By Ken Bridle
Go ahead and make someone’s day! Our NCNPS Awards Program has a variety of categories. It’s important to recognize people for the good work that they do. Important for them and important for us to learn about who is doing exemplary work on behalf of native plants and the society and our native flora. Take a little time to make someone’s day, and help all of us learn who these wonderful people are supporting our society and our native plant mission. Awards are being accepted now and through the month of December.
The idea of an awards program goes back many decades in this volunteer run organization. When I was president in 2000, we had no chapters; yet we planned statewide outings and events. Now we are a much larger and more complex organization of seven more active chapters and double the membership from when I last served. There are so many opportunities to serve the organization and promote native plants.
The NC Native Plant Society is now represented by active members across the state. We have NCNPS activities and we partner with many native plant projects in our own region and hometowns. This helps us as an organization be more in touch with the needs of our state’s diverse geography, demography and biodiversity.
What we do
We have people running school programs, youth outings, chapter outings, social media, demonstrations at the state fair and other festivals and events. We give grants with other groups to promote native plantings, research and scholarships. We do plant rescues, publish a nice electronic, searchable, digitally archivable and paper-free newsletter and maintain an information and resource-rich web page, and so much more. All of the people who do this stuff deserve to be recognized.
There’s more!
We are members of the NC Nursery & Landscape Association and participate in their Green and Growin’ Show alongside the nursery and landscape people we hope to influence. We have had folks working to illustrate a great gallery of native plants on our web page, working with groups and agencies to collate the most comprehensive invasive plant list in the state. Certifying native plant gardens, producing landscaping guides for each region, updating and printing handouts and brochures, doing seed swaps and plant sales. These efforts include both members and nonmembers who have gone above and beyond to further native plant interests.
All the many people involved in these functions have passion, talent, time, and resources dedicated to our organization and vision. They deserve to be celebrated and honored!
With the NCNPS awards setup, it’s easy: just write a nomination letter and get three others to join you in writing supporting letters. Send them by email to the Awards Committee Chair and the committee will decide the appropriate award category if you have not already selected one. For most of the awards the bar is not set too high. A good story about a good candidate is all that’s needed and support from three others who agree. There are a range of member categories for Education, Horticulture, Conservation and Service to the Society. For non-members there are awards for promotion of native plants, landscape design with native plants and research into native plants. I bet you know at least one person or organization for each of these categories!
There is even a Certificate of Appreciation Award that can be given to members for their good efforts and is not vetted by the Awards Committee. Perfect for chapter activity.
So please, take a little time to make someone’s day, and help all of us learn who these wonderful people are supporting our society and our native plant mission. You will be glad you did.
By Ken Bridle
Native Plant News – Winter 2023
Ken Bridle, Ph.D. is a past and current president of the North Carolina Native Plant Society and a conservation advisor to Piedmont Land Conservancy, where he was active for nearly 30 years. In his professional career and on behalf of other organizations including the Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee, his conservation research and restoration projects encompass watershed assessments, wetland delineations, and rare plant and animal surveys in North Carolina and the greater southeast. He is a frequent leader of hikes and nature walks and a speaker on local conservation issues.
Editor’s Note: Tom Harville is chairman of the NC Native Plant Society Awards Program, an NCNPS life member, and its past president.