The genus Sarracenia (the trumpet pitcher plants) is in trouble in the United States. Habitat destruction, pollution, and invasive species have reduced the genus' habitat by approximately 95%. One species, Sarracenia oreophila (commonly called the mountain pitcher plant or the green pitcher plant) is particularly endangered, and occurs at only about 21 sites in Alabama (plus one more in North Carolina and one in Georgia). While these plants are not likely to be destroyed directly by development, they are stressed by altered hydrology, invasive non-native species, poaching, and especially the suppression of the natural fire regime. These are vexing issues in management, and it is not very clear how they are best addressed.

Early in the year 2000, a staff member of the Alabama Natural Heritage Program contacted the ICPS with a proposal. She thought that an excellent step in conservation of the rare pitcher plants would be for everyone associated with managing S. oreophila bogs to meet under one roof, discuss what they found works (and also what does not work!), and develop ideas for how to advance our understanding of mountain pitcher plant bogs.

We agreed with her, and engaged in a fund raising drive. After a six month campaign, we raised enough money to pay for the entire event, which was held in late August, 2000. In attendance were stewards of The Nature Conservancy from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and their programs in biohydrology and invasive species management, as well as staff from the Alabama Natural Heritage Program, US Fish and Wildlife, De Soto State Forest, Little River Preserve, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and private land owners. Everyone discussed their practices and how they could help each other. Another day was spent in the field observing the results of stewardship at a number of Sarracenia oreophila sites. Information was exchanged, friendships were cemented, and when the stewards left at the end of the meeting they all had resources they did not before.

In fact, our fund raising campaign for this project was so successful that we have expanded our scopes to consider stewardship issues for the other two rare species, Sarracenia jonesii (the mountain sweet pitcher plant) and Sarracenia alabamensis (the Alabama canebrake pitcher plant).