Successful Applicant:
Nature PEI
Award:
$5,555
Project Title:
On-line Guide to the Ferns, Clubmosses and Horsetails of Prince Edward Island
Project Gallery:
Project Summary:
The goals for this WCF project were to: assemble a project team; develop a work plan to implement the project; assemble the latest Island wide data and map the occurrence of the ferns, clubmosses, and horsetails of PEI; develop an illustrated key and guide text; and publish this segment of the On-line Flora of PEI on the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre website by March 31st, 2019. This project was completed and, thanks to the expansion of team support, the conifers and the lilies and their allies on PEI were added.
To develop multi-species conservation plans for Prince Edward Island, the occurrence of ferns, clubmosses, horsetails, conifers and lilies and their allies across the Island is essential. To obtain the best plant information, especially for smaller regions of the province, people skilled in the identification of various plants are essential. The development of an easy to use, web-based PEI plant identification and occurrence tool using photographic keys for Island plants rather than technical keys requiring a high level of skill allows more people to identify and document species occurrence. This project developed the web-based fern, clubmosses, horsetails, conifers and lilies and their allies section of the illustrated On-line Flora of PEI.
As this tool is used and better occurrence data is thus developed, it will allow managers to improve species conservation plans for specific sites and flag protection needs of species of concern. In addition, this tool serves as a valuable teaching tool for students and citizen scientists at all levels and encourages them to become active in wildlife conservation and document plant occurrence data on PEI thus improving our overall knowledge of where plants occur on PEI.