by design. Many of you told us that you would be more likely to attend Western Reserve Land Conservancy a shorter conference. We listened, and have condensed the conference proceedings into two days and devoted the third to optional field trips. partnErs ($500 – $999) While I hope you’ll stay for all three days, I think you’ll agree that any Bladecutter's Inc. amount of time you can spend at the Natural Areas Conference is Columbus Metro Parks worthwhile. Enviroscience, Inc. MetroParks of Toledo Area Many thanks to our host, Five Rivers MetroParks, and our sponsors. National Audubon Society Their generosity and cooperative spirit have made this event possible. ODNR Division of Additional thanks go to all of our speakers, volunteers, and staff Natural Areas & Preserves members working behind the scenes to make this conference come ODNR Division of Wildlife together and be the exceptional event that it is. Larry Smith Tennessee Natural Areas Program Sincerely, Virginia Natural Heritage Program Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in-Kind Dayton RTA University of Dayton Lisa L. Smith Executive Director, Natural Areas Association Welcome to Dayton! Questions and Auction items will be on display throughout the con- ference. Silent auction bids are welcome anytime. The Natural Areas Association and Five Rivers MetroParks extend a Conference Updates The live auction will be held during the awards din- sincere welcome to those attending the 41st-annual Natural Areas ner. The silent auction will close shortly afterward. Conference. Whether you are visiting us from another country or state, The staff at the conference registration desk will be Cash and credit cards are accepted for payment. All or from in or around the Dayton area, you will discover plenty to do, happy to help answer any question you might have. proceeds benefit the NAA. If you have arranged to learn, and enjoy. This is also where the “lost and found” is located. donate an item for the auctions, please drop it off Check for last-minute updates to the conference in Room 103 on Tuesday evening or Wednesday Southwest Ohio long has been a center for innovation. It’s the place schedule and other important information on the morning. where such important inventions as the powered airplane, cash message board stationed near the registration desk. register, pop-top can, automobile starter, and flood conservancy district were created. The region has also fostered innovation in natural areas Exhibitors conservation, as reflected by our conference theme, Deeply Rooted in Name Badges Restoration. (The Natural Areas Association itself has some history The third floor of the Dayton Convention Center will here, as its second conference was held at nearby Glen Helen Nature Please wear your name badge to all conference be open from Wednesday morning through Thurs- Preserve in 1975.) events. It is your ticket to sessions, workshops, day at 4 pm to provide participants time to meet breaks and socials. exhibitors and browse their displays. 2 The region’s longstanding focus on conservation has achieved Conference Planning Team 3 significant results. Montgomery and adjacent counties boast 11 park NAA Committee Members districts, five land trusts, a National Historical Park, six state parks, 10 Cell Phones Field Trips state nature preserves, two state scenic rivers, and the United States’ Renee Boronka largest system of paved, connected bikeways, with 330 miles to explore. Deb Kraus Please silence cell phones during sessions as a cour- If you are a full conference or Friday daily registrant Five Rivers MetroParks itself protects 16,000 acres of land. Since 1963, Lisa Smith tesy to presenters and participants. who preregistered for a field trip, you will find a it has led the region in land protection, reforestation efforts, restoration Conference Coordinators ticket indicating your field trip choice behind your of urban parkland, nature play for children, and sustainable outdoor Mary Klunk, Five Rivers MetroParks name badge. Should you have questions regarding a recreation. Field trips will visit several of the outstanding forests, fens, David Nolin, Five Rivers MetroParks Meals scheduled trip, please visit the conference registra- prairies, streams and wetlands that have been protected in the region. tion desk. We ask that you not change your field trip Program Chair Your full conference registration fee includes: coffee selection, but if you feel you must, the deadline for , University of Dayton This year’s conference will not be all work: Conference attendees can Ryan McEwan breaks, hors d’oeuvres at the poster session, field-trip doing so is Wednesday at 2 pm (on a space-available enjoy an open mic musical event on Wednesday night, where you can Field Trips Chairs box lunch (pick up Friday morning before departing) basis). either perform or listen to music at the beautiful RiverScape MetroPark Rick Gardner, ODNR Division of and, if you selected the option during registration, Pavilion along the Great Miami River in downtown Dayton. Fun and Natural Areas & Preserves attendance to the Thursday NAA membership lun- fellowship will prevail at the annual Natural Areas Association awards Tom Borgman, Great Parks of cheon and evening awards dinner and auction (tick- Student Competition dinner and silent auction on Thursday evening. Hamilton County ets to these events will be in your name-badge sleeve). We thank those who entered the student awards Marketing and Promotions Outstanding public attractions in the area include the National presentation. A team of judges will evaluate student , Five Rivers MetroParks Museum of the United States Air Force, the National Aviation Hall of Trish Butler posters and oral presentations. The top student , Five Rivers MetroParks Auction Fame, the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, and the Kristen Wicker presenters will receive their monetary awards and Dayton Dragons minor league baseball team. Conference-goers will Exhibits Chair Want to bring home a souvenir from the 41st-annual certificates on Thursday night at the awards dinner. find a vibrant public market, three microbreweries, and outstanding Katrina Arnold, Five Rivers MetroParks conference and help the NAA continue its work? food, art, and entertainment in the nearby Oregon District. Joe DiMisa, Woolpert Stop by the auction display in Room 103. You’ll find T-shirts, notecards, artwork, pottery, books and Auction Chair Conference T-Shirts We look forward to learning, discovering, and laughing with you during local foods up for bid at the silent auction. Want , Five Rivers MetroParks the upcoming days! Yvonne Dunphe something more substantial? Check out the live Official 41st-Annual Natural Areas Conference Volunteer Coordinator auction items. Either way, there will be something T-shirts are available at the NAA exhibit booth. These Sincerely, Yvonne Dunphe, Five Rivers MetroParks for everyone! Bid a little, bid a lot, but bid often to 100 percent organic cotton shirts make great gifts or make it yours! An annual tradition at the live auction souvenirs! Student Involvement Mary Klunk is the spirited bidding to win the Prairie Fire Kit. The , Five Rivers MetroParks Conservation Manager, Five Rivers MetroParks Alyssa Balter winning team will have bragging rights for a year Zero Waste Coordinator and have its name and final bid amount engraved on Tim Pritchard, Five Rivers MetroParks the drip torch. Welcome 2014 Natural Areas Conference 2014 Natural Areas Conference Information Schedule at a Glance Venue Map Tuesday,