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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.
- Wednesday, 1/05, 6:30pm - 7:30pm: Chapter Meeting and Zoom Presentation: An Introduction to the Benefits of Native Plants - Marquette McManus & Ryan Clay, Wilcox Nursery & Landscape
- Monday, 1/10, 6:30 - 7:30 pm: Pinellas Chapter Conservation Committee Meeting
- Saturday, 1/15, 8 - 10am: Moccasin Lake Butterfly Garden Volunteer Opportunity
- Saturday, 2/5, 9:00 am : Fort DeSoto Scrub Pine Tree Planting Opportunity
- Saturday, 2/12, Hope Spot Festival Volunteer Opportunity, Edgewater Park, Dunedin
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An Introduction to the Benefits of Native Plants
Marquette McManus & Ryan Clay
Wilcox Nursery & Landscape
Wednesday, January 5th
6:30pm - 7:30pm
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Marquette and Ryan will go over low maintenance native plants for both sun and shade that pollinators adore! They will discuss what defines a plant as a Florida native, where to get them, and the benefits of using them. Florida native plants are a wonderful sustainable choice for your landscape and also create a habitat for wildlife. When planting native plants in the right place they require less fertilizer, pesticides, and water. Native plants provide food and shelter for a wide range of birds, pollinators, and other intrinsically important creatures.
 Marquette McManus joined the Wilcox Nursery team in 2018 after completing an Environmental Science A.S. with a focus in natural resource conservation. She grew up hiking in the area and has always had a passion for Florida's unique ecosystems. She is now the Production Manager & Office Manager. She is responsible for tending to plant material, administrative tasks and ordering plant material. She is currently pursuing a B.A.S in Sustainability Management and plans of one day owning her own nursery. Her hobbies include making art with native plants, reading, and photography.
Ryan Clay grew up in a small agricultural based town in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky. He has always been interested in plants and the environment since he was a child. He joined the Wilcox team in July of 2020 and has since grown a deep love for native plants. He has devoted his life to organic gardening and educating others on why organic gardening is best for the environment. His other passions include cooking, history, and creating art.
Meeting starts at 6:30 with announcements. Everyone is welcome. No need to RSVP. Questions can be submitted to the speaker during the presentation using the Chat function or in advance to info@pinellasnativeplants.org.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88373765772?pwd=UzhVU2d0WWFKSlhPY1YrU1cvK1h2Zz09
Meeting ID: 883 7376 5772
Passcode: 307188
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,88373765772#,,,,*307188# US (Washington D.C)
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Florida Scrub Plant Communities
Dr. Donald Richardson, Ph.D., PWS, CEP
Ecological Consultants, Inc.
Watch the December membership meeting presentation on Sandhill and Scrub plant communities with special focus on the Gladys Douglas Preserve in Dunedin Florida.
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Moccasin Lake Butterfly Garden Volunteer Opportunity
Saturday, January 15th
8 - 10 am
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Join a team of volunteers in maintaining the Butterfly Garden at Moccasin Lake. This is a great opportunity to learn more about which plants attract and host our local butterflies, what conditions they grow in and how to prune them.
Please bring hand tools (if you have them), work gloves and a reusable water bottle. The chapter will provide trash bags.
We really appreciate the City of Clearwater allowing us to use the classroom at the park for our monthly meetings, and volunteering in the park is our way of showing it.
RSVP@pinellasnativeplants.org with your mobile number for further instructions.
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Help PCFNPS Spread The Word About Native Plants
At the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot Festival
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Mark your calendars! SATURDAY, February 12th, 2022 - Edgewater Park, Dunedin
Help us staff the Pinellas Chapter Exhibit by volunteering for a 2 hour shift. Email volunteer@pinellasnativeplants.org
Join us at Edgewater Park in downtown Dunedin to celebrate the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot! Ocean exhibitors will be highlighting our special waters during this eco-friendly event alongside food, drinks, live music, hands-on activities, vendors and educational experiences. Featuring DJ MultiPlayer Agency on the mic from 10-4pm and Jesse Ray Stout on the guitar from 4-6pm. Tickets available below for "Eat/Drink Local" with tastes from Dunedin establishments. We are proud to announce that our food and craft will be using compostable and recyclable supplies. By dining or shopping at the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot Festival, attendees are supporting local, sustainable businesses and a shared mission to minimize waste and eliminate unnecessary plastics from our oceans and our planet.
How do YOU want to celebrate?
EXHIBITORS - Shop, eat, drink, experience, play and learn!
WATERFRONT CLEANUP
COSTUME/WEARABLE ART CONTEST - Make your own eco-friendly outfit out of all eco-friendly, recycled or recyclable material and enter into our Costume and Wearable Art Contest - Prizes for Adults and Children!
SCHEDULED SPEAKERS & ACTIVITIES - Participate in Yoga, dance and other guided movements or hear your favorite speaker talk about the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot, native animals, food recovery, turning waste into energy, permaculture, etc. Schedule coming soon!
EAT & DRINK LOCAL - only 100 tickets will be sold! Get your tickets now! Includes food, desserts, beer, wine and tropical drink samples donated by local businesses. Drinks will be served in limited edition commemorative glasses with art from Dunedin's water tower artist, Tom Stovall
CALLING ALL KIDS
Art and Talent Submission Form - Are you an artist or have a special talent that reflects your love for the ocean? If so, please submit the form, we'd love to feature it on the gazebo!
Student entrepreneur - Are you a K-12 student with an entrepreneurial spirit? Do you have a passion and product to sell? Apply for a booth here.
Passport program - Visit each participating booth and get a stamp on your passport to qualify for great prizes! Then take your completed passport to the Blue-Green Connections table and plant a seed to take home with you.
Learn more about the Florida Gulf Coast Hope Spot
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Floristic Survey of Gladys Douglas Preserve Gets Underway
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The Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, in partnership with the City of Dunedin, kicked off a twelve-month floristic survey of the Gladys Douglas Preserve on November 22nd. Debbie Chayet, PCFNPS Project Manager and Craig Wilson, City of Dunedin Arborist, led a small group of city staff and chapter volunteers on a rainy tour of the site and discussed the strict protocols in place to protect the rare and endangered scrub and Rosemary Bald. Later in the day, Debbie worked alongside Catherine Bowman, Bowman and Blair Ecology and Design, in the first field day to collect data.
The Douglas property consists of sandhill, scrub, wetlands and the last remaining rosemary bald in this highly urbanized county. Listed endangered and threatened species on the property include Garberia (Garberia heterophylla), Nodding Pinweed (Lechea cernua) and Spreading Pinweed (Lechea divaricate). Threatened Gopher tortoises reside in the scrub.
The year-long field based floristic survey and inventory of the property will focus on the scrub and rosemary bald communities. Existing plant species will be documented, with special emphasis on rare or endangered native plant species. GPS (Global Positioning System) will assist with locating plant populations, gopher tortoise boroughs and developing detailed ecosystem mapping. The data and mapping will serve as a floorplan for the City of Dunedin to use when planning development of infrastructure, determining where the public should be allowed to travel within the proposed passive park area, county management of the native plant communities by prescribed fire and other means, and removal of invasive species. The City of Dunedin will develop and manage the property for passive public use and Pinellas County will conserve and manage the rosemary bald and sandhill plant communities.
 The survey is funded by a $5,000 Conservation Grant from the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS), and the Clearwater Audubon Society (CAS), who contributed $2,250 in matching funds for the grant and $15,000 towards the land acquisition in 2021. The 44-acre Douglas property was purchased jointly by the City of Dunedin and Pinellas County in 2021 for $10M, with $4.5M in public donations.
Ecological consultants, Bowman and Blair Ecology and Design, will lead the survey with support from the Pinellas Chapter FNPS. The Pinellas Chapter FNPS donated $5,000 toward the land acquisition and will provide 80 plus hours of skilled volunteer support to Bowman and Blair, led by Project Manager Debbie Chayet. Skilled FNPS volunteers will also inventory plants within the homestead acreage, conduct cleanups and assist with removal of invasive species. Access to the property is limited to small teams for the purposes of this project, but Debbie hopes to include more members and volunteers in future invasive removal and restoration projects. Once the park is open to the public the City and County will rely heavily on volunteers to help maintain and support it.
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Pine Tree Planting Event at Ft. DeSoto
Help Create a Gopher Tortoise Habitat
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Pine Tree Planting Event at Ft. DeSoto
 Saturday, February 5th, 9:00 am
Fort De Soto Park
3500 Pinellas Bayway S.,
Tierra Verde, FL 33715
Pinellas Chapter Member and environmental activist, Ray Wunderlich, is leading a project to plant 300 seven-gallon Florida Slash Pine "densa" trees on an existing spoil (waste) area of Fort Desoto Park. Once completed the three acre Pine Flatwoods community will serve as potential gopher tortoise habitat, and home to resident and migratory birds.
Follow Sign s to The Event upon entering The Park, beginning after the Pay Station
- Free Park Entrance to all Volunteers!
- Wear: long sleeved pants and shirt, closed toed shoes, gloves, hat, sunscreen.
- Bring water.
- Fruit, bagels and additional water provided.
- We'll create two to three acres of Pine Flatwoods community for possible gopher tortoise habitat.
- We'll plant 300, seven-gallon South Florida Slash Pine "densa" trees on now spoil (waste) area.
The Pruitt Foundation is the major sponsor of The Event. Other sponsors are T.R.E.E. (tree.org), Keep Pinellas Beautiful (kpbcares.org), Pinellas County Parks (pinellascounty.org/park), WunderFarms (wunderfarms.com), Florida Native Plant Society Pinellas Chapter (Pinellas.fnpschapters.org), The Ivy Group (www.ivygroupconsultants.com), Ideas For Us (www.ideasforus.org)
Contact Ray Wunderlich at rwunderlic@gmail.com
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DEP Launches New
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Website
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The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Water Restoration Assistance Nonpoint Source Management program announces the launch of the new green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) website. The site is a resource where communities can learn what GSI is, why it matters, how to get started, and how to implement projects that deliver environmental, social and economic benefits to communities.
"I encourage our stakeholders to visit the new GSI website. This site complements our agency’s ongoing efforts to protect Florida’s water resources by providing case studies, technical guidance and information about funding offered by DEP for green stormwater infrastructure,” said DEP Deputy Secretary for Ecosystems Restoration Adam Blalock. "Information will be kept up to date with the latest research and technical guidance in coordination with our partners at the University of Florida, Florida State University, the water management districts and local municipalities."
The new website showcases green stormwater infrastructure success stories along with technical resources to assist in project planning. These resources will assist communities in determining which stormwater best management practices are most appropriate for an area, evaluating costs and maintenance requirements, and estimating nutrient reduction effectiveness.
Examples of green stormwater infrastructure include:
- Bioswales - Vegetated, shallow, landscaped feature designed to capture, treat and infiltrate stormwater runoff.
- Tree boxes - Stormwater control measures around individual trees (usually in a downtown or main street streetscape) that collect and treat stormwater prior to discharge into the storm sewer system or subsoil.
- Permeable pavement - Porous urban surface that catches precipitation and surface runoff, allowing it to slowly infiltrate the soil below.
"This new website will be a great resource for anyone needing information on GSI - from the general public, to local elected officials, to consultants and engineers," said Dr. Eban Bean, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist of Urban Water Resources Engineering at the University of Florida. "They did a great job making all the information available in one place, no matter what you are looking for - research, funding and case studies especially. It is really going to spread GSI awareness."
Learn more about green stormwater infrastructure.
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The Pinellas Chapter has several volunteer opportunities that will allow you to channel your passion for native plants and conservation into helping the chapter fulfill its mission. Many volunteer positions require just a few hours a month, and most duties can be performed at your home. If you are interested in applying or would like more information, email volunteer@pinellasnativeplants.org.
Florida Botanical Garden, Native Garden Maintenance
- Biweekly maintenance of the Native Plant Garden at the FBG in Largo.
- Identify and prune existing native plants according to seasonal growth and bloom cycles. Identify and relocate native plant seedlings.
- Identify and remove weeds and non-native seedlings.
- Assist with updating signage as needed.
- Keep records of volunteer hours and report them to FNPS.
- (2 to 4 hours per month)
Volunteer Committee Member
- Recruiting volunteers for special projects and the speakers bureau utilizing social media, emails, and special events.
- Collecting volunteer contact information, availability and skills, and maintaining a volunteer database.
- Keeping new and existing volunteers informed about the organization’s volunteer opportunities, matching volunteers to opportunities that suit their skill sets, and ensuring they understand their responsibilities and receive the proper training.
- Keeping records of volunteers' hours and reporting them to FNPS.
- Motivate and reward volunteers through a volunteer appreciation program.
- (2 to 4 hours per month)
Volunteer Coordinator
- Recruiting, training, and supervising members of the Volunteer Committee.
- (2 to 4 hours per month)
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Thank You To Our Business Members
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Pinellas Chapter Florida Native Plant Society
2022 Officers, Directors and Committee Chairs
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President - Davis Byrkit
Vice President - Jane Graham
Secretary - Andrea Andersen
Treasurer - Robin Peacock
Past President - Michael Coleman
Director / Chapter Representative - David Perkey
Director / Membership Chair - Ginger Brengle
Director / Programs Chair - Pam Schrader
Director / Communications Chair - Jessica Palenchar
Director At Large - Vicki Thomas
Director At Large - Sari Wood
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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