Rare Lichen Identification Workshop - NorthCarolina

Rare Lichen Identification
June 11-13 with Dr. James Lendemer, NY Botanical Garden; Jessica Allen, New York Botanical Garden and The City University of New York

The southern Appalachians host remarkably high lichen diversity, including many rare and endemic species. In this course we will cover how to identify these rare lichens both in the field and in the lab. Lab work will focus on standard lichen identification techniques, such as spot tests, and will rely on independent work with keys. During field excursions we will visit many of the different habitats in the southern Appalachians to examine the species in situ. By the end of the course participants will have the skills to confidently identify a suite of several dozen targeted rare species, and have a broader knowledge of the rare lichens in the southern Appalachians.
Prerequisites: basic knowledge of lichen morphology and diversity, field botany, or permission of instructors.

The Highlands Biological Station, an inter-institutional research center of the University of North Carolina, is offering its 2015 series of summer courses and workshops that can be taken for undergraduate OR graduate credit toward your academic program. The following list of field-based courses and workshops are focused on the diversity of organisms in the region with special emphasis on identification and collection techniques as well as principles of evolution, ecology and conservation. Scholarships, Grants-in-aid of research for graduate students, and summer internships also available. Highlands, North Carolina, is located in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, at an average elevation about 3,800 feet, and situated near the Nantahala National Forest, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee Indian Reservation, Appalachian Trail, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

For more information and to apply, visit www.highlandsbiological.org/summercourses/ or call 828-526-2602.