Florida Native Plant Society Blog

We’ve never been so close to success in a decades-long effort to restore the Ocklawaha River and 15,000 acres of floodplain forest that were lost or damaged when the river was dammed in 1968 as part of the disastrous Cross Florida Barge Canal project. FNPS is one of 60 organizations that comprise the Free the Ocklawaha Coalition, and this is the make-it-or-break-it moment when we need to show the Governor, Legislature and FDEP that citizens want to restore the Ocklawaha by breaching the Kirkpatrick Dam. The St Johns River Water Management District is coordinating an online public survey to gauge support for restoration and we are asking you to take a few moments to complete the survey and let Florida decisionmakers know you support restoration of a free-flowing Ocklawaha. A link to the survey and information to help you answer the survey questions are provided below. Even if you have never experienced the natural beauty and ecological splendor of the undisturbed, natural reaches of the...

Longtime Florida Native Plant Society member, Oakland Nature Preserve (ONP) founder and past president of the board, Jim Thomas died Sunday, September 19, quietly at his home in Winter Garden after a long debilitating illness. His wife of 60 years, Margaret (Ms. Peg), was with him. A fifth generation Floridian, Jim was born in November, 1930. He grew up filling his pockets full of critters as he explored the outdoors, which he loved so much. This love of nature followed Jim into his adults life, and he continued his education in biology and environmental studies receiving his B.S. from Florida State University and MS from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He also attended Yale University, University of Florida, North Carolina State University, University of Puerto Rico and Rutgers University for additional graduate studies. In 1990, he settled with his family into the West Orange Community and showed us that many positive things are possible, and quality of life can b...