We look forward to botanizing with you in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystems of the Sandhills, Moore County
Our Fall 2022 Society field trip on October 15, 2022, will focus on the longleaf pine ecosystems of the Sandhills, including the diversity of plants that grow with longleaf pines and the management practices needed to sustain these ecosystems. We offer morning and afternoon tours of three properties in the western Sandhills that are only open by invitation. The sites are within a few miles of each other in western Moore County.
● Eastwood Preserve: NC Dept. of Agriculture Plant Conservation Program property
● LighterWood Farm: Private landowner, coordinator of NC Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association
● Nick’s Creek Longleaf Reserve: owned by the non-profit Southern Conservation Trust for longleaf pine forest management and restoration
Fall is the time to see the highest number of blooming plants in the Sandhills. Particularly noteworthy are the striking fall gentian (Gentiana autumnalis), several distinctive sandhills milkweeds, blazing stars and gayfeathers, goldenrods, numerous asters, and threadleaf gerardia.
Participants can visit two of the three sites - one in morning and one in the afternoon. Register early for your first choice of tours. For more details, click on the tour descriptions and leader bios link.
9/15 NOTE: Trip is full - see registration form if you want to be added to the wait list.
Tour Descriptions and Leader Bios.pdf
Between tours we will return to the Cannon Park picnic shelter for lunch (bring your own), conversation and a brief talk by Julie Moore about conservation efforts in the sandhills, why the sandhills are ecologically significant, species of particular interest and the essential management needs.
Registration Fees:
Members: $20 (per person, regardless of the type of membership. With a family membership two people will each pay $20 and process the registrations separately one person at a time.)
Not a member? Sign up for the Field Trip for $45, including a 1-year individual membership to the NCNPS. For other membership categories, join first and then sign up for the field trip.
Trip Details:
- We will meet at the Cannon Park Community Center parking lot in Pinehurst at 9:30 am to carpool to the first hike due to limited parking space.
- Directions to each tour site will be given to participants that morning at Cannon Park.
- The picnic shelter is located beside Cannon Park Community Center, Pinehurst, NC 28374
- Restrooms are available at Cannon Park in the community center and in a separate building between the shelter and ballfields.
- Tours will include walking on rough ground and off-trail.
What to bring:
Appropriate footwear
Food for lunch and water
Rain Gear & layers depending on the weather
Sun protection
Directions to the Cannon Park Community Center :)
Optional: A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region by Bruce A. Sorrie or other field guides.
Registration Details:
We will close registration on or before October 1 and will limit it to 45 people or 15 people per group. Sign up quickly and sign up online! No refunds after Oct 1.
You can register online and pay by a credit card, PayPal or mail in a check. We check the Post Office mailbox once a week, so mailing a check will delay your registration and, if the tour is full, you will be assigned another open tour.
The software we use for registration does not allow us to limit the number of people, so we will check the tours every day and will mark Closed on any tour that reaches the limit. Do not sign up for a tour that is marked CLOSED. The software will let you do this but we will move you to another open rour.
There is a link to the Hike Waiver on the registration. This covers the entire field trip. By clicking Agree, you are doing so for yourself and anyone else you are registering. You must click that you Agree. This is a required entry.
We will follow state recommendations for COVID-19. https://www.nc.gov/covid-19/current-restrictions-recommendations
Questions about registration or payment contact diane.laslie@gmail.com
Field Trip Questions? contact Amy Mackintosh ReidChapter@gmail.com
