Science

Gretel Kiefer

Manager, Plants of Concern
Phone:
(847) 835-6927
Research Interests:
  • Plant population ecology
  • Plant community ecology
  • Response of rare plants to management
  • Why plants are rare
  • Restoration ecology
Statement:

I manage the Plants of Concern, a citizen science rare-plant monitoring program designed to gather standardized, long-term regional monitoring data to detect population trends. The program is a collaboration of trained citizen scientists, land managers, and researchers using science to best conserve rare plants and habitats. In addition to our regional monitoring work, Plants of Concern partners with landowners to provide detailed monitoring data at a given location while addressing landowner needs and concerns. These projects involve volunteer outreach and coordination, rare and invasive plant monitoring and mapping, and vegetation assessment using customized Rapid Floristic Quality Assessment (RFQA) protocols.

Partners include:

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (U.S. Forest Service)
Forest Preserves of Cook County
Openlands
Chicago Park District

Websites:

http://plantsofconcern.org/