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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, 12/1, 6:30pm - 8:00pm: Chapter Meeting and Zoom Presentation: Florida Scrub Plant Communities, Dr. Donald Richardson
- Saturday, 12/4, 11am - 5 pm, Honeymoon Island Bluegrass Festival Volunteer Opportunity
- Sunday, 12/5, 3pm - 4:30pm: Pinellas Chapter Holiday Party and Volunteer Appreciation
- Monday, 12/13, 6:30 - 7:30 pm: Pinellas Chapter Conservation Committee Meeting
- Saturday, 12/18, 8 - 10am: Moccasin Lake Butterfly Garden Volunteer Opportunity
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Florida Scrub Plant Communities
Dr. Donald Richardson, Ph.D., PWS, CEP
Ecological Consultants, Inc.
Wednesday, December 1st
6:30pm - 8pm
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 The Chapter's final membership meeting of the year will be held virtually, with hopes that we can return to safe in-person meetings in the new year. Join us at 6:30 pm via Zoom for brief announcements followed by a presentation on Florida scrub plant communities by Dr. Donald Richardson, Ph.D., PWS, CEP, Ecological Consultants, Inc.
Florida scrub is easily recognized by the dominance of evergreen shrubs and frequent patches of bare, white sand. With more than two dozen threatened and endangered species dependent upon scrub, the entire community is itself endangered. Recovery of the community and its associated plants and animals will depend upon land acquisition and effective land management.
Dr. Richardson has extensive experience in both wetland and upland ecology and management, preserve design and management, habitat restoration and field research. He is a member of several environmental organizations and publishes peer reviewed papers while operating Ecological Consultants Inc. in Tampa, Florida. He has an excellent working relationship with many regulators, biologists, land managers, and academicians that increase collaboration across many disciplines.
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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Holiday Party and Volunteer Appreciation
Sunday, December 5th
3pm - 4:30pm
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Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society is hosting a Holiday Party and Volunteer Appreciation event for members, volunteers and their guests on Sunday, December 5th from 3:00 - 4:30 PM at the home of Rebecca Wellborn in Dunedin.
See old friends, tour Rebecca's landscape, swap native seeds and seedlings, enjoy great food and drink and win a doorprize. Volunteer Awards will be presented. The event will be held outside on the screened patio and paved outdoor seating areas in the backyard. You must RSVP to attend.
Immediately following the event at 5:00 PM will be an optional House Concert featuring singer songwriter Tim McGeary. For more information and tickets to the concert visit https://my.listeningroomnetwork.com/event-gtuywFLUS20211205.
Address:
1242 Taylor Ave, Dunedin, FL 34698-2119, United States
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Volunteer Opportunity
Honeymoon Island Bluegrass Festival
Sat. Dec. 4th, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
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The Friends of the Island Parks is hosting the third Honeymoon Island Bluegrass Festival on December 4, 2021 from 11 am - 5 pm. The festival supports Honeymoon and Caladesi State Parks and programs that help visitors enjoy recreational benefits of a beautiful area of the State. Bluegrass Festival visitors will enjoy the event in a large outdoor site at the North end of the island, at the Playground/Picnic Area from 11 am to 5 pm,
The Festival will feature 6 hours of continuous traditional bluegrass music performances by several local and well-known bands. Visit the website for the lineup of bands. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the event. Park admission is $4 for 1 person in car. $8 for 2 - 8 people in car. Parking is in the North Beach parking lot and the Jolly Trolley will be providing transportation to and from the Event on a rotating basis throughout the day starting at 10:00 am.
- Children Under 12 Free
- Lawn Chair Seating
- Handicapped Parking at the Picnic Area
- Children's Activities Area
- Alcohol Free Event
- Dog Friendly
The Pinellas Chapter FNPS will have a display table with native plant information to give away. Local vendors will offer inviting food, beverages and water. Please bring lawn chairs for seating.
We need 3 volunteers to help us staff our table throughout the event. Volunteers will work in 2 hr shifts (11 - 1, 1 - 3, 3 - 5) so everyone can relax and enjoy the show. We have complimentary tickets for volunteers, so sign up now to claim your ticket and your preferred shift.
Questions? Email info@pinellasnativeplants.org or call 727-320-5135.
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Moccasin Lake Butterfly Garden Volunteer Opportunity
Saturday, December 18th
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, work gloves, sun and insect protection, 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
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Pinellas Chapter Awards $1,000 Grant To
Harbor Isle Homeowner Association
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The Pinellas Chapter awarded a grant in the amount of $1,000 in October 2021 to the Harbor Isle Homeowner Association for landscaping of their entrance beds with Florida native plants. The entrance beds are located at the intersection of 16th St. NE and 72nd Ave NE in northeast St. Petersburg, 33702. The goal of their project is to reduce the HOA's consumption of reclaimed water for irrigation and improve the health of the lake by encouraging Harbor Isle homeowners to plant Florida native and Florida Friendly plants in the community and around the lake.
Harbor Isle Lake is a 24 acre stormwater pond located in NE St. Petersburg. This lake has been plagued for years by nutrient overload, caused mainly by runoff of reclaimed water and fertilizer from the homes along the shoreline and stormwater drains. While the lake functions as an interim filter, before the water gets to the bay, the nutrients have caused significant issues within the lake- to include numerous cyanobacteria algae blooms and fish kills. Their goal is to not only encourage neighbors to reduce their reclaimed water usage but to utilize more native plantings in their landscape by having them front and center at the only entrance.
The beds currently hold all non-native plantings. Bruce Turley of Wilcox Nursery and Landscape drew up design plans for the existing beds and PCFNPS is providing funding in the amount $710 to purchase plants and mulch, including Dwarf Fakahatchee, Firebush, Bahama Cassia, Beach Verbena and Simpson Stopper. $290 has been allocated for educational signs.
Future plans call for removing turf grass for a native pollinator garden and removing the turf along the median strip as well. HOA volunteers will provide all the labor to replant the beds and provide upkeep of the new plants.
The Pinellas Chapter awards grants to organizations for projects which support the FNPS mission. For more information visit the Grants page of our website.
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The Nominating Committee presented a slate of proposed officers and directors to the membership in October 2021 and voting took place in November. The following slate of nominees was approved and will serve as your Board of Directors from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2022. Congratulations and many thanks to the members who have committed their time and resources to leading the chapter in fulfilling the mission and goals of FNPS.
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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
2021 Officers, Directors and Committee Chairs
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President - Michael Coleman
Vice President - Stefan Babjack
Secretary - Sari Wood
Treasurer - Robin Peacock
Past President / Conservation Chair - Jan Allyn
Director / Chapter Representative - David Perkey
Director - Jane Graham
Director / Membership Chair - Ginger Brengle
Director / Programs Chair - Pam Schrader
Director - Nicole Jones
Director / Feature Writer - Debora Moran
Communications Chair - Rebecca Wellborn
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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