support our business members: Publishing Co. of Belleair (727) 584-5111 |
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The Pinellas Chapter recently worked with the staff at Heritage Village to design new signage for the trail to replace the printed trail guide that was used previously. The Chapter funded the new signs, an example of which is shown below. They include the common and scientific names of plants, one or more photos of each plant, and information about the plants' ethnobotanical uses. Interpretive Trail Guide (430K PDF) |
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 These two complementary educational
presentations suggest ways to make choices in your garden
that conserve resources, nurture wildlife, preserve a "sense
of place" and, of course, include native plant species.
Pinellas Chapter members have presented this informtion dozens
of times to neighborhood associations, garden clubs, civic organizations,
and other groups. These presentations are now available as PowerPoint
presentations on a CD for purchase. Contact Bill
Bilodeau for more information. |
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Little Bayou Park is in Pinellas Point in southernmost St. Petersburg. It is a 30-acre wild, passive park split into roughly equal halves by a south-flowing stream which spills into Little Bayou. The bayou is a tidal lake with mangrove, buttonwood and other coastal species growing along its edges. Invasive species removal is being done on the south side, in an oak hammock that was filled with air potato, syngonium (arrowhead), runaway native grapevine, Senegal date palms, guinea grass, bamboo, snake plant and pothos. Rubbish from years of dumping has also been removed. An interior, pine flatwoods area had been overrun with shoebutton ardesia, which was what first brought the area to Pinellas FNPS Conservation Chair Ray Wunderlich's attention. Ray enlisted the cooperation of the city of St. Petersburg, which has done a good job in killing the invasives and hauling plant material and rubbish away. Ray has organized several volunteer work days at the park, and the city is continuing to spray the remaining air potato, syngonium and bamboo. Currently, a SWFWMD grant for $5000.00 is being sought to replant these two areas, and a "Give a Day for the Bay" event in cooperation with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) is planned for November 2008, with over 1000 plants and 100 pines to be planted.
A recent cleanup day at Little Bayou Park (left), and a bucket of air potatoes collected by volunteers (right). Photos by Jennifer Wunderlich. |
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This native garden is just outside the classroom building at Moccasin Lake Nature Park. It includes plant species that provide nectar for adult butterflies and larval food for their caterpillars. Native plants in the garden include:
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Educational Outreach: Meeting and educating people about native plants is one of the main ways we accomplish our mission. PowerPoint presentations of "In Harmony with Nature" (comprised of "The Healthy Landscape" and "Landscaping and Gardening with Florida Native Plants"), developed in partnership with St. Petersburg Audubon Society, have been presented to thousands of people at environmental events, neighborhood association meetings, garden clubs, and various civic groups, as well as state conferences of Audubon of Florida and FNPS. Our presenters have been Bruce Turley, Cathy Quindiagan, Jan Allyn, and Bill Bilodeau. Designed to make people aware of environmentally friendly approaches to home property management, it has also been a strong vehicle for putting our chapter name and mission out into community awareness. We created a narrated CD version of the programs and sell it statewide, with the help of a favorable article in Audubon's state publication The Naturalist. The "Landscaping and Gardening with Florida Native Plants" program was given a post-production grant from FNPS, copied and distributed to every FNPS chapter statewide by educational chair Marty Main. We exhibit at many environmental events in the region, with a first class display managed by Marie Hughes. We distribute voluminous amounts of free literature to the public from our display. Some of these events have been very well attended, e.g. the Pinellas Living Green Expo (approx. 5,000 people) and the Tropicana Field Home Show ( approx. 30,000 people).
Partnerships: We are an active part of a countywide environmental coalition, Alliance for a Livable Pinellas (ALP), which meets monthly to share news and issues, and to coordinate advocacy strategies when appropriate. Cathy Quindiagan and Bill Bilodeau have been representing the chapter. ALP has been meeting monthly with the chief administrative/environmental officer of the city of St. Petersburg in an attempt to assist the city in advancing from silver to gold status in the Green Cities program. A result of these meetings is a forthcoming revision of the city tree ordinance which is much more protective of the tree canopy than the prior ordinance. Our chapter played an important role in this development. Two years ago the Pinellas county administrator formed the Environmental Science Forum, an invited collection of non-governmental environmentalists, to function as an advisory board to the administration. Ray Wunderlich, our former chapter representative, regularly participated in this opportunity.
We partnered with Heritage Village, a county historical preservation site, to create signage for the Shirley McPherson Trail, a native plant ethnobotanical interpretive trail (see above). We developed the plant description content and donated $3500 to the project. Jane Williams was the chapter project manager. Every December for many years we have joined with St. Petersburg Audubon Society for a Conservation Celebration where we both give our annual awards, have a silent auction fund-raiser, and a top-notch speaker. It's an inspiring event attended by over 200 people.
Conservation: We have partnered with the city of St. Petersburg in the restoration of Little Bayou Park and an important Indian mound at Pinellas Point. Ray Wunderlich, our conservation chair person, has spearheaded the endeavor. We joined with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) to remove invasive exotic plant species and plant natives at Clam Bayou. One of our members, Elizabeth France, has arranged a transfer of county property to the city of Clearwater and created a neighborhood demonstration "pocket park" supporting butterflies and birds with native plants. We have also been a participant in the ongoing planting and maintenance of an extensive demonstration garden of native coastal species at the USF marine sciences educational site at Clam Bayou. Bill Bilodeau has been a regular supporter of that project.
Scholarships and Awarded Grants: For several years running our chapter, under the leadership of Cindy Peacock, our scholarship chairperson, has donated an average $2000 a year in scholarships for various city and county environmental summer camp programs for youth. We just received feedback from the program manager of Moccasin Lake Nature Park that, in one family,s case, the sponsorship of the child allowed the single mother to get a job to support her family. We provided an assistance grant of $100 to long time member John Beckner for his efforts to digitally scan the historically significant and fragile journals of James MacFarland, a Florida botanist of the 1920s. Recently we gave a grant of $250 for the Tracy McCommon "Gardening for Native Pollinators" TV production, which will potentially reach millions of Floridians. We annually sponsor the state FNPS conference with a grant.
Grants Received: We received a $1,907 grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program to print giveaway literature folders for our "In Harmony with Nature series. The chapter received a $1,000 grant from Progress Energy to help restore the St. Petersburg city park at Little Bayou. A grant of $7500 from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program was obtained for the planting of the pocket park known as Rainbow at Mars in Clearwater.
Plant Sales: Our chapter holds major plant sales each spring and fall; these are coordinated by board member Bruce Turley. Not only do they provide income for the chapter but also a wonderful educational and membership opportunity. Our most recent sale garnered 22 new memberships and provided the host, Wilcox Nursery, a record breaking sales day. At each of our monthly membership meetings we have a silent auction of plants contributed by members. The different species are described, educating all present about their various virtues and preferences.
Newsletter and Membership Communication: We have had one of the best newsletters in the state and were one of the first to "go digital." Thanks to Lisa Curry, our former editor, the transition was smooth and accepted by the membership; it has substantially reduced our per-issue cost. Our email communication with our membership, managed by webmaster Jan Allyn, is outstanding. She sends a regular feature entitled "News from Pinellas FNPS" which details activities, advocacy issues, and volunteer opportunities. Currently newsletter editor Craig Huegel and newsletter designer Cathy Vogelsong work hand-in-hand to produce an informative, attractive product.
Landscape Tour: In 2007 we reestablished an annual native plant yard tour for the public. The event sparked the involvement of new volunteers within the chapter. The tour was well attended and highly praised as a direct learning experience. We plan to continue the activity. The 2008 yard tour was a resounding success, with an increased number of participants and landscape sites, and a 2009 tour is being planned.
Advocacy: In the past several years the Pinellas Chapter's level of advocacy has increased significantly because of development threats to our local preserves and parks. In concert with other local environmental groups, we have been able to positively affect some county management policies. Debbie Chayet and Jan Allyn also provided input at master planning meetings for some of our parks and preserves. As a way of saving our coastal forests in Louisiana and Florida we have signed on to two letters, sponsored by the Gulf Restoration Network, requesting that Home Depot, Lowe's, and Wal-Mart cease selling cypress mulch.
Other Projects/Activities: For the last two years, a committee of chapter members, under Bruce Turley's lead, have been creating a book on shade gardening with native plants. To educate the public and for use as a reference at plant sales, three large notebooks of native plant photos and descriptions have been created by Jane Williams.
Stroll this interpretive trail
when you visit Heritage Village at Pinewood Cultural Park. It
has been planted with tree and shrub species that are native
to Pinellas County and which had special uses for Florida pioneers
and Native Americans.
