1951-2026
Celebrate the Past & Look Forward to Our Future
Since 1951, the North Carolina Native Plant Society has inspired people across the state to discover, protect, and celebrate North Carolina’s native plants and habitats.
Throughout 2026, we will honor our past, celebrate our accomplishments, and look forward to the next 75 years through special events, challenges, educational programs, and conservation activities.
Whether you’ve been a member for decades or just joined this year, we invite you to be part of the celebration.
NCNPS Through the Years
A Brief History of the North Carolina Native Plant Society
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1951 | North Carolina Wild Flower Preservation Society founded at Smithwin Farm by Herbert and Conner Smith and other native plant enthusiasts. |
| 1950s | Society launches educational programs, field trips, newsletters, and its first conservation campaigns. |
| 1970s | Conservation efforts expand; leaders such as Tom Shinn promote native plant propagation, habitat protection, and public education. |
| 1976 | Society celebrates its 25th Anniversary and recognizes the contributions of Herbert and Conner Smith. |
| Early 1990s | Tom & Bruce Shinn Fund established to support student research on North Carolina native plants and habitats. |
| 2001 | Society celebrates its 50th Anniversary and expands its role in statewide conservation initiatives. |
| 2000s | B.W. Wells Stewardship Fund established to support community conservation, habitat restoration, and native plant education projects. |
| 2010s | Native Plant Habitat Certification Program launched, encouraging homeowners and organizations to create wildlife-friendly native plant landscapes. |
| 2015 | Alice Zawadzki Land Conservation Fund established to help protect significant native plant habitats through land conservation grants. |
| 2026 | NCNPS celebrates 75 Years of education, research, stewardship, conservation, and advocacy for North Carolina’s native plants and habitats. |
NCNPS continues to expand its impact through:
Research grants
Stewardship grants
Habitat certification
Native plant education
Advocacy
Today
From 50 founding members in 1951, NCNPS has grown into a statewide conservation organization supporting scientific research, habitat restoration, conservation, native plant education.
Through the Shinn Fund, B.W. Wells Stewardship Fund, Alice Zawadzki Land Conservation Fund, Native Plant Habitat Certification Program, local chapters, and statewide educational efforts, NCNPS continues its mission to conserve and celebrate North Carolina’s native plants for future generations.
Celebration At the State Level
Save the Date!
NCNPS 75th Anniversary Celebration
📅 September 25–27, 2026
📍 Pittsboro, North Carolina
Join native plant enthusiasts from across the state for a weekend of celebration, education, fellowship, and native plant enthusiasm.
75 Plant Id Challenge
Why Participate?
- Explore new places
- Improve your plant identification skills
- Learn more about North Carolina’s flora
- Celebrate NCNPS’s 75th anniversary
Earn a Commemorative Water Bottle
Several people have turned in their completed forms for the challenge and will be getting their 75th Water bottle shortly. If you identify and turn in your form, you will receive this 17 oz. Recycled Aluminum water botte.
Complete the challenge and receive a special anniversary water bottle
| A Few Guidelines: • Membership required – You must be an NCNPS member to participate. • What counts? – Any native NC plant species, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers (forbs), mosses, lichens, and ferns. • Where to look – Plants must be found in the wild, not in gardens or any cultivated area. • What to record – Common name, scientific name (genus and specie), date, and location (general location, such as “along a river in Brevard, NC”) for each plant. |
Deadline – Submit your completed form by September 1, 2026.
How to Submit: Use our fillable PDF on your computer, tablet, or phone—or print and fill it out by hand. Here’s a Word doc version if you prefer.
Then email it to 75challenge@ncwildflower.org or mail it to: Jean Woods, 200 S College Row, Brevard, NC 28712
Then email it to 75challenge@ncwildflower.org or mail it to: Jean Woods, 200 S College Row, Brevard, NC 28712
75 Ways to Celebrate
- Join NCNPS
- Attend a chapter meeting
- Complete the 75 Plant Challenge
- Certify your habitat
- Remove invasive plants
- Donate to the our Scholarship and Grants
- Attend the anniversary celebration
- Start native plants from seed
- Volunteer with your chapter
- Introduce a friend to native plants