An Open Letter From A Member
Dear Fellow Members,
Meadowview's Joseph Pines Preserve (101 acres) is unique in the realm of conservation and restoration. The native yellow pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava) is almost extinct in Virginia, where it was once abun-dant in the southeastern portion of the state. Yellow pitcher plant is now thriving in restored bog areas on the Joseph Pines Preserve. These populations were propagated from remnant micro-populations at sites near the Preserve. These last stands of S. flava in Virginia have now either been destroyed (today a house sits on one site) or are on the verge of extinction. Also thriving at our preserve are rescued purple pitcher plant, also in grave danger, as well as sundews, orchids and other bog plants to complete the ecosystem. In the upland ar-eas, native long leaf pine (little left in the state) is also being restored. There is no other preserve in Virginia where the resto-rations described above are being done.
Now Meadowview has the rare opportunity to more than double the size of the Joseph Pines Preserve in Sussex County, VA. The 98-acre Posey tract is now avail-able adjacent to the Preserve. This tract has the same opportunities for bog and upland restoration as its neighbor, the original 101-acre Preserve. On the other side, 36 acres owned by Conservation Forestry is available that would form a buffer between the Preserve and a housing area that has cropped up. The buffer is much needed. But no one is going to donate these lands to Meadowview. The only way to acquire both parcels is through funding raised by member donations. Please join me in donating or pledging whatever you can to help make this dream a realty.
Sincerely,
Jim Robinson
Meadowview Director
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Jim Robinson has studied and grown carnivorous plants since 7th grade. He received a B. A. in botany from Southern Ill. Univ. and worked in the nursery business for several years. After earning an M. S. in horticulture from Purdue Univ., Jim became Assistant Director of the Connecticut College Arboretum under Director and world-renowned ecologist, Dr. William A. Niering, during the early 1980s. He then changed careers and became a computer programmer until his re-tirement in 2001. In addition to his own home gardening, Jim has helped since 1990 with prairie and savanna restoration in the forest preserve near his home in suburban Chicago, Ill. Jim has been a member and contributor to Meadowview since its inception.