This program will start with the basics of what lichens are and how they live. Our expert speaker, Malcolm Hodges, will talk about how to tell them apart based on how they reproduce, where they live, and what they grow on. He will also touch on their importance in ecosystems, how to learn more about Georgia’s lichens, and how to observe them using the iNaturalist app.

Malcolm Hodges holds a BA in Biology from Rice University and a Masters in Zoology from Mississippi State. Now retired, he was Director of Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in Georgia, serving as a biologist and land manager for the nonprofit, 1992-2020. His work mainly involved managing the Conservancy’s nature preserves, which ran the gamut from biological monitoring to fire management to public outreach. His interests and areas of expertise are conservation management of threatened biota in the Southeast US; lichen systematics, distribution, and conservation in the Southeast; and ornithology. Hodges worked with mentor Sean Beeching and others on the Georgia Lichen Atlas Project, which documented, described, and mapped lichen species across the state.

There will be a reception with light refreshments at 6:30, followed by the program at 7:00 and a drawing for door prizes at the conclusion.

Malcolm Hodges