JARS v64n4 - An ARS Endowment in Action

An ARS Endowment in Action
Jim Brant
Glouster, Virginia

George McLellan
Gloucester, Virginia

The Middle Atlantic Chapter (MAC) of the American Rhododendron Society Species Study Group has been studying the native azaleas of the Southeast and specifically the native azaleas on Gregory Bald. Gregory Bald is a grassy bald on a 1494 m (4,900 foot) ridge in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina which contains a unique hybrid stand of native azaleas.

Since 1995 when we first visited Gregory, we have been concerned about the status of the Bald which was being overrun by blackberries and various species of trees. The Bald was reduced to 5.7 ha (14 acres) and at this time the only maintenance that was done was with weed eaters (try weeding almost 6 ha!) in the Park Service schedule of three work periods of 4.5 days each. In 2005, our group requested a grant from the ARS Endowment Fund for the purchase of a 17 horsepower DR mower. This grant was approved in June of 2006 and a month later on a sunny July day, the mower arrived on top of Gregory Bald. This began a new era in the maintenance of this unique stand of native azaleas. The new machine has enabled the National Park Service crew to maintain the Bald in half the time; it has allowed them to start reclaiming the Bald to its original size of 13.4 ha (33 acres).

Since the DR has arrived word has spread about the enhanced beauty of this hybrid swarm of azaleas. One result has been a large increase in visitors to this special area. You must be willing to take a 3 to 4 hour hike with an altitude change of about 3000 feet but your efforts will be well worth the climb.

In the three years since the DR mower has been on the mountain we have seen the Bald expand from 5.7 to 8.9 ha (22 acres) revealing many more native azaleas. This has also allowed the repopulation of a large number of rare plants such as two species of dwarf willows, many wild flowers and grasses that were not previously recorded in the Park.

The MAC Chapter has now expanded its commitment to the conservation of our native azaleas by donating $2500.00 a year to the Park Service which has enabled them to hire an intern to work on Bald maintenance for the past three years. Also MAC is working on Hooper Bald in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina to preserve the special population of Rhododendron calendulaceum . ARS members can feel extremely proud of their society's contributions to saving the native azaleas in the Southern Appalachians.

Jim Brant and George McLellan are both members of the Middle Atlantic ARS Chapter.