By Debra Murray
We express a heartfelt thank you to all our members who contributed to the year-end campaign for the NCNPS Alice Zawadzki Land Conservation Fund. We are happy to report that 77 donors contributed almost $13,000. All contributions will be used to increase the Zawadzki Fund, allowing NCNPS to continue to support land conservation efforts for the years to come.
The Zawadzki Fund disperses grants for land purchases, conservation easements, and botanical surveys. Since 2017, NCNPS has awarded $42,570 in grants from the Zawadzki Fund. These grants helped conserve 7,389 acres of land, including some tracts with rare and threatened species and numerous plant communities from cypress-gum swamps and longleaf pine savanna to hickory forests, rich coves, and granite outcroppings. Many headwaters with exceptional water quality are also permanently protected, such as Big Elkin Creek, Little Fisher River, and Johns River.
Your contributions help maintain a robust funding program. Thanks to everyone involved in the year-end campaign: DeeDee Clarke, Diane Laslie, and Liz Wahls, and to those who shared their photos with us.
We appreciate all our donors in 2023!
We sincerely thank everyone who contributed to NCNPS in 2023, with a special thanks given to Lynda Waldrep, whose significant donations towards the Zawadzki Fund and sponsorships to the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference will have positive impacts for years to come. Donations can have special meaning, and some members chose to honor loved ones or to remember those who have passed. All who donated acknowledge the importance of supporting our society’s mission to promote the enjoyment and conservation of native plants and their habitats. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
By Debra Murray
Native Plant News – Spring 2024
Debra Murray is a research scientist at Duke University studying the genetics of fungal pathogens. Before coming to Duke, she studied the evolutionary biology of insects and spent several years in the tropics. She earned her PhD at Louisiana State University in Entomology and conducted postdoctoral work at Oregon State University and Florida State University. Throughout her scientific research, she has maintained her love of natural history, recently expanded to include NC native plants. She serves as chair of the Grants and Scholarship Committee for NCNPS.