Giving Tuesday Recap

#GivingTuesday
By Andy Taylor


The Florida Native Plant Society was happy to participate in 2015 #GivingTuesday!  What is #GivingTuesday you ask? It is a global initiative of giving back following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  You can read more about #GivingTuesday here.

FNPS participated by using our social media pages to look back on some of the work the Society has done and opportunities to give, either financially or as a volunteer.

You can donate financially to FNPS at this link.

Did you know your employer could double or even triple your donation??  Until December 15, 2015, Double the Donation has made their database free to see if your employer makes donations.  Please check it out at https://doublethedonation.com/giving-tuesday/



Sunrise at DeSoto Park by Georgia Wilson.

Some of the programs and projects we looked back at for #GivingTuesday:


 FNPS chapter field trips: Georgia Wilson recently took this beautiful photo of the sunrise at Fort DeSoto park.  Most FNPS chapters take field trips, usually monthly. In September, the Pinellas chapter visited Fort DeSoto with an expert from Pinellas County to learn about the environmental restoration projects taking place there.


Website: Did you know  FNPS.org gets thousands of hits every month? The most used page is http://fnps.org/plants.  People visit all over looking for the name of that plant already in their yard or look what would fit best.


Research and Conservation Grants:  FNPS gives thousands of dollars every year in conservation and research grants!  Check out research page for 2016 deadlines for grants.

An FNPS-funded burn. Photo by Taylor Clark.
A gopher tortoise after the burn. Photo by Taylor Clark.
In 2015, one of our Conservation Grant recipients was Oakland Nature Preserve.  They used the grant to fund a specialized burn in a small area.  Photos are of the burn taking place and a post burn gopher tortoise foraging around newly growing wiregrass.  (Photo credit to Taylor Clark).


Education:  FNPS chapters are active in local schools teaching the next generation about native plants! The Florida Today highlighted the work funded by a grant from the Conradina chapter in this article: Butterfly project helps connect Brevard students to nature.

The Coccoloba chapter worked on a comprehensive initiative at Ft. Myers Middle Academy with numerous partners. Here are two photos featuring their work!

Dick Workman at Ft. Myers Middle Academy. FNPS chapter members work on a native plant installation.

Florida Native Plant Month: FNPS runs a comprehensive membership and outreach campaign in October.  This year, FNPS received 45 proclamations including from the state of Florida.  Here is a great photo from the City of Tallahassee proclamation presentation. Thank you to Mayor Andrew Gillum and Commissioner Nancy Miller for making it happen!

Scenes like this happened across the state as counties, cities, and towns declared October to be Native Plant Month. Gov. Scott also declared Native Plant Month for the state of Florida.
Conference: FNPS hosts an annual conference each year! It a great opportunity to learn, grow and network with others who love native plants! The 2015 conference was held in Tallahassee and the 2016 conference will be held in Daytona Beach from May 19-22. You can learn more at the: conference web page.

Conferences have native plant sales.
Conferences have interesting and informative presentations. This is Roger Hammer.
Conferences have socials where you can get to know FNPS Members from other chapters in relaxed settings.
A Palmetto from 1994
Member Benefits: Did you know ONLY FNPS members receive a quarterly magazine?  The Palmetto features everything from scientific articles, the latest tips on landscaping, and news on the Society. Here is a cover of The Palmetto from 1994. For more details on the Palmetto see this profile on our blog.

You can join FNPS as a member and start receiving your copy of The Palmetto on our website.


This is just a small sample of all that FNPS and the chapters do throughout the year! All of these activities could use your financial support OR your time as a volunteer.  We hope you will consider a financial donation or joining as a member of FNPS here.

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Andy Taylor is the FNPS Development Director

Edited, formatted, and posted by Ginny Stibolt

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