Native Tree/Plant Plight

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How 2 botanists risked everything to raft the Grand Canyon in 1938
Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter were the first non-Indigenous women to run the Colorado River and survive

Melissa Sevigny never wanted to raft the Colorado River. Somewhere between "outdoorsy" and "adventurous," she wasn't enough of an adrenaline junkie to seek out days of isolation beneath the Grand Canyon's 4,000-foot cliffs, which preclude cell service, internet and quick emergency exits. But in 2021, for the sake of a book she was writing, Sevigny put fear aside and set out on the river.

"There's nothing else like it," Sevigny told SFGATE. "The psychology of it is so hard to explain — the rest of the world becomes very unreal. You're just living intensely in the present. We talk a lot about self-care and meditation up here, how to ground yourself in the present moment, but it just happens when you're down there."

Rafting the canyon was part of Sevigny's research for "Brave the Wild River," the first text to document the lives of trailblazing botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter. In 1938, Clover and Jotter conducted a harrowing 43-day trip down the Colorado River in an effort to map the Grand Canyon's flora. They succeeded, despite rampant sexism and numerous physical challenges. Today, their work offers botanists the only written record of the plants that existed in the canyon prior to the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, which transformed the landscape.

https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/2-botanists-risked-everything-raft-grand-canyon-20263880.php

[Woolly Bugger]

New challenge aims to bring 1,000 thriving chestnut trees to NYC
The goal is to help distribute American chestnut saplings and eventually grow the trees.

A new challenge toward residents aims to bring 1,000 thriving chestnut trees to New York City.
The goal is to help distribute American chestnut saplings and eventually grow the trees.
The American chestnut was once one of the most abundant trees in North America before a fungal disease began to kill off the population.



https://bronx.news12.com/new-challenge-aims-to-bring-1000-thriving-chestnut-trees-to-nyc

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New effort aims to replant functionally extinct American Chestnut trees across New York City

There's a new effort to replant functionally extinct trees that once populated the New York City area by the billions.

Researchers are working to make the American Chestnut more resistant to the fungus that wiped them out.

American Chestnut trees nearly wiped out by fungus
A fragile sapling now taking root in Green-Wood Cemetery's Chestnut Path is part of an ambitious new effort to bring back a tree that once dominated northeastern forests.

The American Chestnut was once considered one of the largest and fastest-growing species in the region, but a deadly fungal disease nearly wiped it out. Now, a partnership between the New York Restoration Project and the American Chestnut Foundation is working to change that.

"Scientists estimate that we lost around 3 billion trees within a really short window of time," said Jason Smith of the New


York Restoration Project. "It was the first real disaster caused by an invasive disease in our forests after colonization."

>>>A small group of chestnuts is now growing at the cemetery, though several have already succumbed to the disease. Researchers are closely observing the survivors to better understand resistance patterns. The few trees that continue to thrive are being propagated for future planting across the five boroughs.

"Our chestnuts are really productive," said Sara Evans, Director of Living Collections and Curator at Green-Wood Cemetery. "They flower and produce a ton of nuts every single year."


https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/replanting-american-chestnut-trees-extinct-new-york-city/

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[Woolly Bugger]

Rare American Chestnut trees in Freeport nominated as Illinois state champions


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"It looks like the Natural Land Institute's Legacy Tree Program has found yet another Illinois state champion tree: a rare American chestnut (Castanea dentata) in Freeport," said Alan Branhagen, executive director. "Actually, the exciting news is that there are two growing side by side! Because of the rarity of this species and its great conservation concern, we are featuring both of them as the July Trees of the Month. One is larger than the other and we will submit it to the Illinois Big Tree Register and expect it to become the new state champion."

Located in the front yard of a private residence, the bigger tree is about 73 feet tall, with an average crown spread of over 41 feet and a trunk circumference of 135 inches. Nominated by Sharon Welton, executive director, Stephenson County Historical Society Museum and Arboretum.


https://www.dailyherald.com/20250714/submitted-content/rare-american-chestnut-trees-in-freeport-nominated-as-illinois-state-champions/