Expecting an Outstanding 2020, Born of an Exceptional 2019

Semi-Annual State of the Chapter
by Marsha Gebhardt
President, Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter

 

This is my second Semi-Annual State of the Chapter report. The St. Louis Wild Ones Chapter Board of Directors and I hope this gives you more insight into the work we do; work which many of you contribute to with your time and/or membership fees. As I was writing this, I again became impressed with the energy, commitment and intelligence of the many people who make our chapter one of the most active of the 50+ in the country.

We encourage all our members and other subscribers to be as involved in the learning and sharing as your time allows. Spread the word to friends, relatives, and neighbors. Invite them to help with Healing the Earth, one yard at a time.

Looking toward an outstanding 2020

This year the St. Louis chapter will continue to grow and to increase our educational and inspirational influence in the St. Louis region. For example: the January Winter Speaker Series event at Brentwood Community Center was overflowing with more than 100 people who came to hear James Faupel talk about the benefits and selection of native trees and shrubs. Another indicator of our growing influence is the fact that Wild Ones chapters are seeking our input: advice about how to develop a new chapter, our grant program and our plant sales. Similarly, local organizations with related missions are eager to partner or collaborate with us. A new request for partnership recently came from Michelle Wiegand, the Education Manager at the Aububon Center at Riverlands.

The second half of 2019 was productive

Membership
• We expect to maintain a membership of about 200 in 2020.
• Fran Glass has formed a Membership Committee which will have its first meeting in early 2020.
• Committee members will take a larger and more regular role at our monthly Gatherings.

2020 Budget
• Treasurer, Penny Holtzmann, continues to help us carefully describe and account for all income and expenses.
Income budgeted/anticipated
• Dues reimbursement – $1,200
Our well-established chapter receives fewer than $10 from each member’s annual dues.
• Plant sales – $4,000
Shaw Nature Reserve on Mother’s Day weekend – The bulk of our income is from this long-running, well-managed plant sale.
• St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour – $1,000

Expenses (major) budgeted
• Grants to schools and other non-profits – $4,000
• Contributions – $2,500
     Shaw Nature Reserve – $1,500 to continue our support of the Native Plant School
     GrowNative! – $1,000, increasing our donation from the Bronze to Silver Sponsor level.
        • This further supports their Resource Guide and plant data base which many of our members and followers use.
        • It also increases the visibility of Wild Ones St. Louis:
           – Logo on their website and on printed and presentation materials
           – Information about Wild Ones St. Louis in the 2020 Resource Guide
           – Our events can be posted on GN! website/Facebook
           – Additional expenses are budgeted for the Winter Speaker Series, advertising, Circle of Support rack cards, and our website.

 

Partnerships and Projects
• Partners for Native Landscaping Workshop – sold out in six days!
     I have represented the chapter in planning meetings over the past six months.
     Hundreds in the St. Louis region look forward to this event each year, and this year we are in for a special treat. Doug Tallamy will be the speaker for our Friday night event at the Missouri Botanical Garden and will keynote the all-day Saturday PNL workshop at the Maryland Heights Community Center.
• St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour –  Save the date: June 20, 2020
     This annual tour is again being produced by Wild Ones St. Louis and St. Louis Audubon/Bring Conservation Home. Wild Ones members on this planning committee are Dawn Weber, Linda Tatum and me.    
• Note: we are the only partner on these major projects that has NO paid staff. Let’s hear it for the power of committed and energetic volunteers!

Program
• Program Committee: Chair Susan Orr, with Prem Barton and Anne Horton
• Our excellent Program Committee has assembled another exciting year of programming for members and the public.
     Winter Speaker Series – Our very popular Winter Speaker Series will be again be presented at the Brentwood Community Center in January, February and March.
     Monthly Gatherings – From April through October our Monthly Gatherings will again be held in home or public native plant gardens. Most months there will be two opportunities: Wednesday evening and Saturday morning.
• Check our website calendar for dates, speaker topics, and locations of garden gatherings. Also, be sure to subscribe to receive monthly gathering reminders by clicking the Subscribe to Updates button on our home page.

Outreach
• Outreach Chair: Sue Leahy
• Starting in 2020, two committees (Publicity/Marketing and Tabling) combined to create the Outreach Committee.
• The primary responsibilities of the committee members will be to support our important and successful tabling events around the St. Louis region.
• In 2019 we provided a Wild Ones display and various materials at 17 events in the St. Louis region (excluding the Spring Native Plant Sale at SNR). Volunteers contributed more than 100 hours to these efforts.
• Sue will also continue to oversee the development and distribution of chapter-produced materials such as Wild Ones St. Louis rack cards, Circle of Support rack cards, yard signs and name tags.

Grant Activity 
• Grant Committee: Chair Kathy Bildner, with Kevin Mowrey, Jane Pisoni, Tessa Wasserman, Susan Burke and Marsha Gebhardt
• The 2020 budget for native plant garden grants to schools and other non-profits is $4,000.
• $3,317 was awarded in 2020.
• Grant Site Mentoring Program
     Coordinator: Kevin Mowrey
     Kevin coordinates the efforts of Wild Ones St. Louis members who have agreed to mentor the 50+ sites we have given grants to since 2007.
     Most of the sites have been “adopted”, and mentors are working to contact their site(s), visit, offer advice as needed, and to communicate their observations to the Grant Committee.
     Folks who want to volunteer to take a remaining or new site, or who have questions about their adopted site, see the November blog post by Kevin.

Landscape Challenge
• Landscape Challenge Chair: Sue Leahy; Designer: Rob May
• Each year one lucky homeowner is selected to receive a front yard makeover; transforming turf into a native Missouri landscape.
• The 2019 enthusiastic winners were Krystal and Steve Coxon, of Ballwin. We will all have the pleasure of visiting their yard in the next year or two for a monthly Gathering yard tour.
• Shaw Nature Reserve (SNR) and GrowNative! Partner with St. Louis Wild Ones on this project. Scott Woodbury provided consultation about the design and SNR provides some hardscape and mulch. GN! contributed the money for the plants.

 

 

Technology and Social Media
• Technology Committee Chair: Dawn Weber
• Website – More than 850 people subscribe to Updates from our website at stlwildones.org. This number continues to grow.
• Facebook – The number of people following our Facebook page also continues to grow. As of the end of the year, we had 1,020 followers. If you use Facebook, be sure to like our page! We post the events and blog updates that you would expect to see, but also share information and news from the native plant community.
• Thanks to Mary Spires for volunteering to take on the task of writing and sending gathering reminders!