The Florida Native Plant Society is dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida. Our work is focused on native plant conservation, education, plant science and research, policy and legislation, and land management reviews. Each year we award grants for Research (up to $2,500), Applied Plant Conservation (up to $5,000), and the Dan Austin Award for Ethnobotany (up to $1,500). We also recognize exemplary work in landscape planning and design with our annual Landscape Awards, which are awarded to homeowners, professionals, institutions, and natural lands restoration projects.
Florida Native Plant Society的外部链接
PO Box 278
US，Florida，Melbourne，32902-0278
Are you a young landscape/hort professional and want to come to our conference in April? The Native Plant Horticulture Foundation is offering a stiped!
Florida horticulture and landscape pros under 35, we are offering stipends for you to attend the upcoming Florida Native Plant Society conference, April 2-6 in Gainesville. MARCH 29 DEADLINE. Check it out now! https://lnkd.in/enSC6kfS
Join us for a policy update discussion and presentation lead by Ryan Worthington of the Florida Madcaps and As Bad As It Is podcasts and Gene Kelly, FNPS President and Policy and Legislation Chair this Friday at noon Eastern. Ryan and Gene will present a general overview on the environmental policy landscape in Florida at the state level, how to do effective advocacy, and the our 2025 legislative priorities. Register here: https://buff.ly/XIDeFEZ
Monday we wrote a letter to the current Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson with the subject: Continuing Lack of Resolution to Proposed Withlacoochee State Forest Parcel Swap. You can read our letter here: https://buff.ly/AW70hdW We have previously written letters to both Rick Dolan, Director of the Florida Forest Service and Wilton Simpson. FFS has been completely unresponsive. The deal was approved as a last-minute addition to a cabinet meeting last June, nine months ago. Since then neither FFS nor FDEP have indicated their opposition to the swap. This continuing lack of transparency and inaction is unacceptable for state agencies entrusted with managing our precious conservation land. Butterfly Milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, in the proposed swap parcel of the Withlacoochee SF, by J. Richard Abbott, CC BY-NC 4.0 https://buff.ly/Sk7q2nF
On Monday seventy-three businesses and organizations, including the Florida Native Plant Society, representing every corner of the state sent a letter urging Florida legislators to prioritize certain conservation land acquisition, water quality protection, and resiliency funding during the 2025 legislative session that began Tuesday. We have eight major asks: -$500M to Florida Forever -Separate funding for the Rural & Family Lands Program -$30M to the Florida Communities Trust -Proper supplemental use of Indian Gaming Compact $$$ -Everglades Restoration -$150M for springs restoration -Cease funding coastal armoring & instead fund Resilient Florida -Repair soon-to-fail wastewater infrastructure Read the full letter here: https://buff.ly/PXq559W
?? Introducing our new Executive Director, Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes! Born and raised in South Florida, Melissa has a lifelong connection to our state’s incredible natural landscapes. She holds a graduate degree in Environmental Chemistry from FIU and a PhD from NYU, bringing a strong scientific foundation to her leadership at the Florida Native Plant Society. Passionate about conservation, advocacy, and knowledge sharing, Melissa is dedicated to protecting Florida’s native plants and ecosystems. She looks forward to connecting with our members at the upcoming FNPS conference—be sure to say hello! Drop a comment and share your favorite native plant!
We introduced our TorreyaKeepers Intern for the year last month and today we'd like to introduce our Dicerandra Intern, Kristin Luckock. Kristin is pursuing her B.S. in Plant Sciences with a concentration in Conservation and Restoration at the University of Central Florida. She a native of Central Florida and has a daughter, two dogs, three cats, seven fish, and an uncountable number of plants. She has volunteered on past bioblitzes and has developed her botanical skills over the past year attending Pine Lily Chapter hikes, volunteering for Dicerandra workdays, and working on the Clermont plant rescues. She's excited to further contribute and learn through this internship. Her skills developed in assisting surgeries are directly transferrable to intensive plant monitoring. We're so grateful to the Florida Wildflower Foundation for funding this position!
The Florida Native Plant Society is committed to reducing our environmental footprint while maximizing our conservation efforts. As part of this commitment, we are transitioning to a digital format for the Palmetto—eliminating the need for paper, ink, and shipping emissions. This shift allows us to: ?? Reduce our carbon footprint—fewer printed materials mean less waste and pollution. ?? Direct more funds to conservation—instead of covering printing and mailing costs, we can invest more in protecting Florida’s native plants and ecosystems. ?? Deliver Palmetto to you faster—no delays, just instant access to the latest research, stories, and updates. ?? Keep printing optional—each digital Palmetto will be formatted for easy at-home printing, so you can still enjoy a paper copy if you prefer. ?? Provide access anywhere—read Palmetto anytime, anywhere you have internet access, whether at home, in the field, or on the go. By embracing digital, we are aligning with our mission to safeguard Florida’s natural heritage. Thank you for being a part of this journey towards a more sustainable future! You can access our growing library at this link: https://buff.ly/4i4TO5d Thank you for your support as we grow and modernize. Together, we’re making a difference!
A coalition of 70 conservation organizations, including both the Florida Native Plant Society and the Ixia Chapter of FNPS submitted this letter to the lead sponsors of Senate Bill 80 and House Bill 209. Known as the State Parks Preservation Act, the legislation is intended to prevent future attacks on our State Parks – attacks like the one last fall that sparked so much public outrage across Florida. We all appreciate Senator Harrell filing SB08 and Senator Bradley’s co-sponsorship, and Representative Snyder’s sponsorship of the companion bill in the House. The coalition has shared recommended language with the legislation’s sponsors that would more explicitly prohibit such uses as golf courses and hotels, and provide additional guidance to prevent other incompatible uses or developments that would commercialize or materially disturb the resources protected within our Parks. “We just don’t want to be back here again next year, the year after, fighting the same battle, we just suggest that there should be a much-clearer statement on prohibitions of incompatible uses.” -FNPS President Eugene Kelly in the Orlando Sentinel, 2025-02-11, speaking to the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. We appreciate the support of 1000 Friends of Florida, the Florida Springs Council, and the Friends of the Everglades for also showing up at speaking at the Committee and providing recommendations to improve the bill. Read the letter: https://buff.ly/42QKNZj Read the Orlando Sentinel article: https://buff.ly/42VLVee
Please join us Friday at 12pm EST for a presentation by Jordan Parker to learn how to better landscape your yard for butterflies. Register here: https://buff.ly/3CHXDOP
Florida Native Plant Society转发了
Professional Wetland Scientist and QA/QC Process Analyst at Drummond Carpenter, PLLC (SDVOSB)
Tune in to the most recent episode of the Guardians of Martin County to hear me chat about the Florida Native Plant Society with the host, Greg Braun, and our FNPS local chapter president, Carly Batts. View this episode on YouTube: htps://youtu.be/dP_qtA3ZL9w Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/erEiywaA Please visit our website: https://lnkd.in/eq29Bxu5