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A number of Society members and the Williamson County Chapter have been recognized at the Annual Members Meeting for their exceptional work.
Meg Inglis, Cheryl Hamilton and Kathy Trizna were presented with Presidential Awards of Excellence for their “dedication in promoting our mission.”
These three dedicated members represented the Native Plant Society of Texas at various hearings in both the House and Senate throughout the session of the 82nd Texas Legislature as HB 338 made its way through the legislative process. That bill, which was opposed by the Society and many other environmental organizations, requires any public entity other than the Texas Department of Agriculture that produces a list of noxious or invasive terrestrial plant species growing in this state to include a special disclaimer.
Although the bill eventually passed in spite of our opposition, it did not do so without gaining attention and causing legislators to reflect on the issues surrounding invasive plants.
Near the end of the session Senator Estes requested that members of the Native Plant Society of Texas be included in a round table conversation with the Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Invasive Plant and Pest Council and the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association. This resulted in opening doors to communication among the interested parties and a commitment to work together to identify “bad actor plants” within the environment.
Chapter of the Year
(photo by Alan Middleton)
Williamson County Chapter in Georgetown was selected as the 2011 Chapter of the Year.
There was stiff competition from other chapters. In the end though, my decision was based on the outstanding leadership qualities exhibited by members of the Williamson County Chapter. Several examples are listed in their annual chapter activity report. These included making several large donations totaling almost $4000, publication of an outstanding newsletter, conducting numerous classes and more.
The chapter had two really outstanding ideas in 2011. First, chapter leaders engaged the chapter in a planning process to enable them to better serve their community and meet our mission statement. Second, in order to make information on how to maintain an attractive native landscape more accessible, they published a Native Plant Maintenance Guide on their website.
Fellows Award
In addition, Jane Crone and Kathy Galloway were recognized with the Benny J Simpson Fellows Award. The Fellows Award is given each year for service and work by a member for the enrichment of the Society at the state, regional or chapter level. This award is determined by votes from fellow members.
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: maguire
