Magnolia Chapter has been working on creating a new grant application process for our student grants. We have updated our website to have a "Grants" page with instructions and applications attached. We have one student research grant and another scholarship to the FNPS conference. We are currently advertising for applicants. To see our applications, visit our website:
http://magnolia.fnpschapters.org/index.php?id=awardsOur January speaker was Pierson Hill who spoke about the flatwoods salamander recovery plan and how plants play a vital role in the salamanders life cycle. Our field trip was to three flatwoods salamander ponds in Apalachicola National Forest. Our February speaker was Dave Almquist, FNAI invertebrate biologist, who spoke about interesting plant-insect relationships. Field trip was led by Peter Kleinhenz to Suwannee Ridge WEA.
FNPS assisted the Atlanta Botanical Society and Jacksonville Zoo reintroducing the endangered Torreya taxifolia and caging young saplings at Torreya State Park.
We have brought on Tyler Dye, freshman at FSU, to assist in our chapter online presence and hopefully regularly send out our chapter newsletter, Ms. Magnolia.
Very soon, the trout lilies will be blooming at the Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve in Thomasville, GA. This is a spectacular superbloom that occurs along the ground of an old-growth hardwood slope forest, just over the state line. Many members and board members of the Magnolia chapter will be assisting with tours at the preserve.
Our chapter president, Scott Davis, met with Wakulla County Commissioners one on one to offer a practical prescription for managing imperiled roadside species. This is in response to a massive push to kill the roadside wildflower program. Scott worked on a comprehensive mow plan and informed them that this would strike a compromise between the competing interests of themselves and the wildflower advocates. Many members of Magnolia and Sarracenia FNPS were present at the BOCC meeting, where Scott gave a presentation to them and the public. They voted to approve the recommendations.
