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Alabama Carnivorous Plant Gains Habitat BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, December 5, 2002 (ENS) - An endangered, carnivorous plant found only in Alabama gained new protection this month with the purchase of 163 acres in the sandhills of Autauga County. With the purchase of the tract from International Paper, The Nature Conservancy has almost doubled the size of the group's Roberta Case Pine Hills Preserve, established two years ago to protect the largest known population of the federally endangered Alabama canebrake pitcher plant. The canebrake pitcher plant is one of Alabama's and the world's rarest species, known to occur only at fewer than 20 locations in three Alabama counties. Several other rare plants also occur only in these few counties and nowhere else in the world, including Harper's wild ginger.
The 200 acre preserve is named in memory of Roberta Case who, with her husband Fred, discovered the rare plant many years ago. The Cases spent their lives monitoring, inventorying and researching the plant, and provided the seed money for its permanent protection. Pitcher plants are unique in that they are carnivorous, meaning their survival depends on nutrients provided by decaying prey. Insects are lured into the plant's tube like leaves by an odor the plant emits, then become trapped and succumb to the plant's digestive juices. The land bought earlier this month is adjacent to the preserve and will allow land managers a buffer to use much needed prescribed fire to maintain the fire dependent pitcher plant and longleaf pine communities on the preserve. "This was an important project because we needed this additional land to safely manage the preserve with prescribed fire and protect these rare plants," said Steve Northcutt, the Nature Conservancy's north Alabama land protection specialist. The 163 acres contains two additional areas of pitcher plants, upland longleaf pine forests and unique gravel hillside seepage areas. The new addition will be managed to restore the longleaf pine ecosystem. "Buying and selling forestland is part of our strategic planning process," said Jim Fitzgerald, region manager of Gulf operations for International Paper's forest resources business. "It is a wonderful compliment to our sustainable forestry management when one of our conservation partners like The Nature Conservancy is interested in an ecologically important parcel we are selling." The Roberta Case Pine Hills Preserve is open to the public - a series of forest roads and hiking trails allow public access. Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2002. All rights reserved. |
Alabama Canebrake Pitcher Plant (Photo courtesy 