The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society E- Newsletter
February 2010 | |
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The 17th Annual Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show
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February 18-21, 2010
RI Convention Center, Providence, RI
For almost two decades the Flower Show has been the beacon for early spring fun in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Flower Show attracts more than 30,000 attendees annually, showcasing more than 30 garden displays and 250 larger-than-life garden marketplace vendors. See demonstrations and lectures, with an emphasis on organic gardening and bring the kids for some family fun. Children under five receive free admission.
Timeless Gardens will take you through decades that will remind you of forgotten sights, times, friends and family. In full bloom, enjoy a garden atmosphere typical of the Roaring Twenties era. Do the stroll or the twist through a 1950's garden. Enjoy the over the top appearance of a 1960's garden. Everyone will have something to say about the uniqueness of each era and garden. Wipe out the winter blahs with a ticket that brings all the promise and warmth of spring to New England.
Demonstrations & lectures by gardening experts such as Susie Coelho, Roger Swain, Julie Moir Messervy and Louis Raymond.
Tickets are: Adults $17.00, Seniors $15.00, Children (Age 6-12) $7.00 Under 5-free.
For more details visit their website at www.flowershow.com
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RIWPS 2010 "Nature's Timeless Garden"
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| Invitation to Preview Party... SPECIAL DISCOUNT for RIWPS members!! |
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Taste of the Flower Show
To Benefit
the RI Community Food Bank
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
6:00 - 9:00 pm
The Rhode Island Convention Center
RSVP by February 10, 2010
The Flower Show management is offering a discounted ticket to all RI Wild Plant Society members. A regular priced ticket is $75 per person but RIWPS members pay only $65. In order to receive this discount, members must call Liza Gentile, Development Coordinator at the RI Community Food bank to purchase their ticket instead of purchasing online. They also must mention that they are a member of the RI Wild Plant Society. 401 942-6325 ext 214 | mailto:lgentile@rifoodbank.org
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| Organizations that helped RIWPS with our 2010 Flower Show exhibit |
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Bartlett Tree Expert Seekonk, MA
Blue Moon Farm Perennials Wakefield, RI
Clark Farms Wakefield, RI
Farmer's Daughter South Kingstown, RI
Gardner Designs Providence, RI
Nelumbo Water Gardens Wickford, RI
Nickerson Tree & Landscape South Kingstown, RI
Out in Front Horticulture Exeter, RI
Precision Firewood Charlestown, RI
Sylvan Nursery Westport, MA
Tranquil Lake Nursery Rehoboth, MA
Please patronize the businesses that have been so generous to RIWPS and helped make this our best garden ever |
| RIWPS Flower Show Committee and Volunteers |
2010 Flower Show Committee
Bob Anderson, Shirley Anderson, Bob Baxter, Kim Botelho, Lou Cadwell, Dede Cohen, Jules Cohen, Andy Daigle, Rich Dalidowitz, Graham Gardner, Dave Gumbley, George Ireland, Judy Ireland, Roy Jeffrey, Chris Kalina, Tysh McGrail, Susan Shuster, Sally Shwartz, Moe St. Pierre, Sandra Thompson, Frances Topping, Barney Webster, Marnie Webster.
2010 Flower Show -- Volunteer docents and planters
Susan Ahrud, Chris Anderson, Gayle Anderson, Karen Asher, Bonnie Baker, Karla Bassler, Karen Beck, Richard Bianculli, Marissa Britt, Harvey Buford, Cheryl Cadwell, Pat Cahalan, Mary Chace, Claire Dalidowitz, Eileen DaRosa, Jackie Dawley, Angela Deller, Paul Dolan, Margaret Downes, Hillary Downes-Fortune, Cindy Gianfrancesco, Sylvia Hampton, Valerie Harper, Sindy Hempstead, Rosemary Hobson, Chuck Horbert, Sarah Keisling, Larry Kelland, Linda Lapin, Lynn Leahy, Doug McGrady, Debra Meyers, Paula Morrissey, Mary Murphy, Karen Nissen, Jim Norman, Nancy Nowak, Sarah Parrott, Marcia Pena, Jane Perry, Mary Pezza, Joan Pilson, Garry Plunkett, Isabel Pollack, Dave Renzi, Eric Roberts, Linda Sardone, Linda Sollitto, Debbie St. Pierre, Judy Tarlaian, Judie Tenebaum, Lynn Thompson, Paul Thompson, Mary Lou Upham, Debbie Van Dam, Nancy Weiss-Fried, Sally Woodruff, Leslie Wooler. |
| Upcoming RIWPS Programs - March-April |
UNSUNG NATIVE SHRUBS
Kingston
Saturday, March 6, 2010; 9:30-12noon
Lecture and Field Trip
Leader: Dr. Susan Gordon
Learn to identify and appreciate our less well-known native shrubs, such as Huckleberry, Swamp Silverbell, Fetterbush and other Blueberry impersonators. We will start indoors with a slide lecture and then move outdoors to both formal (the Botanic Garden) and natural areas (the North Woods) where we will study living specimens. Dr. Gordon is an experienced teacher who has grown up with the Rhode Island's interesting woody plants.
For serious amateur botanists. Bring a hand lens if you have one.
Dress for the outdoor weather and wear footwear that can get wet and/or muddy.
Medium
Pre-registration required 48 hours prior.
Fee: Members $8., Non-members $12.
Min. #5, Max. #15
Weather date: Sunday, March 7, same time.
ANNUAL MEETING North Kingstown
Saturday, March 13, 2010
1pm- Business meeting & Induction of new officers and Board of Directors
2pm -Refreshments & fellowship
2:30 pm - Guest Speaker
North Kingstown Senior Center
44 Beach St., North Kingstown 02852
For Directions go to www.northkingstown.org
If your last name begins with the letters A-M please bring refreshments to share.
Forests in Transition: Conservation Challenges for the Future
Speaker: Thomas J. Rawinski
Rhode Island supports a rich variety of plant life, including trees of many kinds. But forests are under threat as never before from insect pests, tree diseases, invasive plants, and overabundant white-tailed deer. Tom Rawinski, a U.S. Forest Service botanist, will discuss forest health and biodiversity conservation issues in Rhode Island. Concerned citizens can play an important role in mitigating these threats, and conserving Rhode Island's wondrous natural heritage.
Tom is a US Forest Service botanist based in Durham, NH. His work focuses on invasive plant issues in the New England-New York region. He began his professional career in 1982 with The Nature Conservancy, classifying New England's natural communities and conducting field studies throughout the Northeast. In recent years Tom has worked for the Massachusetts Audubon Society as their director of ecological management. In 2001 Tom received the New England Wild Flower Society's Conservation Award.
RIWPS Annual Meeting is Free and Open to the Public
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 NEEDLES AND CONES
Portsmouth Library
Sunday, Mar. 21, 2010, 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Lecture, with photos and cut specimens
Leader: Garry Plunkett
Northeastern woodlands are enlivened in winter by an array of evergreen trees and this program will freshen your knowledge of our native conifers. Join us to rediscover the delight of flat, friendly firs and square, sticky spruces. You'll go home knowing the difference between larches and tamaracks, why some hemlock needles are upside down, and wondering why gymnosperm seeds are naked.
Easy. Rain or shine
Pre-registration required
TREE ID IN SPRING
Scituate
Sat., April 10, 10 am - 12 noon
Field Trip
Leader: Paul Dolan
February may make you shiver, but April sunshine will warm your hearts. As spring starts emerging, our trees and shrubs will be awakened. This field trip will inform you on what buds and leaves are emerging, You will learn how to identify our natives, invasives and cultivars, by their leaves, buds, and flowers. Come for a stroll in the northwest corner of our state in the Scituate reservoir watershed. Our leader is an enthusiastic forester and teacher. This will be the second trip in Paul's seasonal Tree ID series.
Easy
Pre-registration required 48 hours prior.
Fee : Members $5., non-members $7.
Min. #5, Max. #15
Weather date and time: Sun. April 11, 1:00 - 3:00pm
"A SENSE OF WONDER"
A film about the compelling story of Rachel Carson's appreciation of the natural world and her fight to protect it.
Courtesy of The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island
Movie followed by discussion.
North Kingstown Library, 100 Boone St.
Sat., April 17, 2 pm
This film begins in Miss Carson's summer home as she was preparing to leave. Fighting cancer, she fears this may be her last visit to her beloved Maine coast. The story continues two months later in the furor over her book Silent Spring. Carson is simultaneously battling the chemical industry, the government, and the press to get her message to Congress and the American people.
It is an inspiring story of her courageousness, and the impact her tenacity and voice have had on the environment
Easy
No registration necessary. Open to the public - invite your friends!
Fee: Free
Max. 50 |
| Other Programs of Note: |
2010 Land & Water Conservation Summit
Location: URI Memorial Union, Kingston Campus
Saturday, March 27
Time: 7:45 am - 4:30 pm
Brought to you by the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, RI Land Trust Council and the RI Association of Conservation Commissions
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!!!
http://www.landandwaterpartnership.org/summit.htm
The 2010 Land & Water Conservation Summit has an excellent line up of workshops and a not-to-miss keynote address by Tom Horton, Award Winning Author and Chesapeake Bay Biographer who will speak on "Saving the Chesapeake Bay's Land & Water: Lessons learned after 25 years."
Early Registration ends March 5
$40 Includes lunch and breaks. After March 5: $55
Register on-line or download registration information at the Rhode Island Land and Water Partnership web site: http://www.landandwaterpartnership.org
New England Wild Flower Society Seeks
Plant Conservation Volunteers
New England Wild Flower Society located in Framingham, MA, seeks volunteers for their plant conservation program in Rhode Island. Join this fun community - no experience is necessary and no matter what your skill level or amount of time you can devote to volunteering.
Volunteers conduct field studies of native plant species, and rid habitats of invasive plants. A general Volunteer Application form can be found at http://www.newenglandwild.org/volunteers/volunteer-application.html.
Volunteers can expand their knowledge of native plants, meet interesting people, and spread the word about native plant conservation. If you enjoy hands-on fieldwork, the Plant Conservation Volunteer Corps (PCVs) program trains amateur field botanists to perform much-needed conservation work.
Trained volunteers are integral to monitoring and managing rare and endangered plant species across Rhode Island. Comprehensive free training is provided. Make a difference to the environment! Many RIWPS members already belong, and they all love it.
A training meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 27th from 9:30 AM to 4 PM., at Audubon Headquarters in Smithfield (12 Sanderson Rd.). For more information about the Plant Conservation Volunteer Corps, contact John Burns, PCV Corps Administrative Coordinator, jburns@newenglandwild.org.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Agenda
9:30 Quick Hello and Day Description
9:40 - 10:15 New PCV Orientation
10:15 - 11:00 Forms, Paperwork and Computer Orientation - briefer than the past
11:15 - 12:00 Seed Collection - Reasons and Process
12:00 Lunch
1:00 - 1:45 Introductions and 2010 Field Season Announcements and Discussion
1:45 - 2:30 Advanced Plant Taxonomic Terms
2:30 - 3:15 Identifying Bidens - The Beggar-ticks - (subject to change due to your input)
3:15 - 3:45 Diagnostic Photography and the Online Flora Project
Signup lists, herbarium specimens, GPS units, and the trappings of the trade will be available all day long. All you need to bring is lunch and materials for taking notes.
If you are looking for a rewarding place to learn, enjoy the outdoors, and find the native plant conservation mission of the Society to reflect your sense of the world, please volunteer with New England Wild Flower Society. The projects are fascinating and very meaningful to the conservation of native plant species in New England. |
| Message to Members from Jules Cohen - RIWPS President Elect |
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Dear RIWPS member:
In March 2010 our new year of operation will begin. Your new Board of Trustees will be in place, and a number of committee chairs are already hard at work. I have the privilege of serving as your President once again. For those of you who may not know I was the RIWPS President from 1999 to 2001.
Through the years, RIWPS has been a typical non-profit organization, in that a relatively small number of our membership does the large percentage of the administrative work of the organization. I won't single them out, but a number of our members have been hard at work almost since the inception of RIWPS. It's time for them to get a well-deserved break.
A lot of new faces have already emerged this year; but we need more. We hope that all of you enjoy our walks, lectures and workshops, and we hope that you will consider giving something back to RIWPS by volunteering some of your time. We need help from all of you to be able to continue to carry out our mission. In my experience by getting involved in your organization, you will meet a lot of nice folks and have a lot of fun.
We have restructured RIWPS this year and have many tasks of small magnitude that need folks to handle them. Typically our members' schedules are busy and they cannot always help with major chores; so we have activities of all sizes available. You can pick volunteer opportunities that work for you. At the end of this letter, I have listed a number of them.
As I perused our membership list I found that there were many names that were new to me. I warmly welcome all our new members and encourage them to get involved.
I plan to call a number of you to ask you to pitch in. If you are already involved - perhaps as a docent at the Flower Show or some other activity, please email or call me and let me know so I don't pester you unnecessarily. We are now trying to keep track of this work - so we don't ask too much of you.
Areas where we could use help are:
- Speaker recommendations & recruitment
- Speaker program arrangements - food/drink
- Walks and workshops administration; also leadership
- Youth and other education programs
- Photographers for a new "Shutterbug" group
- Flower Show docents and planters; plus general help
- Plant Sale workers
- Fall fund-raiser committee
- Audit Committee member
We can put all of you to work in some capacity; and you'll have fun. Please call or email me if you are interested, and want to know more. Don't hesitate; we have plenty of nice folks to help you learn how to do these things. Please join us.
Sincerely,
Jules Cohen
Email: julesacohen@cox.net
Phone: 401-294-6617
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The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society
is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of Rhode Island's native plants and their habitats.
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