March Chapter Meeting
Posted Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday, March 18, 7:00 PM: Catherine Young. Analysis of Potential Hazards to
the Future Conservation of the Endemic Alpine Species Packera franciscana
Catherine Young, a junior at the NAU School of Forestry, will present the important conservation breakthroughs that she has made for the threatened alpine sunflower, Packera franciscana. The species is only found near Flagstaff, above the treeline of the San Francisco Peaks. She successfully established
the first captive population of these plants outside of a greenhouse setting. Her observations in the field suggest that a new hybrid zone has formed within the last 10 years. She has also created the first tissue culture protocol to produce genetically identical plants to those in the wild. The most recent developments are laying the foundation for her future project that will attempt to predict the response of the species to potential hazards such as climate change, competition with hybrids, and wildfire.
Hybrid meeting: in-person and via Zoom.
