Newsletter* of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico April, May, June 2009 Vol
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New Mexico’s Voice for Native Plants newsletter* of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico April, May, June 2009 Vol. XXXIV No. 2 Annual Meeting in Taos: August 6–9 From Mountain Peaks to River Valleys Taos is a legendary art in the state, and another colony, a popular ski re- will introduce the ripar- sort, and an exciting year- ian environment. The round tourist destination. key note speaker is Wil- Taos has numerous great liam A. Weber, known to restaurants, world class many for his outstanding art galleries, tons of local publications on Colorado charm, and breathtaking plants. On Friday evening natural beauty. So plan to all attendees are invited to be in Taos this August! a reception at the historic The Taos Chapter has Couse House garden. put together an outstand- The conference will ing slate of speakers, some be held at the historic controversial enough to Kachina Lodge, an easy rouse your interest, a stroll to the picturesque Rio Grande above John Dunn Bridge great photo essay, many Taos Plaza. Your confer- fabulous workshops and field trips. Taos hiking is always ence rate will include a full hot breakfast and a glass of wine, spectacular and, in keeping with the theme of the confer- beer, or a margarita daily and can be extended to two days ence, one will provide a view at least of the tallest mountain before and after the Conference. ❖ See full details on pages 7–10. Registration form on back page. Statewide Workshop Scheduled for May 15 by Sandra D. Lynn shops, I decided to begin with that, in August 2008. It had When the results of the 2007 NPSNM survey came in, re- been several years since the last state workshops had been spondents said they liked the idea of workshops in plant held, arranged by former president, Bob Sivinski, so we got identification and landscaping with natives. The largest a big response to the first new one. Former president Chick number of plant ID requests in the survey were for a work- Keller and NMSU professor Kelly Allred taught a very suc- shop on grasses. So, since one of the primary assignments I cessful grass ID workshop in Los Alamos. was given as administrative coordinator was to set up work- Continued page 4 *Your winning idea here? See details of newsletter naming contest, p. 4! 2 New Mexico’s Voice for Native Plants http://npsnm.unm.edu From the President by Tom Antonio University, San Juan College, Western New Mexico At the end of January the NPSNM held its annual University, and University of Texas at El Paso. It is my board meeting at the Sevilleta Wildlife Refuge. Let goal that someday soon we will increase these dona- me begin by thanking all those who attended and tions so that these institutions can continue the in- gave of their time and resources to help the Society credible work they do in studying and preserving the remain strong. It was a spirited meeting, with rep- native plants of New Mexico. In addition, the board resentatives from all eight chapters attending. One approved providing a total of $5,000 to six very inter- of the more important issues discussed was a membership esting and valuable projects (see details in article below). dues increase. The board voted to approve this increase, the Last year we named our grant program after Jack and details of which are discussed in a separate article below. Martha Carter. At the meeting we were informed that the A number of other board decisions were enacted that we Jack and Martha Carter Conservation Endowment Fund has believe will make for a better and stronger organization. The now grown to nearly $10,000, a remarkable level after less Society changed its financial institution to the New Mexico than a year of fund-raising. I urge you to consider making Educators Federal Credit Union (NMEFCU). They are a a contribution to this fund, which will allow us to continue not-for-profit financial cooperative and all their profit is re- to support the many worthwhile projects that request fund- turned to their members and communities in New Mexico. ing from the Society. For those of you interested in further They have local offices throughout the state, and I urge all details of the board meeting, please visit our Web site, where chapters and members to consider joining this worthwhile the minutes of the meeting will be posted. Again, my thanks organization. New membership brochures were designed to all those hardworking individuals who make being a part pro-bono by David Grey, an Assistant Professor of Graphic of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico so enjoyable. and Digital Design at the College of Santa Fe. When you see Finally, I want to welcome Sarah Johnson as our new his wonderful new design, I know you will join me in thank- newsletter editor. Sarah comes to us with an extensive back- ing him for his creativity and hard work. ground in editing, writing, layout, and design. Please e-mail Again this year the board approved providing $500 to her at [email protected] with your articles, suggestions each of these herbaria: University of NM, New Mexico State for ar ticles, and photos from your chapter activities. ❖ 2009 Grants Awarded by Board The NPSNM board of directors awarded $5,000 in grants • Travel Planning on the Gila National Forest: $1,000 for 2009 to the following projects: • Native plant restoration at Randall Davey Audubon Center: $500 • Doctoral study of xeric-adapted trees in mesic • Field work toward a new Flora of New Mexico: $500 landscapes: $1,000 • K-8 school garden to demonstrate native plants, xeri- • K-12 science education programs for disadvantaged scaping, habitat, and plants that control diabetes: $1,000 students: $1,000 NPSNM Board Approves Changes to the Dues Structure The NPSNM board has approved changes to the dues struc- were needed to balance our annual budget and allow for the ture for the society, effective March 1, 2009. The board voted continuation of our grants program. Each year the Society to raise individual memberships to $25; to add a family cat- provides $500 to each of New Mexico’s five major herbaria; egory of $30; and to increase to $15 the category for seniors, we also provide funds for education and research on the rich students, and those with limited incomes. It was agreed that and diverse botanical heritage of the state. You can see de- this modest increase was necessary if we are to continue to tails about our grants at http://npsnm.unm.edu/grants. The be a strong voice for New Mexico’s plants. We last increased program is open to any project within New Mexico that dues nearly 10 years ago. contributes to the Society’s goals. Previously funded projects This decision was vigorously discussed by all those pres- have involved education, art, landscaping and special plant- ent, and it was agreed that the additional funds generated ings, signage, training, research, and conservation. ❖ http://npsnm.unm.edu New Mexico’s Voice for Native Plants 3 Membership in the NPSNM is open to anyone support- ing our goals of promoting a greater appreciation of native NPSNM Membership Application plants and their environment and the preservation of en- dangered species. We encourage the use of suitable native Name(s) plants in landscaping to preserve our state’s unique character and as a water conservation measure. Members benefit from Address chapter meetings, field trips, publications, plant and seed exchanges, and educational forums. Members also qualify City State Zip for membership in New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union (see description in article below). A wide selection of Telephone books dealing with plants, landscaping, and other environ- mental issues are available at discount prices. The Society E-Mail/Fax has also produced two New Mexico wildflower posters by artist Niki Threlkeld and a cactus poster designed by Lisa I (we) wish to affiliate with the checked chapter: Mandelkern. These can be ordered from our poster chair or (Please check only one) book sales representative. ❑ Albuquerque ❑ Otero (Alamogordo) ❑ El Paso, TX ❑ San Juan (Farmington) This Newsletter is published quarterly by the Native Plant Society of New Mexico, a nonprofit organization, and is free ❑ Gila (Silver City) ❑ Santa Fe to members. The NPSNM is composed of professional and ❑ Las Cruces ❑ Taos amateur botanists and others with an interest in the flora of ❑ No affiliation New Mexico. Original articles from the newsletter may be ❑ reprinted if attributed to the author and to this newsletter. I am interested in forming a new chapter in Views expressed are the opinions of the individual authors and not necessarily those of NPSNM. Next Deadline is June 1, 2009! Annual Dues: Manuscripts and print-quality artwork are welcome and Individual $1,025 should be submitted to the editor, Sarah Johnson, at Family 30 [email protected]. Friend of the Society 50 Sponsor 100 Patron 250 Life Member 1,000 Limited Income, Students, and Seniors (65+) 15 New Benefit for NPSNM Members Total: $ New to NPSNM members is qualification for membership in New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union. NMEFCU is a not-for-profit cooperative that provides a full range of fi- nancial services, including low-cost mortgages, equity loans and auto loans; education loans for professional develop- ment; a Visa® Platinum Rewards Card; 14 full-service branch locations from Taos to Socorro; no-cost Internet Banking; Make your check payable to Bill Payer and Mobile Banking service; no-fee checking; and NPSNM over 25,000 no-fee ATMs nationwide.