Where have we been? Where are we going? In September of this year, our Chapter will be 20 years old! The first membership meeting was held Sept. 5, 1990, at the Pinellas Park library. It all started with the vision of a few people and the hard work of many more.
Recently, I read through old records of the earliest meetings
and I was amazed at how much was accomplished from
the first organizational meeting held May 9, 1990 to the
actual coming together of people that September who
were interested in preserving native plants and native plant
communities. That first meeting was attended by 23
people! And, by November, they had already outgrown
the space at the library and moved to the Pinellas County
Cooperative Extension as their next meeting place. To
quote from the records of that first membership meeting:
Many (in attendance) expressed the concern that Florida
is in danger of losing its unique natural identity; …the study
and use of native plants are essential to help conserve
energy and water, encourage wildlife and, when properly
chosen, can be easy to maintain.
I am putting the final touches to a history of the Chapter that I am writing for the State’s 30th Anniversary. The finished narrative will soon be available on the Chapter website at www.pinellasnativeplants.org. In writing this history, it made me realize how little our goals and ideals have changed over the years. We, as well as other environmental organizations, are getting the message out—as evidenced by the upsurge of the green movement, though it has been a long, slow haul. Sometimes it feels like we take three steps forward and two steps back (as in the loss of funding for Florida Forever this past year).
In January, your board of directors met for a day-long goals-and-planning meeting to establish our priorities for the upcoming year; in keeping with the Chapter’s mission of conservation, restoration and preservation of native plants and native plant communities. One of our high-priority goals is to encourage/teach/help in the planting of natives in public landscapes as well as our home landscapes. We discussed various ways to do this, and of course one is educating people about what native plants do for us, versus what non-natives don’t. Most of us in this Chapter understand the value of natives and the value of our native habitats, but, in the public realm, that understanding is far from common. Hopefully, with the green movement becoming more mainstream, people will be more open to using landscaping techniques that enhance nature, not compete with it by wasting valuable natural resources such as water, or contributing to pollution with fertilizers and pesticides.
I recently re-read an article by Bruce Turley entitled "The Spirit of Place". The essay was about Frederick Law Olmstead, the great landscape architect, and it seemed so in sync with other truths we have come to realize. During Olmstead’s time, a trend to landscape with highly decorative plants from other places like Japan and China was beginning; ignoring the beauty and naturalness of native plants. He objected to this because it took away the “sense of place” the native flora brought to an area. We have come full circle now to realize that not only does using non-natives take away our sense of place, but also interferes with nature’s balance.
Our December speaker, Dr. Doug Tallamy, provided us with the scientific facts and figures to prove what we have already seen; eliminating native plants decreases the diversity of wildlife that depend on them. That, in turn, interferes with the balance of our earth and all the other life (including human) that depends on it.
Now is the time that people need to hear our message more than ever. Now is the time to put action with our words. We all need to do our part in getting this message out. For some, it may simply be sharing with your neighbors the life and fun your garden brings you. Hopefully, some of you will want to help in a more hands-on approach; helping with events or projects. For some, perhaps, it will be advocating for change with our state or local representatives. Whatever you can do is important to get the momentum of the green movement going in the right direction. We need to give our message a more public platform so others can learn, as we have, that in order for our earth to survive, we need to live “in harmony with nature”. We need to bring back the balance and help people understand that: “The wise use of native plants can do much to eliminate the monotony and lifelessness of the typical urban setting, but more importantly, native plant landscapes will provide for wildlife, adding a dimension that creates both wonder and excitement. We are called and challenged to take a more eclectic approach to landscaping.” (from Florida Plants for Wildlife, author Craig Huegel, published by Florida Native Plant Society, 1995). I am looking forward to an exciting year.
Alexa
|
Copyright 2003-2010
Pinellas Chapter of the Florida
Native Plant Society — Last Updated Feb. 6, 2010 Direct web site comments/corrections/suggestions to Pinellas FNPS Webmaster —Return to Top of Page— |