The Fall meeting of the Missouri Native Plant Society will be held in Kansas City September 10-12. Kansas City Chapter welcomes you and hopes that you enjoy the weekend with us. Our Friday night get-together will be at the Rocky Point Lodge in Kansas City’s Swope Park. The guest speaker will be Linda Lehrbaum, coordinator for the KCWildlands. The lodge will be open at 6:00 pm, with the meeting starting at 7:00 pm. There will also be refreshments provided by the Kansas City Chapter.

The Saturday field trips will be to two sites KCWildlands has been working on for several years. First we will visit Jerry Smith Park and Saeger Woods Conservation Area. These two contiguous tracts contain remnant native prairie. An approximately 40 acre area has been the subject of intense restoration efforts since 1998 including tree removal, prescribed burning, and control of Sericea lespedeza. The site contains the largest population in Missouri of the eared false foxglove. Smith Park contains the largest remaining tract of remnant prairie on the Missouri side of the metro area, and the only one in the city limits of Kansas City.

The second, afternoon field trip will be to Rocky Point Glade. Kansas City Wildlands has been involved in an active restoration of the limestone glades and oak savanna of Rocky Point Glade. Aggressive clearing of woody invasive plants-both native and exotic-has taken place in recent years. Management includes restoration of a number of native plants through direct seeding and transplanting of seedlings using the near by Blue River Glade Natural Area as a seed source. Prescribed burning is another management tool.

The Saturday evening board meeting will be held in the Holiday Inn/Water Park at the intersection of I-70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff. The room will be available from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

Directions to Rocky Point Lodge and Glade: From I-70, take I-435 south to Gregory Blvd exit. Head west approximately 1 mile. Gregory will turn left at the Lake of the Woods, then it will turn right at the intersection with Oldham Rd. Do not turn right! Stay to the left onto Oldham Rd. Continue on Oldham for about 0.5 miles. The entrance to Rocky Point/ Camp Lake of the Woods will be on the left.

Directions to Jerry Smith Park: From I-70, Take I-435 south to the Holmes Rd. Exit. Go south on Holmes Rd. to 139th Street. The entrance is 0.75 miles on the left. Parking is across from the maintenance building.

Friday Schedule:

6:00 pm: Rocky Point Lodge opens. Refreshments provided by the Kansas City Chapter.
7:00 pm: Meeting starts. The guest speaker will be Linda Lehrbaum, coordinator for the KCWildlands.
Note: Please be sure to arrive at Rocky Point Lodge before 7:00 pm. The staff may lock the parking lot after our meeting starts for security purposes.

Saturday Schedule:

8:00 am: Meet in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn-Water Park , I-70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff to carpool.
9:00 am: Arrive at Jerry Smith Park
11:30 am: Lunch
1:00 pm: Meet at Rocky Point Glade
7:00 pm: Board Meeting, Holiday Inn-Water Park

There are several options for lunch. There is a great Barbeque restaurant, Jack’s Stack, very near Jerry Smith Park, as well as fast food places along the way. If you want to bring your lunch, Jerry Smith Park or Rocky Point Glade is great areas for picnicking.

Sunday Schedule:

8:00 am: Meet in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn-Water Park , I-70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff to carpool.
8:45 am: Arrive at Hidden Valley Natural Area

Hotels:

There are a number of hotels in the area, and following is a list near I-70. I must warn you, make your reservations early as there is a Monday Night Football game on the 13th.

Noland Road exit hotels:

• Best Western
  4048 S. Lynn Ct., Independence
  816.254-0100
• Quality Inn
  4200 S. Noland Rd., Independence
  816.373-8856
• Motel 6
  4142 S. Noland Rd., Independence
  816.350-7816
• Super 8
  4032 S. Lynn Ct., Independence
  816.833-1888
• American Inn
  4141 S. Noland Rd., Independence
  816.373-8300

Sports Complex hotels:

• Clarion
  4011 Blue Ridge Cut-off, KC
  816.353-5300
• Holiday Inn/Water Park
  9103 E. 39th St., KC
  888.897-0084
  866.754-6962
• Drury Inn
  3830 Blue Ridge Cut-off, KC
  816.923-3000