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Promoting the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Broward County
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June 2020
Annual Broward Chapter Election
Right Here, Right Now
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THIS IS YOUR BALLOT*
Click on this link for an email Ballot
1. Type in "Yes" or "No"
(You are voting for or against the slate, all 7 Board nominees listed below)
2. Type in your full name
(we will match your name and email with your membership)
3. Send email to: info@coontie.org
(the link above should address the email; if it doesn't, use this email address)
THREE SIMPLE STEPS - DONE
Please vote now. If you are encouraging others, the official deadline is:
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Board Nominees and details below |
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*Answers to questions about voting:
Do I have to be a Chapter member? YES
But you can join FNPS now ($35 individual, 1 vote, or $50 family, 2 votes), and then vote immediately. Your vote will be counted when we get membership confirmation. Not sure if you are a member or need to renew? Call FNPS (321)271-6702 or email info@fnps.org.
Do I have to vote for the entire slate (all 7 nominees)? YES
The Nominating Committee has proposed them and all nominees have agreed to serve. You are accepting or rejecting the slate of volunteers and nominees as proposed.
Why do I need to vote?
The membership vote for the Board is the legal means of governance of nonprofits under state law. And importantly, it is how members formally express their support of (or opposition to) the people who volunteer to run the organization. Normally, we take this vote in a room and we applauded them. Having all of you vote sends a message in the number of members who support or oppose this leadership. Feel free to vote and write a note on the ballot if you like.
When does the new Board begin?
The term is July 2020 through June 2021, but the Chapter takes a summer break in July and August, so expect to hear from the new Board and get a newsletter in September telling you how we will meet (in person or virtually) and how field trips will be conducted (likely distancing outdoors). See you all in September! Enjoy your summer.
Other questions? Send an email to info@coontie.org.
THE CHAPTER BOARD SLATE (Vote for all above)
President - Stephanie Dunn. Stephanie is a Landscape Designer with the local firm, Cadence. She's a native Floridian who loves wild Flroida. She joined FNPS in 2017 to gain knowledge about Florida plants and ecosystems relevant to her career as a landscape designer. She is passionate about the conservation of Florida's wild heritage. She wants to help the Chapter advance and communicate the FNPS mission, as well as share the beauty of Broward's nature heritage, especially through photography and Instagram.
Vice President - Mariana Yi (incumbent). Mariana joined FNPS in 1999 when she first heard George Gann, Chief Conservation Strategist of the Institute for Regional Conservation, David McLean, respected and beloved native plant enthusiast, and others speak. Jack Lange invited her to the Board in 2005. The Chapter was struggling at that time and there was a proposal to merge with the Dade Chapter. Mariana stepped forward as President to help keep the Chapter alive. The Broward Chapter was started in 1973, even before the state FNPS organization was started. Mariana is especially skilled in native and non-native plant identification, a great help to the rest of us who struggle with it. She always stays to the very end to ensure everything is cleaned and cared for and that all of us are cared for. We acknowledge and appreciate her many years of service.
Secretary - Michelle Fiore (incumbent). Michelle was interested in the concept of having a natural place, a garden, that was friendly to all critters, such as butterflies, bees, and birds, so she sought out the Broward Chapter and later was asked to stand for nomination to the Board. She wants to promote an awareness of the native plants for everyone in the community. Her contributions on the Board have included excellent record-keeping including memberships, speakers, and field trip scheduling and confirmations. She has been especially helpful in discussions about improving services and fulfilling the underlying mission of the Chapter.
Treasurer - Kay Taylor (incumbent). Kay Taylor is that honest and conscientious person who watches over the Chapter money and makes deposits and withdrawals and keeps the Board aware of the balance of accounts. Most members know Kay as the woman who sets up the snacks at meetings and sells the plants. She is often the quickest to fill a need with tireless good will and energy. Kay has served on the Board for more than 20 years. She is also President of Friends of Secret Woods and takes charge to arrange and set up the native plant sales. We acknowledge and appreciate her long-time service to the community.
Program - Eddie Yi (incumbent). Eddie has been a member of the Chapter for nearly twenty years and long-time on the Board as Program Director. In that role he invites and confirms speakers and field trip leaders. In recent years Michelle has assisted. This work is the core of the Chapter's public education program and a great service to the community. On behalf of the membership, we acknowledge and appreciate Eddie's long service and Michelle's important contributions and their willingness to continue.
Newsletter - Jennifer Douglass. Jennifer has worked for 3 years as a Park Ranger at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. She has a degree in financial accounting and served in the US Army. Since a child she has loved plants and was fascinated with those interesting scientific names. She is a whole-hearted native plant enthusiast especially concerned with the local natural areas and the more widespread use of native species in public landscaping. She first volunteered at Hugh Taylor Birch because of her passion. She has volunteered to be editor of the Chapter newsletter, a much-needed Board position.
Website - Eileen Pokorny. Eileen has worked for the USDA Invasive Plant Research Lab as a science technician for over 30 years. She created and has maintained and improved the Lab's Keep It Native Demonstration (KIND) garden for a decade. She brings to the Board a scientific understanding of biological control of invasive plants and knowledge of Florida native plants and agricultural species. She has managed the Research Lab website since 2017 and has volunteered to work on the Chapter website, another much-needed undertaking that requires skills.
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You can enjoy farming at Secret Woods Nature Center by special invitation from Park Naturalist, Molly Taylor, or other staff, (954) 357-8884. Those pesky Air Potatoes need picking. Staff will arrange time and place for individuals or family groups to spend whatever time they like digging up "potatoes." It's fun for children and a great meditative work for the rest of us. For those who don't know, Air Potato is an invasive exotic vine that can cover and eventually kill trees and large areas of natural parks. It's a great way to help Mother Nature in a beautiful Broward Park.
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The featured photo at the top is Muhlygrass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, in the wilds along the Concho Billie Trail in Big Cypress. Here it is in landscaped gardens at Archbold Biological Station. It is interesting to compare how plants grow in the wild, sometimes differently, than in landscaping. What stuck me about the wild Muhlygrass was how red it is. Of course, it was a magic moment with the sun, breeze, and prior rain bringing out the color and sheen, but what a beautiful plant Muhlygrass is. It needs moisture and sun. Locate it so you can enjoy the inflorescence backlit by the sun.
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Sandweed or Peelbark St. John’s-wort, Hypericum fasciculatum, needs moisture so a swale or lakeside location might work well. It is not salt tolerant, so avoid brackish waters or beach locations. It's hard to find in nurseries, perhaps because it doesn't tolerate drought well, but ask if owner if he or she can order it for you.
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The form of Narrowleaf Silkgrass, Pityopsis graminifolia, is variable, sometimes in clumps up to 3 feet, other times in parches on the ground no more than 1 foot high. This short one is at Juno Dunes. The gray-green silken leaves provide color contrast in the garden. Fairly prolific blooming make this wildflower stand up well to the competition. They are available at Amelia's Smarty Plants in Lake Worth (always call ahead), but may be available locally, too, so ask or request from your favorite local nurseries.
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Sea-lavender, Tournefortia gnaphalodes, thriving at a Hollywood Beach home. The Institute for Regional Conservation writes, "A beautiful shrub for oceanfront gardens, but susceptible to diseases inland."
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Lizard's Tail, Saururus cernuus, thrives in water gardens and along lake edges, but is intolerant of brackish or saltwater. It is a hearty plant, tolerant of light conditions from sun to shade. Like many water-loving species it prefers rich organic soils. Lizard's Tail features large showy flowers with a sweet fragrance. It is rarely offered at nurseries, but worth seeking if you have a wet garden.
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American White Waterlily, Nymphaea odorata, reason enough to build a pond.
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Swamp Ferm, Blechnum serrulatum, might be the right plant for places that don't dry out, but think twice, perhaps, if you have a swamp on your property. Aggressiveness in native plants, the ones that grow really well in some conditions, can make good choices elsewhere. In my yard it stays were it gets enough moisture and has no tendency to go where it is drier. It's a beautiful fern. New fronds are reddish.
All photos: Richard Brownscombe
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In May, the City of Fort Lauderdale bulldozed 90% of River Oaks Preserve,
a Broward Protected Natural Land site at SW 21st St and SW 19th Ave.
The County approved this project.
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NO INSPECTION, NO PROTECTION:
The Need for a Minimal Standard of Natural Areas Protection
by Richard Brownscombe
What are “Natural Areas”?
Natural areas are properties that still have historical indigenous species living on them. Think of them as God’s earth or pristine nature, although many of them have suffered abuse and are in need care and restoration. They are the last surviving places where nature still lives.
What are “Protected Natural Lands”?
Only 3.3% of natural land in Broward is “Protected.” A fraction of 1% of land in Fort Lauderdale is “Protected.” These properties are under a variety of legal conservation easements. The County and the City break state law by ignoring conservation easements and protections.* Under the Florida Constitution, the purpose of designating conservation lands includes:
“To conserve and protect environmentally unique and irreplaceable lands that contain native, relatively unaltered flora and fauna representing a natural area unique to, or scarce within, a region of this state or a larger geographic area.” [emphasis added]
The County has designated 322 properties as "Protected Natural Lands" including River Oaks Preserve in Fort Lauderdale. Unprotected natural areas were never acquired or had their protection removed by the County.
The moral and political case for protecting “protected” and unprotected natural areas
Eighty-four percent (84%) of the Broward electorate voted for the Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment establishing a public mandate for local conservation. Every public servant and politician who ignores conservation law and intent violates the public trust because the public generally believes that Protected Natural Lands are, in fact, protected. There is a clearcut conservation responsibility for government to protect and care for these last remaining natural area properties. These 322 urban properties contain the 79% of species that cannot live in the Everglades wetlands. The urban Coastal Ridge was and is the most biodiverse part of the County.
Why is it obvious that the County and City are violating conservation law?
When so-called improvement projects to “Protected Natural Lands” fail to include: 1) an inventory of rare, threatened, and endangered flora, fauna, and habitats, and 2) a focus on the long-term protection of the species and habitats found there, then that is prima facia evidence. In the case of the six Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport properties and River Oaks Preserve, only a tree inventory was conducted. No other floral or faunal species were surveyed. The habitats were not evaluated for their scarcity in the region. The project's environmental impact did not include the survival of the species living there or the migrating species dependent on the food and shelter there. The species and evidence were destroyed by bulldozer and the habitats were decimated. No inspection, no protection.
A real loss for the public
The public mandate for conservation is rooted in love and appreciation for nature and our natural heritage. Research on natural areas properties has the potential to help us understand nature’s adaptions to climate change and sea level rise. The study and education of natural areas is fascinating science and valuable in a way similar to the value of museums and archeological sites. These nearby places are irreplaceable assets providing opportunities for people to learn about wildflowers and wildlife and experience being in nature. There is no need to pit the needs of people against the needs of nature. We can do both.
No Standard of Protection in Broward or Fort Lauderdale
Currently Broward County and Fort Lauderdale are defending a system** that allows bulldozing of “Protected Natural Lands” without prior inspection or protection. Many communities have made of their conservation areas, assets for research, for public education, and for public enjoyment without impinging upon the survival of the species there. Requiring inventories and protection of natural areas is a minimal standard and it's state law*.
*Protecting Natural Resources - Forever: The Obligations of State Officials to Uphold "Forever" Constitutional Provisions by Rachel E. Deming
**An information request from Richard Brownscombe to the County and a County response is below. I have highlighted in yellow two places (p. 1 & p. 2) where it seems to me the County makes no reasonable defense. (Reference to the "maps" is the map of 322 Protected Natural Lands.) How does the diversity of property types prevent minimal standards of protection or classes of protection? In the second highlight, doesn't the conservation easement say protection of wildlife and their habitats is required? And didn't the County and City utterly fail to protect a natural area as the Florida Constitution requires because they failed to survey the property? See what you think.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Richard Brownscombe to Broward County (May 2020)
Broward County response to FOIA request (June 2020)
Project Details Attached to County response
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STOP BULLDOZING
Am I the only one who thinks having to ask the County and City to stop bulldozing Protected Natural Areas is little crazy? I doubt it. Internet search to find the City and County Commissioners and send an email or letter asking them to stop bulldozing Protected Natural Lands and require inspection and protection of species and habitats prior to any significant change to any natural area. You might start a writing campaign.
Referenced in the "Broward County response to FOIA request" above are additional sites that may be slated for destruction without species inventories or habitat protection. Visit them and learn if we can intervene before they, too, are destroyed.
Richard@Brownscombe.net
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Speaker events are on 2nd Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Secret Woods (except July & August).
Field Trips are usually on a following weekend but they vary,
so always check the Calendar and check again for last-minute trip updates.
Visit Coontie.org for a wealth of information about local plants.
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