A special Thank you to the dozens of individuals who recently joined or renewed their membership with the Coalition. This support will enable the Coalition to continue our grass-roots initiative so we can all realize our goals of preserving the Forked River Mountains and the vast wilderness that surrounds them.

Members of the Coalition will be able to participate in the fifth Annual Meeting and election of members to the Board of Trustees. The Annual Meeting is scheduled for May 31, 1999 at 9:30 a.m. at Double Trouble State Park. If you are a member of the Coalition, you will receive a written notice of the election about a month before the Annual Meeting.

If you are not currently a member of the Coalition but would like to join, or if you are a member and have not yet renewed your membership, simply complete the membership form. Be sure to mark the appropriate box and return the form along with your $15 membership dues for 1999.

Botanical Bounty . . .

Swamp Pink (Helonias bullata)

Swamp pink has smooth, evergreen, lance-shaped leaves that lie fairly flat on the ground in a basal rosette. The leaves are shiny green when young and often attain a purplish tint as the plant matures. The stocky, hollow flower stem grows from 1 to 3 feet tall and has sparse modified leaves along its length. In April or early May the stem is topped by a cluster of pink flowers dotted with pale blue anthers. By late May the stem dies back and turns light brown in color. The dried flowers release their seeds by mid-June. Even when the plant is not in flower, the evergreen leaves of swamp pink can be identified year-round. In fact, the plant may be easier to detect in the winter months since few other herbaceous plants are still green. Although sometimes occurring as individual plants, swamp pink is more often found in clumps. The prevalence of clumping is likely the result of new plant growth from rootstocks and the limited distance that dispersing seeds travel.

As the name implies, swamp pink is a wetland plant. Since the species cannot survive in open sun, the plant is limited to forested wetlands dominated by Atlantic white-cedar and red maple. Swamp pink often grows on hummocks formed by trees, shrubs, and sphagnum moss. The hummocks keep the roots moist but not submerged in the standing water and hydric soil characteristic of the plant’s habitat. Swamp pink are found in wetlands that are perennially wet with the water table at or near the surface and only slight fluctuations in water levels throughout the year. Once found inhabiting wetland areas from New York to Georgia, swamp pink is now only found along the coastal plain from New Jersey to Virginia and in small isolated bog areas in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. New Jersey represents the global stronghold for the endangered swamp pink, containing more than 70 percent of the know sites.

Clearing, draining and filing forested wetlands can quickly destroy swamp pink and its habitat. Collecting, trampling and competition from non-native plants also pose threats to the continued existence of swamp pink in its native habitat. A more subtle assault on the survival of swamp pink includes gradual degradation of forested wetlands. Biologists suspect that many extant and seemingly vigorous swamp pink populations are in the process of a slow decline due to the impact of upland development surrounding swamp pink populations. The long-term existence of swamp pink is dependent on the availability of high-quality, undisturbed habitat. Such habitat exists in the Forked River Mountain area. With your continued support we can preserve habitat for the swamp pink and other rare and endangered plant (and animal) species.

Join Us in the Great Outdoors. . .

Here are three exciting opportunities to learn more about the Forked River Mountains and view the areas unique flora and fauna. . .