Committees

The Board may create standing committees, which must have a minimum of a Chair and 2 additional members who are members in good standing of the Society.

At present, the Society has the Standing Committees which are described below.

Communications Committee

The Communications committee facilitates communications within FNPS and between FNPS and the public.  It also has a long history of providing IT support, support for Membership management, and other services that are technical in nature.  It also provides assistance with creating associated policies.

Specific activities include:

 

Conference Committee

The Conference Committee oversees the planning of the Annual Conference and assists in maintaining consistency between the current conference and past years’ conferences. The host chapter(s) provide an Annual Conference Committee (a temporary committee) which selects the conference theme, designs programs and field trips, and provides the primary volunteer pool which implements the conference.

For more information about the duties of the Conference Committee, see the Annual Conference page of this Handbook.


Conservation Committee

The Conservation Committee promotes the FNPS mission by focusing the Society’s efforts on the conservation, preservation, and/or restoration of rare or imperiled native plant taxa and plant communities in Florida. The committee serves this function by:

  • Promoting the acquisition and management of habitat that supports Florida’s rare and imperiled native plant taxa and plant communities.
  • Raising scientific awareness of the importance of landscape connectivity and management to the conservation of Florida’s native plants and their communities.
  • Promoting and managing the annual conservation grant awards.
  • Providing expert guidance to government agencies, and various private organizations regarding the conservation of native plants and native plant communities.
  • Supporting and encourage projects that conserve native plants and native plant communities.
  • Monitoring issues related to major transportation and growth management initiatives and providing input to the BOD and Policy & Legislation Committee when such initiatives represent a significant threat to native plants and native plant communities, striving to ensure that input is provided at an early stage in the planning and design process of such initiatives, in order to provide legal standing and maximize the ability to influence decision-making.
  • Assisting in the identification of native plants and native plant communities in need of preservation, and assisting in bringing this information to the attention of appropriate agencies, organizations and the general public.
  • Assisting the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) and supporting their influence.
  • Participating as an active member of the Endangered Plant Advisory Council (EPAC).
  • Assessing existing guidelines and developing new FNPS guidelines to define successful restoration of Florida native plant communities.
  • Providing advice to agencies, organizations and the general public on the proper native plant species to use in restoration projects.
  • Assist agencies and landowners in compiling a list of plants native to the site for public land and large-tract private owners.

 

Education & Outreach Committee

The purpose of the Education Committee is to improve knowledge about native plants and native plant communities of Florida among the general public including current and future audiences diverse in age, cultural background and interest level.

The Work of the Education Committee includes:

  • Creating educational materials using appropriate media (printed, electronic, multimedia, etc.) that povide information that is accurate, clear, and relevant to the FNPS mission. 
  • Providing public access to educational resources that further the Society’s mission and goals.
  • Identifying and recommending appropriate target audiences for Society programs that are mindful of public accessibility and diversity.
  • Setting public education goals and priorities within the capacity, aspirations and purposes of the Society.
  • Accomplishing tangible educational projects and programs that help realize the mission of the Society.

 

Finance Committee

<to be provided>
 

Landscape Committee

The Landscape Committee furthers the Society's mission by providing the landscape industry, government entities and citizens of Florida with resources, advocacy materials, and information to promote the use of, protection of, and conservation of native plants and native plant communities.

The Landscape Committee Chair oversees a committee of volunteers who participate in the following activities and projects:

  • Landscape Awards – These annual awards recognize excellence in native plant landscapes in residential, commercial, institutional, and restoration categories, using established judging criteria. Committee activities include promoting the awards to potential entrants, managing the judging process, presenting awards at the Annual Conference,, and writing and distributing news releases about the annual award winners.
  • Annual Conference Session(s) – The committee plans and executes one or more presentations at the Annual Conference each year that gives homeowners, lay persons, landscape designers and landscape maintenance personnel insights and knowledge regarding native plants; topics may include their ecological importance, practical landscape design, plant selection, planting and maintenance instruction, and other related topics. The committee will arrange for, advertise, and process CEU credits for landscape architects, landscape designers, FNGLA members and arborists attending the session(s).
  • Landscape Industry Resources – The committee will provide Landscape Industry professionals and city/county government staff with resources and advocate for native plants to be included in landscape ordinances, and will lobby to exclude FLEPPC Category I and II plants from ordinance plant lists.
  • Relationship with Landscape Professionals – The committee prepares information to distribute to landscape designers/architects to educate on the benefits of native plants, encourage the use of native plants, discourage the use of FLEPPC plants and promote a professional code of conduct.
  • Outreach to Homeowners Associations – The committee provides resources and guidelines for homeowners and neighborhood associations to educate on laws protecting the right to install sustainable landscapes that use native plants, and to provide information about suggested native landscape plants for residential use. 
  • Provide Native Plant Advocacy through:
    • Native Plant Demonstration Landscapes
    • YouTube Videos
    • Certified Native Plant Landscape Program
    • FNPS Website landscape page information
    • FNPS Website listing of Public Areas (mostly gardens) landscaped with native plants
    • Speakers Bureau in conjunction with the FNPS Education Committee
    • Sample landscape plans and plant lists


Membership Committee

The Membership Committee promotes the Society's mission by engaging new members and working to retain existing members. The committee does this by: 

  • Providing regular membership reports to the Board of Directors
  • Providing articles with membership recruitment/retention suggestions for the Society’s Sabal minor publication, Chapter newsletters, and Social Media (Twitter, Blog, and Facebook pages).
  • Producing workshops for Chapter membership managers that focus on opportunities to recruit and retain members.
  • Periodically updating the FNPS membership brochure with new content and current fee information.
  • Providing membership brochures to the Chapters, Board and new members at quarterly Board of Directors and Council of Chapters meetings.
  • Making recommendations to the Board of Directors on membership types and fees.

 

Policy & Legislation Committee

The Policy Committee tracks political activities that impact upon Florida native plants or their environments, reviews potential issues of regional or precedent-setting impact for relevance to the FNPS mission, and develops policy statements to guide FNPS and chapter involvement in policy issues relating to Florida native plants.

The Policy Committee also coordinates with the FNPS lobbyist (a contract position), and when necessary, develops and sends out EcoAction Alerts to interested FNPS members.

 

Land Management Partners Committee

The Land Management Partners committee works with the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Division of State Lands on state mandated land management reviews. The reviews are conducted by the State of Florida on lands that were purchased with public conservation funds such as P2000 and Florida Forever. Each property greater than 1000 acres has an on-the-ground review every 5 years and a review and update for the management plan every 10 years. As an NGO, FNPS participates as a team member in the Conservation position. FNPS provides ecological expertise that assists state in management according to the purpose in which the lands were purchased and is one of the ways that FNPS promotes the preservation and conservation of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.

FNPS served on 100% of the FDEP Land Management Reviews in 2010, 2011 and 2012, 86% in 2013, and 93% in 2017. We strive to maintain 100% FNPS participation on these important on-the-ground land reviews.
 

Science Advisory and Research Committee

FNPS annually provides grants for research leading to the conservation of Florida native plants. These grants are funded through donations from our Endowment Fund, from our general membership fees, and from targeted donations from individuals and chapters. Grants are provided based on funding available and on the quality of applications received. Committee members review grant applications and notify awardees.

The Annual Conference is held each year in May. The Research Track of the Conference includes presented papers and a poster session. Researchers are invited to submit abstracts on research related to native plants and plant communities of Florida including preservation, conservation, and restoration. Presentations are planned to be 20 minutes in total length (15 min. presentation, 5 min. questions).

Details on the submittals are be provided several months in advance of the deadline. The announcement will be posted on the FNPS home page and in our social media accounts.

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