Horticulture

Bolack San Juan Basin Flora Project

Bolack San Juan Basin Flora Project The Bolack San Juan Basin Flora Project is a project under the auspices of the SJC Herbarium, supported, in part by the Bolack Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, BHP Minerals, Annabelle Friddle and Burlington Resources in cooperation with Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri.

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It is a ten year endeavor, begun in 1996, which plans to produce a flora of the Four Corners region by 2007. A flora is a reference book that compiles and describes all the species of vascular plants in a political entity, like New Mexico or a region, like the Four Corners region. A published flora enables botanists, students and other interested parties, like environmental survey businesses and oil -gas developers, to identify plants in an area of question.

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The geographical limit of the region covered in our flora is the drainage basin of the San Juan River, which includes alpine, montane, Great Basin Desert (including Navajoan Desert), pinon-juniper woodland and a major Southwestern riparian zone. The region is far enough south to contain a few species influences from subtropical deserts, such as the Sonoran Desert and far enough north to include plants of the Rocky Mountain region. Since the Colorado Plateau has the greatest degree of endemism for plants in North America, this is a very important and valuable academic undertaking.

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Editing and collecting personnel are: Supervising Editor, Kenneth D. Heil; Co-editor (Managing Editor)and Principal Illustrator, Linda Mary Reeves, both of San Juan College; Co-Editor and Botanist, Steve O'Kane of the University of Northern Iowa and Associate Editor and Botanist, Arnold Clifford. Botanists who will write botanical treatments of plant families or smaller groups include the above personnel as well as 44 additional authors from across the United States and Canada. Institutions represented include the Smithsonian Institution-U.S. National Arboretum, the New York Botanical Garden, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, University of California, Missouri Botanical Garden, University of Maryland, University of Texas, University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, University of Michigan, Arizona State University and many others.

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The published flora will also contain about 500 black and white botanical drawings by Linda Reeves, a large number of color botanical watercolor/pencil art pieces by renowned Boulder, Colorado artist, Carolyn Crawford, landscape watercolors by Glenn Vandre', and other botanical art and photographs. This will make the flora an important botanical art book as well as a major contribution in botanical science.

One of Carolyn's paintings, which depicts Asclepias sanjuanensis, the San Juan milkweed, is part of San Juan College's permanent collection. The original specimen of this relatively new species was found by a student on the San Juan College campus. This species has a limited distribution, found only in our area.

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A major portion of the flora includes systematic collection of plants in the area. Hundreds of new locations for known plant species have been found as well as many potential new species and varieties during the first four plant collection seasons. Field seasons;have centered around the Lake Powell area of Arizona and Utah, the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation and montane Colorado as well as additional collection in selected undercollected portions of New Mexico.

The Bolack San Juan Basin Flora Project promises to be an exciting and informative journey in botanical science. Information about the project may be obtained by calling the Herbarium at (505) 566-3244.

About the B-Square Ranch and the Bolack Foundation

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The B-Square Ranch is owned and operated by Tommy Bolack. For many years he has practiced conservation and watershed management, and has introduced many plants throughout a multi-unit diversion dam system.

Programs are also in progress to eradicate such weeds as knapweed, cocklebur, bull nettle and common sunflower. Introduction of certain endangered and other species are planned for the future. As Farmington and San Juan County grow, the B-Square Ranch lands help to protect native flora against land expansion, habitat loss and habitat fragmentation. The relatively large size of the ranch area serves to protect a site that is diverse enough to include a mosaic of natural landscapes.

The Bolack Foundation is a major supporter of the Bolack San Juan Basin Flora Project.

Authors' Packets

For more information, please call Dr. Don Hyder at (505) 566-3772. Or send us an email at hyderd@sanjuancollege.edu.