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FNPS Mission: To preserve, conserve, and restore native plants and native plant communities.
Learn more by visiting the FNPS website • Check our calendar for upcoming events sponsored by the Pinellas, Nature Coast, and Suncoast Chapters • Not a member yet? Join today!
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Event Updates
Please see details for these events in the newsletter below and check our Facebook Group and website calendar for the most up-to-date information.
- Monthly meetings will now take place on the 2nd Thursday of the month 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. There will be no meeting in January.
- Sunday, 01/15 8:30 AM - 11 AM: "Natives in Focus" Fieldtrip, Weedon Island Preserve
- Tuesday, 1/10, 7:00 PM: Monthly Volunteer Orientation
- Tuesday, 01/31, 7 PM - 8 PM: Pinellas Conservation Committee Meeting
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Meet Your 2023 Board of Directors
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Election of the 2023 Board of Directors was held on December 7th and the following slate of nominees were approved by vote of 52 members. One Director seat remains unfilled. Thank you to the members who took the time to participate in the election of new leaders.
| President |
Andrea Anderson |
| Past President |
Davis Byrkit |
| Vice President |
Antonia Krueger |
| Treasurer |
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| Secretary |
Deborah Rothenberg |
| Chapter Representative |
David Perkey |
| Director |
Leah Daniel |
| Director |
Pamela Schrader |
| Director |
Cameron Dasher |
| Director |
Sari Wood |
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We are extremely grateful for another year of service and leadership from Andrea Anderson, Davis Byrkit, David Perkey, Pam Schrader and Sari Wood.
A big Thank-you from all of us to the outgoing Board Members for their leadership of the chapter: Robin Peacock, Jane Graham, Ginger Brengle, Jessica Palenchar and Michael Coleman.
Please welcome the newest members of the PCFNPS Board.
 Deborah Rothenberger developed an interest in native plants while teaching kindergarten children the life cycle of Monarch Butterflies. Every year there were containers of milkweed stalks left over that she planted in her yard. When she learned there was good milkweed and bad milkweed, she contacted the Native Plant Society for information and never looked back. Three years ago, Deb and her husband began converting their St. Petersburg yard to native plants, and put in structures to reduce stormwater flow into the adjacent waterway. They won the 2022 Community Water Wise Award in Pinellas County. Their next project is to plant mangroves and make a living shoreline along their sea wall. They love discussing and sharing ideas for using native plants and water conservation.
 Cameron Dasher is an Eckerd College senior with a triple major in Anthropology, Biology, and Environmental Studies. When he isn’t in lecture, you can find him out in the EC community farm, local nature preserves, or botanical gardens - always with his loupe. Cameron’s main passion is ethnobotany, getting involved on projects in the Peruvian Amazon and even our local community. He believes appreciation and gratitude begins with our local communities, especially our native flora.
 Antonia (Tonia) Krueger has been a member of FNPS since 2017. Her favorite native plants include blackeyed susans, pineland heliotrope, leavenworth’s coreopsis, and wild plumbago. She teaches at Eckerd College as Visiting Assistant Professor, Ph.D. in Theatre from The Ohio State University. Tonia was the first person in theatre ever to be awarded their highly competitive Presidential Fellowship, for her dissertation research on the career of actress Jessica Tandy. She has an M.A. in Communication (Theatre) from Indiana State University, and an M.A. in English as a Second Language (focus in Psychology) from the University of Minnesota. She has worked in theatre and film as a dramaturg, playwright, theatre critic, voice and text coach, actor, director, costumer, and arts administrator.
 Leah Daniel graduated from Eckerd College in 2010, with a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in Biology, where she gained a love and appreciation for native plants. In 2016, Leah and her husband purchased their first home in Gulfport and began the process of restoring their lifeless landscape of black top and pea gravel. After joining the FNPS Pinellas Chapter, interacting with Florida native plant groups online, and experimenting with natives over the years, Leah was able to successfully bring life back to her landscape. Leah’s love for natives led to a position with Sweet Bay Nursery in Parrish, Florida where they specialize in natives and butterfly gardening. There she is able to help others transform lifeless landscapes into beneficial gardens that bring joy to people as well as provide much needed habitat for wildlife! When not at Sweet Bay, Leah enjoys working in her own home gardens, beachcombing, hiking, as well as developing her skills as an amateur wildlife photographer.
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"Natives in Focus" Field Trip
Sunday, January 15th
Weedon Island Preserve
8:30 AM - 11 AM
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Join David Perkey and Jan Allyn at Weedon Island Preserve for a plant photography outing. We will meet in front of the Nature Center at 8:30 a.m. and walk the trails in search of attractive photography subjects.
This new Pinellas FNPS special interest group is designed to inspire and inform, with participants celebrating the beauty of native plants and plant communities and sharing our knowledge to improve our photography skills. A follow-up virtual meeting will be scheduled so that participants can share and/or critique photos.
If you’d like to attend, please RSVP to jallyn727@gmail.com and provide your name and cell phone number.
Weedon Island Preserve
Cultural and Natural
History Center
1800 Weedon Drive NE
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
(727) 453-6500
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Ikebana With Native Plants
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The December presentation on Using Native Plants in Ikebana - The Art of Japanese Flower Arranging by Sue Taylor and Suzanne Hassell was a huge hit and produced some beautiful arrangements. Enjoy the photos which were also shared on our Facebook Group.
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A Photo Is Worth A Thousand Words
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On December 11th, seven chapter members took a field trip to Boyd Hill Nature Preserve for the inaugural outing of the “Natives in Focus” special interest group. The purpose of the group is to increase knowledge about native plant species and communities and the best techniques for photographing them. It being winter, not much was blooming in the main part of the park but the butterfly garden was fertile ground for images. Sweet acacia, snowberry, tropical sage, and skyblue clustervine all provided good floral subjects. A few photos by Jan Allyn and Dave Perkey are featured here.
The group reconvened via Zoom on December 14th to share the images they captured and offer each other supportive suggestions for improvement. Dave Perkey demonstrated his technique of capturing a subject at different focal lengths and layering the images to increase the apparent depth of focus. The group will be meeting monthly for similar outings, with a follow-up virtual sharing session. The January trip has not yet been scheduled. If you are interested in participating, email Jan Allyn to be notified of the next outing.
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Pinellas Chapter
Seeking Volunteer Bookeeper for 2023
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We are currently looking for a member to serve as Treasurer of the Board or to serve on the Finance Committee and maintain the books for the Chapter. Some bookkeeping experience or strong computer skills preferred. The chapter has at most 3-4 transactions a month, and the time required is about three hours a month.
If you have an interest in becoming more involved in the chapter, please Email President@pinellasnativeplants.org.
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Monthly Volunteer Orientation
Tuesday, December 13th, 7:00 pm
via Zoom
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Support FNPS by attending our monthly volunteer orientation, held on the second Tuesday of every month. We'll go through all the different opportunities to become involved and important information for new volunteers.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82495507182?pwd=K09SU2ZJMHIrWkx5VXZLREk0eTJhZz09
Meeting ID: 824 9550 7182
Passcode: 002075
One tap mobile
+16469313860,,82495507182#,,,,*002075# US
+19292056099,,82495507182#,,,,*002075# US (New York)
Dial by your location
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
Meeting ID: 824 9550 7182
Passcode: 002075
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SAVE THE DATE:
Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot Festival Volunteer Opportunity
Saturday, February 11th, 2023
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Save the Date!
The Pinellas Chapter FNPS is excited to participate again in the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot Festival! Last year’s festival was extremely well attended and a huge success!
As the event draws nearer, we will be seeking volunteers to assist at our table at this event. So, please, save the date and keep an eye out for updates.
Sign up below to put your name down early!
Location
Edgewater Park
51 Main St, Dunedin, FL 34698
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Thank You To Our Business Members
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Pinellas Chapter Florida Native Plant Society
2023 Officers, Directors and Committee Chairs
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All chapter members are invited to attend Board meetings, normally held via Zoom the third Wednesday of the month from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Email the President for information about the next meeting, and/or if you have an issue that you would like addressed.
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President - Andrea Andersen
Vice President - Antonia Krueger
Secretary - Deborah Rothenberger
Treasurer -
Past President - Davis Byrkit
Director / Chapter Representative - David Perkey
Director / Programs Chair - Pam Schrader
Director - Cameron Dasher
Director - Sari Wood
Director - Leah Daniel
Social Media - Jan Allyn, Chad Hardy
Newsletter Editor - Nataly Capote
Webmaster - Patty Perkey
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Florida Native Plant Society Mission
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The Mission of the Florida Native Plant Society is to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.
The Society fulfills this mission through:
- Support for conservation land acquisition
- Land management that enhances habitat suitability for native plants
- Education
- Public policies that protect our native flora, especially rare species
- Research on native plant species
- Encouragement of local landscaping practices and policies that preserve Florida's native plant heritage
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