CoNPS Blog
News, Events & Nature Updates2019 John Marr Grant Awards
The John Marr Funded Grants to Four Researchers in 2019 Justin Bain – $800“Understanding how the floral nutrient landscape influences bee foraging, pollination, and the structure of plant-pollinator interaction networks” Emily Lockard – $800“Use of native...
CoNPS Comments on Taylor Park Logging Proposal
Taylor Park Vegetation Management Project CoNPS comments PDF
CoNPS Comments on Taylor Park Logging Project
CoNPS Comments on the Taylor Park Vegetation Management Project
CoNPS Supports the Use of Native Plants in NRCS Revegetation Projects
April 25, 2019 Kevin Norton Acting Associate Chief USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250 Re: Docket Number NRCS-2019-0003-0001 The undersigned organizations, representing conservation, wildlife, and agriculture...
April 5, 2019: CoNPS Comments on Amendments to the Clean Water Act
On April 5, 2019 CoNPS wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency strongly opposing the removal of wetlands, fens, small headwater streams, and ephemeral/intermittent drainage waters from EPA regulation through the clean water act. The letter follows...
2019 Myrna Steinkamp Grant Award Winner
The CoNPS Research Grants Committee has Chosen the Recipients for the 2019 Myrna Steinkamp Research Grants Denise Wilson - $1,000 “Monitoring Epipactis gigantea Populations Within Plots Subjected to Three Canada Thistle Eradication Methods.This adjunct study...
CoNPS Loses a Dear Friend, Don Hazlett
Remembering Don Hazlett Donald Lavern Hazlett, 69, of Pierce, Colorado, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully at home on the morning of January 5, 2019. Don was born on September 3, 1949 in Pueblo, Colorado... Although, if you asked him, he...
CoNPS Comments on Monarch Pass Proposal
The US Forest Service requested comment on a forest management plan to treat forests on Monarch and Marshall Passes. Below is the comment which was written for CoNPS by Conservation Committee volunteer Gay Austin and signed by Mo Ewing, Chair of the committee....
CoNPS Comments on BLM December Oil and Gas Sale
The BLM December 2018 Oil and Gas Lease Sale was totally chaotic. In August, the BLM offered about 222,000 acres of lands for leasing. But a federal judge intervened, saying that the BLM didn't consider the impact on sage grouse habitat. On October 19, the BLM...
CoNPS Opposes Village at Wolf Creek
On August 31, 2018, Mo Ewing, the Chairman of the CoNPS Conservation Committee wrote a letter to the U.S. Forest Service opposing the granting of access to the developers of the proposed Village at Wolf Creek. The letter read as follows: Colorado Native Plant...
Conservation Committee August 2018 Update
CoNPS Conservation Committee 2018 Update – August 6, 2018 CoNPS Comment Letters Written: January 27: Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre & Gunnison National Forest (GMUG) - Draft Forest Assessment Identifying and Assessing at-Risk Species. April 6: BLM - Environmental...
CoNPS Signs Letter of Support for SCC
On July 1, 2018, CoNPS signed a letter of support for the preservation of South Canyon near Gunnison which is in danger of being developed. The South Canyon Coalition is in the process of trying to convince the City Council to buy the property to protect it from...
CoNPS on Grand Mesa, Uncompagre, Gunnison Forests Plan
On June 1, 2018, a team of CoNPS volunteers sent a letter to the Forest Plan Revision team of the Grand Mesa, Uncompagre and Gunnison Nationa Forest Service commenting on scoping process for the Forest Service plan. The comment team included extensive work by Brad...
CoNPS signs on to opposition to the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2
Alaska Wilderness League * Allegheny Defense Project Alpine Lakes Protection Society * Appalachian Voices * Arise for Social Justice Bark * Beaver Valley Preservation Alliance * California Native Plant Society Cascade Forest Conservancy * Cascadia Wildlands Center for...
May 4, 2018: CoNPS Opposes Forest Provisions in Federal Farm Bill (H.R. 2)
CoNPS joined The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, The Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Northwest, Earthjustice, League of Conservation Voters, National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, Southern Environmental Law Center, and the...
Mission Grant Awarded by CoNPS Board to Legend High School to Establish Native Plants Club
The CoNPS board has awarded a Mission Grant of $182.90 to Norman Lenard, a teacher at legend High School to establish a new club at the high school, called “Native Plants and Environmental Concerns”. The grant will be used to purchase supplies for a project to grow...
March 2018: Mission Grant Awarded to the CO Foundation for Agriculture to Support Colorado Reader
In March 2018, the CoNPS board awarded a Mission Grant of $700 to the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture to support the printing of their April 2018 Colorado Reader on Native Plants. The foundation produces seven 8-page educational newsletters each year that contain...
2018 John Marr Research Grants Awarded
The CoNPS Research Grants Committee has announced the John Marr grant awards for the 2018 field season. John Marr grants are given for research projects studying native plants in Colorado. Seven grants were awarded. Anna Freundlich, Master’s Student at University...
2018 Myrna Steinkamp Research Grants Awarded
The CoNPS Research Grants Committee has announced the grant awards for the 2018 field season. Steinkamp grants are given for research projects studying rare plants in Colorado. Two grants were awarded. A $1,000 grant was given to Ronald Abbott studying...
4/6/18: CoNPS Comments on BLM Sept 2018 Oil & Gas Lease Sale
On April 6, 2018 CoNPS made comment on the BLM September 2018 Oil & Gas Lease Sale, in which some of the oil and gas lease sites bordered Great Sand Dunes National Park. Many thanks to Anne Bensard, Heidi Gerstung and Kristi Gladem for working on this project....
1/27/18 CoNPS Comments on GMUG Draft Forest Plan
On January 27, 2018 CoNPS provided public comment on the Grand Mesa, Uncompagre and Gunnison Forests Draft Forest Assessment: Identifying and Assessing At-Risk Species. We thank Linda Smith for working on and writing up comments on this project. GMUG Species-at-Risk...
March 2018: Mission Grant Awarded to Longs Peak Science Foundation to Sponsor Award for Plant Science
March 2018: The CoNPS Board of Directors awarded a $125 grant to the Longs Peak Science Foundation to sponsor one Junior Level Award for plant science.
Conservation Committee Annual Report 2017
Conservation Committee 2017 Report CoNPS/NPCC Meeting, January 2017 – Mo Ewing, Dawn Welles, Linda Smith, Jenny Neale met with Emily Roberson of NPCC at DBG. She expressed her goals for her group, and how we can help. Dawn Welles is following up with Emily regarding...
7/3/2017: CoNPS Comments on the Rio Grand National Forest Management Plan
On July 3, 2017 the CoNPS Conservation Committee provided public comment on the Rio Grand National Forest Management Plan. The letter supported the protection of iconic areas recommended by the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council. In addition, because of the presence...
6/28/17: CoNPS Comments on Fossil Creek Natural Areas Management Plan
CoNPS Comments on the Fossil Creek Natural Areas Management Plan On June 28, 2017 the CoNPS Conservation Committee provided public comment on the Fossil Creek Natural Areas Management Plan. The comments were drafted by Renee Popp, the president of the Northern...
2017 John Marr Grant Awarded
Marr Grants Awarded: Austin Lynn $900 “Investigating Evolutionary Relationships among native and exotic Taraxacum in the Colorado Rocky Mountains” Mike Kintgen $900 “Does Aridity Drive Species Richness in Colorado’s Alpine Tundra?” Erin Bissell $500...
2017 Steinkamp Research Grant Awarded
Steinkamp Grant Awarded: In 2017 a Myrna Steinkamp Grant of $1,000 was awarded to Richie Hum $1000 to study “Genetic Analysis of Aliciella penstemonoides using Microsatellite Markers”
February 2017: Mission Grant Awarded to Native Plant Masters Program to Update CO Plant Database
Mission Grant Awarded to the Native Plant Master Program At their meeting on February 4, 2017, the CoNPS Board of Directors awarded a $200 grant to the Native Plant Master Program in Jefferson County to update their Colorado Plant Database. The Colorado Plant Database...
February 2017: Mission Grant Awarded for Garden Guides to Print Low-water Garden Guides
New Mission Grant Awarded for Low Water Garden Guides At the February 4, 2017 board meeting, the Board of Directors voted to provide $2,411.00 for the printing of 1,110 copies of the new CoNPS Low Water Gardening Guides which had been produced by the Horticulture...
Brown’s Canyon National Monument Bioblitz
The bioblitz held at Browns Canyon National Monument was on June 1 to 3 . We had nearly 70 participants during the event. About 20 of those were CoNPS members (thanks to Mo Ewing for helping coordinate these folks). Other people came from the Forest Service, BLM,...