New board members take the reins

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There will some new faces around the table at the next state board meeting in January. New elected officers took office at the Fall Symposium but their first business meeting together will be January 20 at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens.

Linda Knowles and Cecil Carter. Photo by Alan Lusk.

Presiding over the board for the next two years will be Cecil Carter. Cecil is a five-year veteran of the board, having served two years as president-elect and three years as VP Finance. He and his wife Polly make their home in the Denton area and Cecil teaches at Murray State College in Oklahoma and consults on non-profit management. Cecil is well-known to those attending our fall symposium in recent years because of his popular workshops on chapter development.

As past president Linda Knowles will remain on the board for two more years to provide continuity. The chief duty of the past president is to chair the Nominations Committee.

Heidi Gigler was appointed magazine editor last spring when that position became vacant, and she produced the Summer and Fall editions. She has also served as a co-chair of our spring symposium. She was elected to the position of VP Communications where her primary duty will be to continue to edit and publish the quarterly member magazine. Heidi lives in the Austin area.

Kim, Heidi, Martha and Susan at the fall symposium in Huntsville. Photo by Alan Lusk.

Susan Gregory was elected to be our new VP Advocacy. This position has been vacant while a search was conducted for the right person. Susan is from Dallas where she is active in advocacy organizations there, including Friends of White Rock Lake.

Martha Peet was elected to a second term as VP Finance. She has served in this position for two years. The VP Finance prepares the annual budget for approval and is in charge of accounting operations.

Michael Eason was elected to be the new Chapter Liaison. Michael lives in Alpine where he is working on a book to be published this year. He also started the Texas Flora group on Facebook.

Kim Conrow is our new President-Elect. Her official duties include chair of the membership committee and chair of the awards committee. In two-years time she will become president. Kim comes from the North Central Chapter in Fort Worth where she has been chapter president. The North Central Chapter has grown to be the second largest chapter in the state.

Also Kay Jenkins will return to the board in a new position. She was appointed in November to fill the vacant position of VP Administration. Previously Kay served on the board as Chapter Liaison and is also chair of the committee implementing the Monarch Waystations on Interstate 35. The primary duties of the VP Administration are record keeping and preparing minutes of board meetings.

Rounding out the list of elected officers, or Executive Board as its known in our by-laws, are Suzanne Tuttle, who is Environmental Liaison, and Deedy Wright, who is VP Education. Their terms expire in Fall 2018.

State board meetings are held quarterly. All members are invited to attend, but only board members may vote or participate in debate.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason