Join
Donate
Login
Join
Donate
Login

Be Bold, Be Native: Speak for the Plants!

0 comments

The election is over, now let’s vote for Colorado’s native plants and habitats! The CoNPS is partnering this year with the Colorado Gives Foundation in our annual fundraising effort –

every single  gift you make, no matter how small (or how large!)  will be added to by the foundation.

Our work is so important and your donation will help us become even more effective, assuring funds for outreach, educational materials, online programs, speakers, and workshops. Our website and our quarterly magazine, Aquilegia, are significant resources available to the public 24/7.

This quote from the Rocky Mountain Region Native Plant Materials Program,  (RRNPMP) illustrates perfectly the importance of our Society’s work.


  “ The CoNPs was a crucial partner in this (collection) project

because they are able to increase capacity –  they can conduct public education events through public outreach, and advertise public collection events. They are able to get a lot more hands out into the field for an event and that let us increase our collection weight.”  Yes, this is what we do! Our last seed collection of the year with the RMNPMP yielded 17,290 pounds of seeds for restoration!

 
CoNPS volunteer Molly Teas gathering Bouteloua gracilis seeds at Pawnee Buttes.

Seeds have different weights. 68 pounds of Heterotheca villosa seeds yielded 17,190 seeds for restoration.

We know that that using native plants in landscapes at home, commercial sites, schools, parks, and by the roadside is not just aesthetically pleasing but also an important building block for wildlife corridors and for preserving native species. CoNPS helps local groups who want to create these landscapes in multiple ways. For instance, the City of Loveland requested our help in creating a second pollinator garden in their city. CoNPS volunteers secured a grant from the People and Pollinators Action Network, (PPAN), choose plants, designed, and then installed the new garden recruiting help from other partners in their community.
The city of Loveland approached the Colorado Native Plant Society to request this new pollinator garden, which contains 33 species native to Larimer County, all of them either keystone species for the region or host plants for local invertebrates.

One of the biggest challenges in promoting native plant use is the limited availability of native plants in the commercial market. To address this pressing issue, CoNPS has focused on educating the public about seed sowing and plant propagation techniques. We have also encouraged and supported seed-sharing and plant swaps within local communities, further increasing the availability of native plants, especially those adapted to specific regional ecotypes.

As our lands are re-purposed for housing, agriculture, and manufacturing, protecting and supporting biodiversity is more critical  than ever. CoNPS is at the very forefront of efforts to sow those seeds of change. Working together we can build a better future.

Remember: By donating now your gift will be boosted by the Colorado Gives foundation.Won’t you donate today and make your vote count for something good!

PLEASE DONATE
The City of Colorado Springs has become a leader in native plant horticulture, in part thanks to CoNPS volunteer support, seed donations, and communication efforts.
Native plants grown by SE chapter member Kristin Maupin. When we table at community events in the spring, we work to share these plants and to use them for hands-on education in an indoor setting.

Sue Dingwell
Media Committee,
Colorado Native Plant Society
Thank you for your donation!