Committees of the Colorado Native Plant Society
Explore Our Committees
Conservation Committee
Join the Conservation Committee meeting to learn more about how we support native plants by monitoring and commenting on upcoming land use plans and legislation.
Anyone is welcome to join the meeting. You can also sign-in to your member account and select the Conservation Committee to receive emails about the activities of the committee. We meet on Zoom the first Monday of each month at 7:30 pm.
The Conservation Committee is a group of CoNPS volunteers who advocate for the native plants of Colorado by:
1. Making public comment on government management plans and policies,
2. Promoting and supporting federal, state and local legislation.
3. Writing articles for our Conserfation Corner Column in Aquilegia, CoNPS’ quarterly newsletter.
4. Serving as a clearinghouse of conservation issues for our society chapters.
5. Promoting and encouraging our members to participate in native plant conservation projects run by our conservation partner agencies .
The Committee chairman is Brad Klafehn.
If you are interested in participating in the Conservation Committee, please visit the CoNPS calendar to register for the next virtual committee meeting. All are welcome!
Click the join button below to receive emails about the Conservation Committee meetings and events.
Public Comments and Reports
Education & Outreach Committee
The Colorado Native Plant Society Education Committee
CoNPS Committees help guide mission-aligned programming in different topical areas. Programming that develops at the committee level is implemented in our chapters. CoNPS members can facilitate different types of programming in their own chapters by participating in monthly committee meetings.
The Education Committee guides and facilitates:
- The CoNPS Annual Conference
- Outreach programs, for example, tabling at community events, and speaking at HOA meetings, libraries, garden clubs
- Statewide training programs
- CoNPS publications
If you are interested in participating in the Education Committee, please visit the CoNPS calendar to register for the next virtual committee meeting. All are welcome!
Field Studies Committee
The Colorado Native Plant Society Field Studies Committee
CoNPS Committees help guide mission-aligned programming in different topical areas. Programming that develops at the committee level is implemented in our chapters. CoNPS members can facilitate different types of programming in their own chapters by participating in monthly committee meetings.
The Field Studies Committee guides and facilitates:
- the Adopt-a-Rare Plant Program, a program to monitor rare plants and update their records in the state natural heritage database
- the Fen Phenology project, through which we learn about fens and learn how to measure phenology and contribute phenological data to Budburst and the National Phenology Network
If you are interested in participating in the Field Studies Committee, please visit the CoNPS calendar to register for the next virtual committee meeting. All are welcome!
Field Studies Activities and Reports
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee is charged with the following responsibilities:
- Overseeing the day to day financial activities of the CoNPS administrative assistant/bookkeeper.
- Reviewing and approving the CoNPS annual budget and chapter subventions.
- Overseeing management of bank accounts, insurance policies, credit card accounts and federal and state taxes.
- Assure that all reports to Colorado are completed in a timely manner.
- Oversee management of the CoNPS endowment funds.
The CoNPS treasurer serves as the chairperson to the finance committee.
Horticulture Committee
The Colorado Native Plant Society Horticulture Committee
CoNPS Committees help guide mission-aligned programming in different topical areas. Programs that develop at the committee level are implemented in our chapters. CoNPS members can facilitate different types of programming in their own chapters by participating in monthly committee meetings.
The Horticulture Committee guides and facilitates:
- Native plant garden certification program
- Native plant availability, including sales, swaps, and propagation training opportunities
- Native plant garden tours
- Native seed shares
- Education and outreach events, in partnership with the Education Committee
If you are interested in participating in the Horticulture Committee, please visit the CoNPS calendar to register for the next virtual committee meeting. All are welcome!
Rivers Edge Natural Area Demo Garden
Media Committee
Are you interested in helping get out news and information? If so, the Media Committee is the one for you!
The goal of the Media Committee is to provide timely and accurate information about the Society and its activities to members and non-members. The Media committee provides guidance and support for the Society’s publications, including the newsletter (Aquilegia), the CoNPS website, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google Group, and Meetup), and occasional publications such as the CoNPS calendar, gardening guides, etc.
We don’t have formal committee meetings but we communicate by email so you can live anywhere and be active in this committee.
Aquilegia welcomes member submissions. Following are submission deadlines and publication dates for the quarterly publication. Contact Aquilegia Editor: Kelly Ambler (alpineflowerchild@gmail.com)
Submission Deadlines:
Issue Publication Deadline
Winter Feb 1 Dec 15
Spring May 1 Mar 15
Summer Aug 1 June 15
Fall Nov 1 Sept 15
Social Media
CoNPS currently staffs three social media sites, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We are always looking for volunteers to interact with folks who used these social media sites.
Aquilegia Newsletters
Grants and Scholarships Committee
The Colorado Native Plant Society Grants and Scholarships Committee
CoNPS Committees help guide mission-aligned programming in different topical areas. Programming that develops at the committee level is implemented in our chapters. CoNPS members can facilitate different types of programming in their own chapters by participating in monthly committee meetings.
The Grants and Scholarships Committee manages and reviews the funding opportunities of the Society, including:
- John W. Marr Grant – Research on Colorado Native Plants
- Myrna Steinkamp Grant – Work on Rare Colorado Native Plants
- CoNPS Mission Grant – Education on Colorado Native Plants
- Alice Eastwood Scholarship – Undergraduate Students
Grants Page for Policies and Recipients
Donate to our Grants and Scholarships
Restoration Committee
The Colorado Native Plant Society Restoration Committee
CoNPS Committees help guide mission-aligned programming in different topical areas. Programming that develops at the committee level is implemented in our chapters. CoNPS members can facilitate different types of programming in their own chapters by participating in monthly committee meetings.
The Restoration Committee guides and facilitates:
- the USDA Region 2 United States Forest Service (USFS) Rocky Mountain Native Plant Materials Program, through which we are building a native seed bank to facilitate restoration efforts on USFS lands
If you are interested in participating in the Restoration Committee, please visit the CoNPS calendar to register for the next virtual committee meeting. All are welcome!
Managing Noxious Weeds
Best Management Policies for Managing Noxious Weeds in Sites with Rare Plants
This document provides natural resourceprofessionals, land managers, and land usedecision makers with guidelines and a set of questions to consider surrounding decisions related to noxious weed management in the vicinity of rare plants. These guidelines will help establish and refine a species-specific best management practices (BMPs) that can be customized for each unique project area.
– Written by: Cecily HY Mui, Noxious Weed Specialist, Colorado Department of Agriculture-Noxious Weed Program and Susan Spackman Panjabi, Senior Botanist, Colorado Natural Heritage Program
Using Native Plants in Restoration
Defining Native Plants for Purposes of Restoration, Revegetation and Landscaping
The Colorado Native Plant Society (CONPS) adopted the following definitions of native plant and local nativeplant to help restoration ecologists, biologists, landscapers, land managers and landowners understand what theyare planting in Colorado and the potential impacts.
Guidelines for Collection of Native Plants for use in Restoration, Horticulture, Medicinal Preparations and Scientific Research
Increasing interest in the use of Colorado and regional native plants for horticulture, ecological restoration, and medicinal preparations has prompted the Colorado Native PlantSociety to develop guidelines for collection of native plants and plant propagules from the wild.
Policy and Guidelines for Use of Native Plants
The Colorado Native Plant Society (CONPS) encourages the use of Colorado and regional nativeplants for landscaping and for the rehabilitation or revegetation of disturbed lands within the state.CONPS recognizes the physiological and ecological adaptive advantages of our native plants,which have evolved over long periods of time in our soils and climate. As a result of suchadaptation, native plants often are more energy and water efficient than introduced species.
Ethics of Collecting Native Plants
The Colorado Native Plant Society (CoNPS) encourages the ethical collection and use of Colorado’s flora. Lack of commercial availability of many plant species, greater demand for native plants in horticultural settings and the reestablishment of native plants in restoration efforts can require that seed and/or other plant material be prudently collected from plants in their native habitats. Likewise, plant material necessary for study and research purposes must also be collected under ethical guidelines.
Restoration Resources
Society for Ecological Restoration
The Society for Ecological Restoration works “to ensure that ecological restoration is recognized and utilized as a fundamental component of global conservation, biodiversity and sustainable development programs, and that ecological restoration projects are designed and implemented in a way that provides people with the opportunity to not only repair ecological damage, but also improve the human condition.
SER International Primer on Ecological Restoration
SER International Primer on Ecological Restoration defines ecologica restoration and the attributes of restored ecosystems. It discusses reference ecosystems, the management of exotic species as well as restoration planning, monitoring and evaluation.
Colorado 14ers Initiative
The mission of the Colorado 14ers Initiative is to protect and preserve the natural integrity of Colorado’s 54 14,000–foot peaks —the “Fourteeners”— through active stewardship and public education. CFI partners with the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and passionate volunteers and donors nationwide to accomplish these goals.
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) organizes thousands of volunteers each year to complete more than 150 conservation projects throughout Colorado. Volunteer events range in length from a few hours to multi-day campouts and are located in beautiful natural areas from the plains to the alpine.
Scholarship Committee
The Scholarship Committee raises and distributes funds to help alleviate financial barriers and to provide scholarships to support individuals with a desire to further their knowledge of native plants.
Finances should not be an obstacle for anyone with a strong desire to learn about native plants and their conservation. We encourage anyone with a need to apply. We look forward to hearing from you whether you’re a student, recent graduate, developing professional, senior, working hard to support a family; or a generous donor gifting an unique opportunity to others. Your participation in the Scholarship Program contributes to the conservation of native plants and the various habitats in Colorado.