Georgia aster is an uncommon Southern plant that declined for decades, to the verge of receiving federal protection. However, nine organizations, private and public, are committing to conserve the plant in an effort that should keep it off the endangered species list. The commitment will be memorialized this Friday in an agreement called a Candidate Conservation Agreement, designed to proactively conserve plants and animals before they need Federal protection.
The plant is found in five counties in north and central Alabama, 15 counties in north and central Georgia, 14 counties in the Piedmont area of South Carolina, and nine counties in central North Carolina.
What: Signing of a Candidate Conservation Agreement, through which a team of partners commits to actions to conserve the Georgia aster, a candidate for placement on the Federal endangered species list.
Who: Liz Agpaoa, Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service
Cindy Dohner, Southeast Regional Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Sherri Fields, Deputy Regional Director, National Park Service
Dan Forster, Wildlife Resources Division Director, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Keith Golden, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation
Ron Shipman, Vice President of Environmental Affairs, Georgia Power
Where: Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30309
When: 10:00 a.m. Friday, May 16
Behind-the-scenes tours of the Garden will follow the signing event.
