by Marsha Gebhardt, President, St. Louis Chapter
All Wild Ones St. Louis members can take pride in the work this chapter has accomplished in the past 25 years. Here’s a look at some of our excellent work.
A bit of history of the St. Louis Chapter:
- 1998 – Wild Ones St. Louis was founded by Scott Woodbury along with Fran Glass, with 25
- For the next 15 years membership hovered around 100.
- 2018 – there was a jump to 180 members, making us the 4th largest chapter in the US.
- 2021 – we became the largest chapter in the country with 300
- 2023 – we celebrated our 25th anniversary with 415 household memberships; a more than 100% increase in 5 years.
Why the huge growth?
Wild Ones National has seen similar growth in the past five years; currently 9,000+ members, 100+ chapters, in 34 states.
What happened to cause such significant growth? And what related things has Wild Ones St. Louis done to make the most of opportunities?
- Increased awareness of the causes and effects of climate change has affected growth nationally and locally.
- Increased effectiveness of internet communications:
- Website – Our website is attractive, current, full of content and easily searched. About 1,100 people subscribe to our Read All About It newsletter.
- Facebook – About 2,500 followers receive alerts to the most current learning opportunities and activities.
- Webinars – We point people to accessible webinars provided by Wild Ones National, Partners for Native Landscaping, GrowNative! and others.
- Increased availability of native plants and seeds:
- Sharing plants at our garden gatherings
- Sharing seeds at annual November seed exchange
- Ordering and distributing native shrub seedlings from MO Department of Conservation
- Selling natives at Shaw Nature Reserve’s Spring Wildflower Market each May
- Availability of information about native plants; how to grow and what they’re good for.
- Check out the Resources tab on our website and the Resource Guide on the Partners for Native Landscaping website.
- Our Winter Speaker Series – Presented each January, February, and March.
- Partners for Native Landscaping (PNL) – We and seven other partner organizations provide a spring series of in-person and virtual learning opportunities. Recordings of the 2023 Webinar Series, which had more than 5,000 views, are still available on the PNL website.
- Our Speakers Bureau – A variety of groups request our knowledgeable, engaging speakers.
- Tabling – Each year we provide info tables at 15+ community events; some recurring and some upon request.
- Availability of places to see native landscapes – in public gardens and in residential front yards.
- Garden Gatherings – April through October we provide two opportunities (Wednesday PM and Saturday AM) to gather in a native landscape to observe, learn, ask questions, and connect with ‘our peeps’.
- St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour – Annual self-guided, 10-yard tour presented in partnership with St. Louis Audubon Society.
- Grant program – We help schools and other non-profits showcase native plant gardens.
- Landscape Challenge – Our annual front-yard makeover contest, in partnership with Shaw Nature Reserve and GrowNative! (Missouri Prairie Foundation).
- Grow Native! Gardens of Excellence
We invite you to get acquainted with the hard-working, dedicated members of our Board of Directors and the Program Chairs who have played important roles in directing our Chapter’s work.
Chapter members
Our hundreds of members support the Wild Ones mission within and beyond their own landscapes. Please pat yourself on the back for your participation if you:
- Join and maintain a Wild Ones Membership. Our chapter’s membership dues annually provide about $12,000 to National Wild Ones and almost $4,000 to our chapter; all for mission-related work.
- Volunteer in a local organization emphasizing natives: Wild Ones St. Louis, Shaw Nature Reserve, St. Louis Audubon Society/Bring Conservation Home, Missouri Botanical Garden, Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Forest ReLeaf
- Advocate and support projects in your local municipality.
- Prepare and offer your landscape for chapter garden gatherings and/or St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tours.
- Share plants and/or seeds: at our gatherings, annual seed exchange, through the St. Louis Native Plant Swap page, or among friends, family and neighbors.
- Share knowledge: as a speaker, as a professional in native landscaping and related fields, by writing native landscaping books and/or articles for local and national publications, mentor through our chapter’s mentorship program.
- Submit inspiring photos to the National Photo Contest.
Keystone Members
Finally, let’s honor our Keystone Members who have been an essential part of our ‘ecosystem’ for 20 years or more. To see their stories search for Keystone Members on our website, or control + click a name below to follow the link.
2003: Bob Siemer and Ann Early
