FNPS Forum
FNPS Committees => Conservation => Topic started by: Karina on April 23, 2007, 09:15:08 PM
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2007 Conservation Grant Awards
A total of 9 grant applications – a new record - were received, with 7 chapters represented (Citrus, Cocoloba, Dade, Magnolia, Serenoa, Tarflower – and the new Ixia Chapter from the Jacksonville area) among those sponsoring or endorsing the grant proposals.
All the projects proposed by the 9 applicants were deserving projects, so it was disappointing that only 3 could be funded. We hope those that couldn’t be funding this year will consider re-submitting for the 2008 grant cycle. The 3 projects that will be awarded Conservation Grants, in the amount of $2,500 each, are:
1) A Strap Fern Reintroduction: This 2-phase project will reintroduce two species of endangered strap fern – the narrow strap fern (C. angustifolium) and tailed strap fern (C. costatum) - to Timms Hammock in Miami-Dade County. Neither species has been observed there since the 30s, and both are now know from only a couple of sites. This project is especially exciting because it represents a partnership between Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and the Institute for Regional Conservation. Spores collected from Fakahatchee Strand will be cultured at Marie Selby to produce a genetically diverse collection of new sporophyte plants. The second phase of the project will reintroduce sporophyte plants to Timms Hammock.
2) Restoring Hooded Pitcherplant Habitat Within the Wekiva River Basin State Parks: The hooded pitcherplant (Sarracenia minor) is the only pitcher plant species native to central Florida. This project was proposed by Melanie Brodhead and will also receive $2,000 in financial support from the State of Florida. Several different approaches for restoring vitality to existing pitcher plant sites in the Lower Wekiva River State Preserve and Rock Springs Run State Reserve will be investigated .
3) Propagation of Florida Mayten: This proposal was submitted by the
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Native Plant Nursery. The project seeks to identify methods for effectively propagating the Florida Mayten (Maytenus phyllanthoides). This threatened species, which is native to a restricted range within Florida’s mangrove community, would then be included in restoration and mitigation projects, and ultimately be made available for use in home landscapes. Initial plants produced by the project will be used at the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge and on other conservation lands within the area. Native seed collected on Sanibel Island will be used.