Chicago Botanic Garden

Plant Science — OUR SCIENTISTS

PHOTO: Susan MasiSusanne Masi, M.A.

Plant Conservation
Manager of Regional Floristics

M.A., Northeastern Illinois University, 1991

CONTACT
PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS
phone (847) 835-8269


Research Interests

As co-founder and coordinator of the unique regional rare plant monitoring program, Plants of Concern, I am actively involved with more than 300 volunteers and 70 public and private landowners, including six forest preserve districts of NE IL, IDNR, and the Chicago Park District. POC also conducts a special monitoring program at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. This collaborative program has worked at 192 sites to monitor 176 species of endangered, threatened, and rare plant species. The standardized data we gather on each population of rare plants is a count or estimate of plant numbers as well as a report on the threats to the populations and a listing of invasive species affecting them. We also record the management activities being implemented to improve the populations, such as burning, brush cutting and invasive species removal. This information is fed back to land owners so that they might take steps to solve imminent problems and thus to preserve these rare plants and their habitats. On a long-term basis, we are beginning to analyze six years of data to understand some trends for rare plants throughout the region. How they are faring — increasing, decreasing or remaining stable? What are the major threats they face? How is management helping these plants?

I am also active on the Governor's appointed Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, where I share the knowledge gained from Plants of Concern at a statewide level.

With the support of grants, I am fortunate to have a staff of two research assistants and a program assistant/volunteer coordinator. Our department's database technician, Bianca Rosenbaum, maintains the Plants of Concern website, plantsofconcern.org.

I am grateful to have received funding for the Plants of Concern program since 2001 to the Chicago Botanic Garden from Chicago Wilderness, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (C2000 and the Wildlife Preservation Fund), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and CorLands (Corporation for Open Lands).

 

Publications

Masi, S. 2003. Tracking Down Rare Plants. Plants of Concern Brings Together Volunteers, Agencies, Landowners and Scientists. In Chicago Wilderness Journal (Online). Vol 1(1) Fall 2003: 22-26.

Masi, S. 2003. Plants of Concern: volunteers conduct standardized rare plant monitoring on a regional scale (Northeast Illinois). Ecological Restoration. Vol 21(1)March 2003: 64.

T.M. Antonio and S. Masi. 2001. The Sunflower Family in the Upper Midwest. Indiana Academy of Science. Indianapolis, IN


Presentations

S. Masi and E. Kapler. 2006. "Rare Plant Monitoring at Midewin." Oral presentation at the Symposium: "Ten Years of Progress in Restoration & Research at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie," University of St. Francis, Joliet, IL, August, 2006.

S. Masi and E. Kapler. 2006. "Long-Term Rare Plant Monioring at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (Illinois)". Poster presented at North American Prairie Conference, University of Nebraska, Kearny, July 2006 and at the 33rd Annual Natural Areas Association Conference, Flagstaff, AZ, September, 2006.

S. Masi and S. Kroiss. 2006. "Plants of Concern: A Volunteer-based Rare Plant Monitoring Program (Northeast Illinois). Poster presented at the Janet Meakin Poor Symposium, Chicago Botanic Garden, October, 2006.

Masi, S. and R. Mann. 2005. Plants of Concern: Volunteers Monitor Rare Species in a Standardized Regional Program (Northeast Illinois, USA). The World Conference on Ecological Restoration, Zaragoza, Spain, 12-18 September, 2005.

Masi, S. 2005. The Sunflower Family in the Upper Midwest. Annual Meeting of the McHenry County Defenders, Crystal Lake, IL, February 26, 2005.

Masi, S. and L. Reich. 2004. Plants of concern: Volunteers monitor rare species in a standardized regional program (Northeast Illinois). 16th Annual Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration, August 24-26, Victoria, BC, Canada.