New slate for state board announced

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Rhoda Poenisch, chair of the Nominating Committee, has announced the slate that the committee will nominate to be state officers at the Annual Meeting to be held in October.

The proposed slate consists of the following:

  • VP Administration Dell Hood
  • VP Advocacy Ricky Linex
  • VP Chapter Liaison Dennis Perz
  • VP Communications Stephen Brueggerhoff
  • VP Education Dawn Hancock
  • VP Environmental Liaison Kevin Janni
  • VP Finance Cecil Carter

Under the new Bylaws adopted last year state officers will serve for a term of two years. However Hood and Hancock have announced that they will serve for only one year each in order to smooth the transition of the board from one-year terms to two-year terms. They have each served two years on the board already.

Bill Hopkins was chosen as President-Elect by the State Board at the July board meeting in Brenham on July 20.

Also at the July board meeting, Stephen Brueggerhoff was appointed to be editor of our member magazine and Robert Kamper was appointed to the position of state webmaster. Other appointments included Cindy Stone as chair of the Texas Native Plant Week Committee and Carol Feldman as chair of the Native Landscape Certificate Program Committee.

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins

About the Region

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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