FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2024
Contact: Jessica Ross, DNR Rare Plant Monitoring Program Coordinator [email protected] or 608-219-6383

Volunteer Rediscovers Rare Plant Not Seen In Wisconsin For Over 100 Years?

George Riggin, a trained volunteer for the DNR's Rare Plant Monitoring Program, and Bridget Rathman, DNR Habitat Biologist, spotted the Maryland senna. Prior to their rediscovery, the plant had not been seen in Wisconsin since 1911. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

MADISON, Wis. ? The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that a population of Maryland senna (Senna marilandica), a rare plant not seen in Wisconsin since 1911, was rediscovered in southwest Wisconsin.

George Riggin, a trained volunteer for the DNR's Rare Plant Monitoring Program, and Bridget Rathman, DNR Habitat Biologist, spotted the plant.??

This discovery and others?are featured?in the Rare Plant Monitoring Program's?2023 Annual Report. Almost 15% of Wisconsin's 2,366 native plant species?are considered?rare, meaning they are?listed as endangered, threatened or of?special?concern.

In 2023, more than 50 trained volunteers from around the state submitted 178 reports of rare plants, including 31 populations in areas of Wisconsin where they had not been documented before.

"I am continuously impressed by the botanical knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment to conservation that we see from our volunteers. Their efforts play a significant role in helping us understand the state of rare plants in Wisconsin and inform how we might conserve them," said Jessica Ross, DNR Rare Plant Monitoring Program Coordinator.

Since 2013, the DNR's?Rare Plant Monitoring Program?has trained and sent volunteers to check on the health and size of rare native plant populations in nearly every county in the state. The volunteer program is Wisconsin's largest source of rare plant data. It is unique in the Midwest for its breadth of surveys statewide.

Become A Rare Plant Monitor

Rare Plant Monitoring Program volunteers are trained in surveying techniques, including accurately estimating large plant populations, assessing habitat conditions and using GPS coordinates to locate and mark rare plant populations. Training is online and can?be completed?at any time.?While formal plant identification training?isn't required?or included, successful volunteers often have previous experience.?

Learn more about volunteer opportunities?near you?on the?Rare Plant Monitoring Program webpage.