On Saturday, May 31, 2014, from 10 am to 3 pm, The American Chestnut Foundation® (TACF) will be sponsoring an Appalachian Trail (AT) MEGA Transect Chestnut Project training workshop at Lehigh Gap Nature Center, Slatington, PA. The training will begin with a presentation from 10 am-noon, followed by ahike from 1-3 pm.Mike Manes, TACF Pennsylvania Chapter volunteer, will lead the training workshop.
This effort is part of the AT MEGA-Transect Project, a larger collaborative project of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the National Park Service, the US Forest Service,and many other partners. The AT MEGA Transect seeks to engage the public in citizen-science efforts to collect data along the AT to raise awareness of threats to the environmental health of the Appalachian Region.
The AT MEGA-Transect Chestnut Project began in 2008 as a collaboration between TACF, ATC, and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) to train volunteers to collect data on American chestnut trees growing along the AT. Information gathered from this project will help scientists better understand trends and preferred site requirements for American chestnut by evaluating where chestnuts are still present in the forest.
Class size is limited. Please register by May 23. To register for the training on May 31, contact Kathy Marmet at moc.liamg@temramyhtak. More information about the AT MEGA-Transect Chestnut Project can be found here or here.
For information about the Lehigh Gap Nature Center visit http://lgnc.org.
Text from TACF press release.