NEBS Lichen Collection.pdfDear Members of the Northampton Conservation Commission, We live or work in Northampton and are professional naturalists and volunteer amateur lichenologists working with the New England Botanical Society (NEBS). We are writing to seek permission to collect
lichens from conservation areas in Northampton, to identify and submit as voucher specimens to the
NEBS Cryptogam Herbarium housed within Harvard University’s Farlow Herbarium in Cambridge. (Cryptogams are algae, mosses, fungi and lichens.) Herbarium collections provide an invaluable permanent record of the diversity of the New England flora, the distribution of each species across the region, comparison of a species’ morphology across its range, and the changes over time in
distributions, abundance, and other aspects of ecology. Lichens have been very little studied in Massachusetts and elsewhere and currently receive no protection here. A great deal remains unknown about the distribution and ecological role of lichens, including whether any unusual lichens occur in Northampton. This proposed project would help to
remedy this shortfall in knowledge and could inform management decisions.
Our proposal is to collect, catalog, and identify lichens from a variety of habitats across Northampton’s diverse conservation areas, then submit the collection data and the specimens to the NEBS Cryptogam Herbarium for confirmation of our identifications and preparation for long term storage. Data from this
and many collaborating herbaria is utilized by scientists around the world to study ecological patterns of lichens including those related to air pollution and climate change. Lichens grow on trees, rocks, and soil and we propose to collect from all three substrates. We will be collecting using methods that are standard in this field of study. Ideally the whole collection would
consist of just one small sample of each species. We do not intend to duplicate the collection of the
same species from more than one conservation area. Each specimen will be accompanied by a photo of the lichen in its natural setting. We will make sure that any removals are not conspicuous from trails. We do not have a specific timeline for the project and the collections can take place any time of year.
We will submit a report of our completed findings to the City of Northampton Conservation Commission. A landowner permission form required by NEBS is attached. If you do agree to our proposal, a representative of the Conservation Commission needs to sign the form which we will then sign and
deliver to NEBS with our collection.
Thank you for considering our proposal. Sincerely,
Molly Hale 96 Oak St. Florence, MA 01062 (413) 585-0791
hellomolly@comcast.net
Devorah Levy 71 State St., Apt. 406 Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 588-8019
devorahlevy@gmail.com
Laurie Sanders 56 Montague Rd. Westhampton, MA 01027 (413) 527-5903
laurielsanders@gmail.com