NPSOT TRINITY FORKS CHAPTER REPORT - 2005

MISSION STATEMENT:
The purpose of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) is to promote the conservation, research and utilization of the native plants and plant habitats of Texas through EDUCATION, OUTREACH, and EXAMPLE.
MEETINGS:
Trinity Forks Chapter (TF) held 8 meetings in Denton, Texas at Texas Woman’s University (TWU), on the 4th Thursday of Jan through May, Sept and October.
EDUCATION - Via Chapter Programs
Jan - “Backyard Wildlife Habitats” by Bonnie Bradshaw, Texas Discovery Gardens, Dallas, Tx.
Feb - “Prairies & Native Grasses” by Russell Stevens, Wildlife Specialist and Author, Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Ok.
Mar - “Crystals in Plants” by Howard Arnott, Ph.D., UT Arlington, Tx.
Apr - “Big Bend: A Naturalist’s Dreamland” by Bill Lindemann, Author and Past-Pres of NPSOT, Fredericksburg, Tx.
May - “History of Cross Timbers Forest Plants” by George Diggs, Ph.D., Prof of Biology @ Austin College, Sherman, Tx. Author and Research Assoc at BRIT, Ft. Worth, Tx.
Sep - “Landscaping with Native Trees” by John Cooper, Tx A&M Univ (TAMU) Agr Ext Agent Denton County, Denton, Tx.
Oct - “Propagation” by Becca Dickstein, Ph.D., Assoc Prof in Biochemistry, Univ of North Tx (UNT), Denton, Tx.
EDUCATION: Via Trinity Forks Education Committee
Before each TF monthly meeting, the Education Committee orchestrated a 5-minute “Early Bird Special” of plant-related information, which correlated with the current Display Table. Each display allowed attendees to play the game of “Name That ____” of seeds, seedlings, rosettes, wildflowers, pressed native flowers, pressed native tree leaves and native grass plumes. Lists of native plants of Denton County, and lists of native plants suggested for Specialty Gardens (shade, water, winter, wildlife and butterfly) were available at each meeting. Native plant lists from local nurseries were also offered. New members and visitors in attendance were each given a native plant. A “Question Pot” was available to entice attendees to ask plant-related questions, which were then answered in the Question Box in the following month’s newsletter.
EDUCATION: Via Professional Forums, Other
Members of TF attended additional environmental & plant-related educational lectures at Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), TWU Friday Seminars, UNT Environmental Series, Austin College Continuing Studies, Master Naturalist Training Sessions, Joint Symposium of NPSOT & Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center-Austin, and annual NPSOT Symposium-Big Bend, Tx.
EDUCATION: Via Field trips
Mar - Cedar Hill Preserve, Dallas. Trout lilies and orchids. Led by Jim Varnum
Mar - Texas Discovery Gardens, Dallas. Insect Garden and Benny J. Simpson-Dallas Garden. Led by Gail Manning.
Apr - Cooke County, Muenster. Shooting star wildflowers and champion bois d’arc tree. Led by Shirley Lusk.
Apr - Grayson County. Remnant prairies and linear gilgai soil formations. Led by Jeff Quayle.
Apr - Montague County, Forestburg. Thomsen Foundation wildflowers. Led by Lisa Bellows.
Apr - Wise County, LBJ National Grasslands. Wildfl owers. Led by J. Quayle.
Apr - Ft Worth. Feng Shui garden of herbs & flowers. Led by Judy Griffin.
May - Hickory Creek. Wildflowers and Louisiana iris. Led by Rodney Barton.
May - Wise County. 90 acres of wildflowers. Led by Don and Maryetta Cunningham.
Jul - Arbor Hills Preserve, Plano. Native prairies. Led by J. Varnum.
Aug - TWU Campus, Denton. Benny J. Simpson Garden. Led by Ed. Com. and prefaced by Dr. Mary Evelyn Huey in conjunction with chapter ice cream social.
Oct - TWU Campus, Denton. Native trees. Led by R. Smiddy Foreman.
Nov - Cross Timbers Park, Denton. Led by Marilyn Blanton.
EDUCATION: Via Members to Public
Members gave numerous native plant programs to Denton County organizations, conferences, and schools in addition to lectures, seminars and field trips in Cooke, Dallas, Hamilton, Montague, and Wise Counties, some of which were to Master Naturalist Assoc- Denton, Master Gardener Training Session-Dallas, Silver Lakes Homeowners Assoc-Bowie, Annual Spring Open House-Hico, Denton Garden Council-Denton, Dallas Garden Club-Dallas, Regional Professional Educators Org-Denton, NCTC (N. Central Tx College) Environmental Biology class lecture-Bowie, Garden Club of Lewisville, retirement and charity groups.
Member served as Scientific Consultant for Thomsen Foundation (Montague County), conducted native plant and plant habitat research over the 600 acre wildflower preserve, and provided field trips for teachers, students and various plant-related organizations.
Members taught Botany and Environmental Science at TWU, UNT, and NCTC, emphasizing native plants. They encouraged student participation in TF chapter field trips, prescribed prairie burns and other native plant restoration projects. Credit was offered to students who participated in TF programs.
Members identified (to field trip attendees) native plants along Denton’s Clear Creek Natural Heritage Trails, Ray Roberts Lake, LBJ National Grasslands, Cross Timbers Park, and, Montague Co. private property for Master Gardener’s State Conference.
Members identified native plants and birds during NCTC-sponsored weekly 5th-grader nature hikes during April and September.
Member provided extensive native plant seed collection display in conjunction with TF member’s native plant program to Master Naturalist Assoc. meeting.
Members contributed native plant articles for publication in local Denton Record Chronicle newspaper, state NPSOT News, TF newsletter, plus TF, Master Naturalist and Master Gardener web sites.
Members staffed, and also promoted the NICE (Natives Instead of Common Exotics) Program at NPSOT booth at Texas Assoc of Nursery & Landscapers in Dallas. TF chapter adopted NICE Program to be incorporated in 2006.
Members staffed and provided native plant information at chapter plant sale booth of Denton’s Redbud Days Festival, i.e., responding to individual customers’ needs and inquiries.
Member assembled Specialty Garden plant lists for meeting hand-outs, NPSOT and TF web sites, and for plant sale booths. They included Native Plant Butterfly, Shade, Water, Wildlife Habitat, and Winter Gardens.
Chapter provided eight newsletters that included native plant-related articles, suggestions, Q&A column, calendar of events, and ‘Digging Into Our Roots’ historical information.
OUTREACH: To Community
Members judged TWU Regional Science Fair, and invited 6-year old Best-of-Show winner to present project to TF.
Members created a TF Science Fair Award to be issued in the future to students who enter native plant-related projects in the fair.
Members volunteered leadership to the Native Plant Committee (NPC) of Keep Denton Beautiful (KDB).
Member influenced local church committee to include native turf grasses in its landscaping plan.
Members were instrumental in introducing and incorporating the Teaching & Reaching w/Environmental Education (TREE) program to Denton ISD.
Member instigated, and collaborated with school staff to develop outdoor learning center which won the “National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat Award” for Newton Rayzor Elem School-Denton. Trinity Forks members donated support, expertise and native plants for the gardens.
Members also donated time, labor, expertise, and native plants to Outdoor Learning Centers and Demonstration Gardens of Sam Houston and Lee Elem schools of Denton, Highland Village Elem, Rann Elem of Decatur, Corps of Engrs ofc in Lewisville, Keep Denton Beautiful, and Decatur Heritage Park-Decatur.
OUTREACH: Via Donations
TF donated $500 to TWU Herbarium for a scanner to digitalize the collection to make available online.
TF donated $250 to Native Plant Committee of KDB to support demo gardens.
TF donated copies of 2005 NPSOT Symposium Proceedings to UNT and TWU libraries.
Education Committee donated a native plant to every new member and guest at each chapter meeting.
TF donated native plants to the gardens of KDB, Sam Houston Elem and Lee Elem schools of Denton, Highland Village Elem,
Rann Elem of Decatur, Corps of Engrs of Lewisville, and Decatur Heritage Park Festival of Decatur.
SETTING THE EXAMPLE:
Members of NPC of KDB designed and installed 3 native plant demonstration gardens on city properties. They also served to judge water-smart yard-of-the-month, and sowed wildflower seeds in 3 city locations.
Members donated plant stock to Painted Flower Farm (PFF), a local grower, who propagated and provided plants for TF plant sale and PFF’s use.
Members included a Kids Korner at the Redbud Days Festival chapter plant sale booth to assist children with potting wildflower seedlings as take-home plants.
Member orchestrated TF and area NPSOT chapter volunteers to staff the annual 3-day Tx Assoc of Nursery & Landscapers Convention in Dallas.
Members collected herbarium specimens for BRIT, and collaborated with TWU and NCTC-Gainesville regarding monitoring, researching and collecting as needed.
Member adopted 2 medians (islands) in Denton residential area and landscaped with native plants.
Member orchestrated 4th graders of Ginnings Elem School in landscaping the school’s entryway with natives.
Member adopted an unattended strip of property of a Denton commercial strip mall whereby he cleared, cleaned, and planted with natives.
PUBLICITY:
Eight issues of TF Native Plant Press were mailed to members, recent guests, past speaker, NPSOT president and coordinator, and distributed via plant sales and promotional booths.
Meeting announcements, including speaker and topic, were submitted to Dallas Morning News, Ft Worth Star Telegram, Denton Record Chronicle newspaper, and Elm Fork Master Naturalist Assoc newsletter.
WAYS & MEANS:
The spring and fall plant sales provided TF with funds to fulfill its mission statement of educating the public about utilizing native plants in the landscape, as well as providing a resource of those plants to the members and to the public. W&M Chair solicited plant donations, arranged booth rental, organized displays of 1000+ plants, and coordinated 25+ volunteer members during each one-day sale. Remaining plants were dispersed among elem. school native plant garden coordinators.
MEMBERSHIP:
TF membership is 85. Meeting attendance averaged 50, including guests. Attendees were provided name badges; sign-in sheets provided documentation of visitors/members. Membership application and TF newsletter were provided to every guest. Operational money was provided via two native plant sales and donations. Bank balance averaged $2000.
Revised 1/1/06                                 NPSOT Chapter-of-the-Year Award 2005                                             D. Thetford