By Bettina Darveaux reporting for Native Plant News Winter 2025
You are the North Carolina Native Plant Society and we are grateful for all that you do to further the Society’s mission in promoting the enjoyment and conservation of North Carolina’s native plants and their habitats through education, protection, cultivation, and advocacy. So many of our active members across the state do so much and are so deserving of recognition for their time, passion, hard work, and accomplishments for native plants. They are an inspiration and we love to share their stories so others can be inspired.
Nominate someone special
Fortunately for us, our Society has an active Awards Program designed to gather these stories. The Awards Program was the brainchild of member Kathy Schlosser around 2005. When Tom Harville became chair of the Awards Program in 2014, a role he continues today, and then president of the Society, he significantly helped get the program up and running, including designing the award certificate that we still use today. Tom later changed the names of each award to highlight inspirational people who most exemplified each award category. The Awards Program is intended to recognize and publicly acknowledge individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the Society and to the cause of native plant and habitat conservation in North Carolina.
It is very easy to make a nomination: see the NCNPS Awards Program page on our website for details. A nomination consists of a letter outlining the accomplishments of the nominee and should be supported by at least three letters from people–NCNPS members or the general public–who are familiar with the nominee and his/her achievements and activities.
Nominations can be made year-round but there is a January 1, 2026 deadline if the recipients are to be presented with their award at the upcoming April 11, 2026 Annual Members’ Meeting and Picnic.
So please, take a little time and help all of us learn who these wonderful people are who enthusiastically support our society and our native plant mission, and inspire us to do the same.
Bettina Darveaux is a retired plant biologist (MS in Environment and Forest Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) with a lifelong curiosity and passion for native plants and conservation. A naturalist at heart, she enjoys “botanizing,” gardening, hiking, kayaking, bird watching, nature photography, camping, and just about any recreation that brings her outside, especially to the mountains of NC. She currently manages the NCNPS Plant Gallery database.