Editor’s Note: When an NCNPS Central Coastal Plain Chapter member learned more daffodils were planned for her town, she wondered if she could encourage the use of native plants instead.
By Carol Peoples reporting for Native Plant News
Many of us are passionate about native plants. We recognize their vital importance to insects, birds, and other wildlife. But what do we do with our passion and knowledge? How can we provide information to our friends and neighbors, engage with our municipal leaders, and advocate for change — in order to make a difference in our communities?
Helping to form the Central Coastal Plain Chapter of the NCNPS in 2021 and meeting like-minded native plant advocates in my region were exciting steps in my journey. I’ve grown enamored of native plant-insect relationships and cheer each time I find a new insect species in my yard. Offering educational presentations and sharing native plants are ways I’ve sought to expand my impact. But I realized more effort was needed when I saw an increasing rate of development in my community, with significant loss of natural areas. Native plants that are essential for supporting the local ecosystem were being removed. When new plantings were installed, they were typically non-native, and often, invasive plant species.
Sharing information and communicating with Emerald Isle’s town leaders has led to exciting municipal projects that will help residents and visitors gain an understanding of the necessity of conserving natural areas and adding native vegetation to our properties in order to protect the fragile coastal ecosystem where we live. The first project is an educational video produced by Emerald Isle Public Information Officer Mark Crews, called “The Power of Native Plants.” The second project is the purchase and installation of native plants for the town’s Beautification Project. Both projects were unanimously approved by Emerald Isle’s Board of Commissioners.
So, how did this happen and how can you replicate the process in your community? Here are a few suggestions.
Be an example. Remove invasives from your property. Add native plants. When I work in my yard, I meet so many people as they walk in the neighborhood. Welcome opportunities to meet your neighbors and promote the importance of native plants in a natural context. Invite them to see the native bees visiting your flowers. Your joy will be contagious! When it’s time to divide and thin your native plants, offer them to your neighbors.
Get involved and network! Participate in your NCNPS chapter’s activities and events. Consider joining other groups like your local garden club, Audubon Society, and nature clubs. Become a Master Gardener Volunteer through your county’s Cooperative Extension Service.
Post on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor. Contribute weekly posts. You can share native plant profiles, info about invasive plants, educational opportunities, links to recorded presentations, native plant sales, pollinators, and birds.
Introduce yourself to town leaders and staff. Share brochures and handouts; share native plants.
Attend town meetings. Review agendas ahead of time to know what will be discussed. Prepare short public comments The limit in Emerald Isle is three minutes and you can talk about anything you wish. Your input can make a difference!
Here’s a YouTube link (see Minute 27:30 – 30:09) to a public comment I made to our Emerald Isle Board of Commissioners in February 2024 to request the purchase of native plants instead of daffodils for the town’s planned beautification project. And this is a YouTube link (see Minute 27:30 – 30:09) to the May 2024 meeting where the Commissioners unanimously approved this action.
Share your concerns as well as possible solutions with town leaders. Avenues for communicating include emails, phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and public comment periods at town meetings.
Your concerns could be loss of natural areas due to development, stormwater management, or why invasive non-native plants are problematic. Your ideas could include public education and/or outreach about the importance of native plants.
The town leaders in Emerald Isle have welcomed and been appreciative of information provided to them. Check out The Power of Native Plants (youtube.com). This 8-minute educational video was developed and produced by town staff at the recommendation of Commissioner Roy Brownlow and unanimously supported by Commissioners Mark Taylor, Alecia Sanderson, Jay Wooten, and Josh Sawyer. Input about content, plants, and scripting was provided by Gloria Putnam of NC Sea Grant/Coastal Landscapes Initiative and myself. To date, this video has 1000 views.
Kindness, joy, and gratitude go a long way in helping us reach our goals. Gentle encouragement and support for our neighbors, a willingness to engage with local leaders, and persistence in our efforts, can help us “be the change.”
Carol Peoples lives in Emerald Isle and is co-leader of the Central Coastal Plain Chapter. She is also a Master Gardener Volunteer through Carteret County Cooperative Extension Service. She’s a native plant advocate and a self-described insect nerd.