Announcements |
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CONPS Members Start New Gore Range Chapter December 30, 2011: News from the October 22 Board meeting and follow-up to action items: • New CoNPS chapter is named the Gore Range Chapter, with members in Eagle, Summit and surrounding counties, whose petition was approved by Board e-vote as of 9/28/11. President-elect is Nanette Kuich, a geologist, who reported the chapter is planning its first formal meeting and working on field trips for the upcoming season. • Check out the Colorado Native Plant Society’s Facebook page, now being updated by Katie Dykreve. • Jennifer Ackerfield has begun tenure as President of the Northern Chapter, replacing Pam Smith, who served for 3 years. • New Research Grants Committee Chair is Catherine Kleier, succeeding Jan Turner, who remains with the group. The committee is reviewing its grant proposal criteria. • Vice President Danielle Levine currently represents the Boulder Chapter. Pam Sherman served as President • Departing Aquilegia Editor Bob Henry seeks volunteers for a newsletter committee. Contact Bob at • New Conservation Committee Chair is Mo Ewing, and the committee is being restructured. Mo noted that CoNPS has responded to the BLM’s FEIS on the Over the River (OTR) project (planned by Christo for the Arkansas River), and has also contacted Senators Udall and Bennet, 5th Dist. Congressman Lamborn, and High Country News about the OTR. He has written the first “Conservation Corner” for Aquilegia, and provided comments to the study groups on the merger of Colorado Wildlife and State Parks Divisions. Links to these issues can be found in the near future on the Conservation page. • Discussion continued on the re-structure of the Workshops Committee, since Chairman Steve Yarbrough is stepping down. • Elections – Charlie Turner, Bob Powell and Steve Yarbrough have agreed to serve an additional year at the expiration of their 3-year terms as Directors At-Large. Elections for new Directors will be announced in the spring 2012 issue of Aquilegia. • 2012 CoNPS Board meetings are scheduled for January 28, March 31, and May 26 at Regis University Library, 9am – noon. A fall meeting will be announced as soon as possible. A comprehensive summary of the October 2011 and previous board meetings can be found under Activities/Board Meetings. Highlights from upcoming chapter events: • SE Chapter - David and Deborah Clark will share their 20+ years research in Costa Rica with a focus on global warming at an upcoming Spring 2012 meeting. • Boulder Chapter, Boulder County Nature Association and others are planning the April 2012 Ecosymposium with the theme of watershed biology. • Metro Denver will host Jenny Neale and Brian Kurzel speaking on “Rare Plant Stewardship: Documenting and Protecting Colorado’s Rarest Plants” at its Feb. 28 meeting. • Northern Chapter will feature Meg Van Ness presenting “Edible Wild Plants of Colorado; An Archaeological Perspective” at its Feb. 2 meeting. • Plateau Chapter – Tour of Colorado Mesa University Herbarium and Greenhouse, January 21, 3-4:30pm Listings of upcoming chapter meetings can be found on the Chapters pages of this website. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The state-level Colorado Native Plant Society held its Board meeting Saturday, April 2, 2011 at Regis University, Denver, CO.
Board agreed to reduce the number of voting Directors-at-Large to 6; follow-up e-mail vote unanimously verified the motion. (By-Laws set the number from 6 to 8.) Director Carol English has moved out of state. The tri-fold membership brochure, recently updated to incorporate the revised CoNPS mission statement, is newly printed, featuring a listing of current volunteer opportunities on a 1/3-cut insert. At the Four Corners Monument ceremony on Earth Day April 22, CoNPS was represented by Steve Popovich. Along with Navajo Parks and Recreation and Native Plant Societies from New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Four Corners, CoNPS contributed to the small-tree planting program. Request for Proposals - The John W. Marr and Myrna P. Steinkamp Funds The Colorado Native Plant Society supports research projects in plant biology from the John W. Marr and Myrna P. Steinkamp funds. These separate funds honor the late Dr. John Marr, Professor at the University of Colorado and the first President of the CONPS, and Myrna Steinkamp, a founding member of CONPS who worked on behalf of the Society for many years in a variety of capacities. Both funds were established to support research on the biology and natural history of Colorado native plants by means of small grants. The Steinkamp Fund targets rare species and those of conservation concern. Both field and laboratory studies are eligible for funding. Thanks to the generous contributions of many members and supporters, a total of nearly $3,000 is available, although individual awards will not exceed $1,000. Recipients of the awards must agree to summarize their studies for publication in Aquilegia. The Board of Directors is now soliciting proposals for a March 1st, 2012 deadline. Information on guidelines and requirements for proposals may be obtained on our web site at http://www.conps.org/research_grants.html. If additional information is needed, contact Board member Catherine Kleier (ckleier@regis.edu, 1-800-388-5427 or 303-964-5327).
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