NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF TEXAS

Kerrville Chapter

Website:  www.npsot.org/kerrville

JANUARY NEWSLETTER - 2006

NATIVES ON THE GROW

Dedicated to the understanding, preservation and enjoyment of the native flora of the Hill Country

Big Red Sage

 Big Red Sage, a large native perennial wildflower of the Texas Hill Country will be the presentation at the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT), Kerrville Chapter at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, January 3. The meeting will be at Riverside Nature Center and Bill Ward will make the presentation.  There will be an opportunity for questions and answers. All interested people are invited to attend.

Big Red Sage (Salvia Penstemonoides) grows up to 5 feet tall and has spectacular red flowers.  It is a rare plant in nature occurring in only a few locations in the Texas Hill Country.  In 1946, it was thought to be extinct but several new colonies have been discovered since 1987 and it is now available at some nurseries.  Bill Ward will talk about the plant, its propagation and his discovery of a new colony of big red sage.

Dr. Ward has degrees in geology from University of Texas and Rice University.  He was a Professor of Geology at the University of New Orleans for over 25 years.  He became fascinated with wild plants while doing geologic mapping in East Texas.  When he retired to the Boerne area he was amazed at the variety of Hill Country natives he did not know as he grew up in Central Texas.  Native plants are now his primary interest.

Dr. Ward is the founding president of the Boerne Chapter of the NPSOT and writes a column for a Boerne newspaper.  He is an active volunteer at Cibolo Nature Center and is involved in their research projects as well as establishing a botanical garden of plants native to Upper Cibolo Creek drainage basin.  

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The Kerrville Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas holds monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of the month (September through June) at Riverside Nature Center, 150 Francisco Lemos St. in Kerrville.  These meetings are free and open to the public.  If you have any questions about the Native Plant Society of Texas, or this program, please call Cynthia Johnson at 895-5173.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

(I thought many would be interested in this letter from Dallas Baxter. -- Julia)

Big Bend Chapter offers repeat of symposium presentations

We are delighted to have had such a successful symposium in October. But because it was necessary to limit attendance, many of the Big Bend Chapter members didn’t get to hear the presentations nor did many NPSOT members from across the state.

To remedy that, we are offering a two-day program that will repeat the symposium presentations on Feb. 10 and 11, 2006.

We hope that many of you will take a mid-winter opportunity to visit the Big Bend, see our beautiful part of the state without the crowds and possibly find spring coming early “down South,” along the Rio Grande

As at the Symposium, our goal is to present the Trans-Pecos to NPSOT members as completely as possible, and toward that end we have included presentations on the geology, climate, peoples, plants and animals of the Big Bend

The ten presentations by well-known scientists, anthropologists, geologists will take place in the Fellowship Hall of the Methodist Church in Fort Davis. It begins Friday evening at 5:30 with a potluck supper.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. with three 45-minute presentations.

NPSOT State President, geologist Bill Lindemann, opens the series with “Geological Complexity Enhances Plant Diversity,” examining the ways geology has determined the botany of the Trans-Pecos.

Dr. Cathryn Hoyt, executive director of the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute in Fort Davis presents “It’s a Tad Dry: an Overview of the Environmental Factors Responsible for the Chihuahuan Desert.”

And finally the evening closes with a presentation by Center for Big Bend Studies staff member Ann Ohl. Ann ran the recent excavation of the Paradise Site and will share insights of the culture here in the Big Bend circa 2100 B.C.

The evening ends at 9:15 p.m.

Saturday morning begins at 9 a.m. with four presentations before lunch.

Nature Conservancy Biologist John Karges presents “Conservation of Biodiversity in the Trans-Pecos.”

The day’s second presentation, “Magnificent Diversity: The Flora and Fauna of the Chihuahuan Desert,” will be presented by Beth Francell, a landscape designer whose family has been part of the Big Bend for many generations.

Extension Service water expert Mike Mecke presents “Water in the Trans-Pecos…Yes, There is Some: How Do We Save It,” which addresses many of the current issues of water use in the Chihuahuan Desert and the struggle between rural and urban areas for the use of that water.

The final presentation of the morning features Dr. Joe Sirotnak, biologist with Big Bend National Park.  His presentation on invasive species, which have drastically changed the face of the Park and the Rio Grande, is entitled “Fear and Loathing in the Big Bend: The Aliens are Here! I Seen “Em!”

A catered lunch will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 12:15 p.m.  The program continues at 1:15 p.m. with the final three presentations.

Parks and Wildlife biologist Mark Lockwood explores “Birds of the Southern Trans-Pecos.”

Sul Ross State University biologist and native plant greenhouse manager Patty Manning presents “An Overview of Trans-Pecos Texas Cacti.”

The final presentation by Dr. Phil Dering looks at native plants used for both food and medicine, “Daily Bread and Healing Balm: The Prehistoric Record of Plants in the Trans-Pecos.”

The day ends at 3:30 p.m.

We are presenting this at no cost to attendees except $10 for lunch. You may make reservations – necessary so we provide adequate seating and food – by e-mail at symposium@npsot.org. Questions should also go to that e-mail address.

Hotel rooms in Fort Davis should be plentiful as should camping sites for RV’s at the Davis Mountains State Park.

We invite you to take a break just before Valentine’s Day and head out to the Big Bend.  If you choose to stay until Feb. 14, Willie Nelson is playing a benefit concert in Alpine for the new public radio station in Marfa. Tickets range from standing room at $15 to front row seats at $50 and are available at www.marfapublicradio.org.

Look forward to seeing you in February!

Dallas Baxter

2005 Symposium Chair

Calendar

 Monday, January 23

    Organization:  Texas Master Naturalist - Hill Country Chapter

    Location:  UGRA – 125 Lehmann Drive, Kerrville

    Time:  7:00 PM

    Topic: Texas Water Issues

    Speaker: David Langford, Vice President Emeritus of Texas Wildlife Assn.

    Contact:  Sharon Corley: 830-669-2146, scorley@hctc.net

Tuesday, January 3

    Organization:  Native Plant Society of Texas - Kerrville Chapter – see above

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBER

Nina Wagner

Thanks to all those that renewed their memberships.

DOOR PRIZES

Door prizes will be available at our January meeting.  Each member or guest who signs in at the Welcoming Table will receive a free ticket for a door prize.  Be sure to pot up those native plants for donations for the meeting!  

REFRESHMENTS

Refreshments for December will be provided by Ilene Roemer and  Priscilla Stanley. Be sure to give them a BIG Thank You!

Please send any suggestions or comments on this newsletter to the Editor:  John Quinby at jsquinby@hctc.net or 367-4612.

Benefits of Joining the Native Plant Society of Texas

Goals:

    To educate both its members and the general public and to foster a greater awareness and understanding of our native flora;
    To preserve rare and endangered species and their habitats;
    To encourage landscaping with appropriate native plants, for their beauty, ease of maintenance, and water-conserving qualities;
    To protect, conserve and restore native plants threatened by development;
    To encourage the responsible propagation of native plants;
    To promote an appreciation and understanding of current, historical and potential uses of native plants.

Officers and Board Members – 2005-2006

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