November 2016 Gathering Highlights

November 2, 2016
Our annual celebratory potluck dinner and seed exchange was enjoyed by 40 members and eight guests at The Heights Community Center of Richmond Heights. Marsha Gebhardt welcomed all.

Questions for table discussion during dinner were provided. The topic was, My Year with Native Plants and Wildlife.

Discussion starters were:

• I was surprised
• I was so happy
• I want to know how to
• I wish
• Next year I want to

Permanent, professional name tags were given to members who volunteer regularly for our events. Members who did not receive one can request a name tag by contacting Fran Glass at fran813@gmail.com

Copies of our chapter membership list were distributed.

Meramec Botanical Society
St. Louis Community College at Meramec’s Horticulture Program (Facebook link) has a student organization named the Meramec Botanical Society. We welcomed two of their members who attended our annual celebration in order to learn more about our organization.

Volunteer Awards
Wes Boshart read the list of 2016 activities that involved volunteer efforts. Each member in attendance wrote their name for each time they volunteered. Then a drawing took place for several prizes including five $20 gift certificates. Below is a list of the activities. Links are provided to some of the blog posts written about the events.

• Preseason Gardening Expo, Rolling Ridge Nursery: tabling
• Partners for Native Landscaping Workshop: tabling (Part I and Part II)
• Pollinator Palette event, Greenscape Gardens: tabling
• Group seedling order: preparation, promotion, submission
• Group seedling order: sorting and wrapping
• Spring Event, Sugar Creek Nursery: tabling (Blog and 2016 events)
• Seedling wrapping for Earth Day giveaways
• Earth Day, Forest Park: tabling
• Earth Day, Sunset Hills: tabling
• 

  Attendees writing their names on ticket entries for drawings

  Spring Wildflower Market, Shaw Nature Reserve: set-up, plant unloading, sales, takedown/clean-up

• St. Louis Zoo Pollinator Dinner: tabling
• St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour
• U City in Bloom Native Landscaping event: tabling
• Fall Wildflower Market, Shaw Nature Reserve: tabling
• Landscape Challenge: coordinate, review applications, selection
• Native Plant Expo, Bring Conservation Home event at Schlafly: tabling
• Healthy Planet Expo: tabling
• Pollinator Garden, Museum of Transportation: installation
• Pollinator Garden, Mallard Lake Partnership: installation
• Tree Planting, Mallard Lake Partnership
• Honeysuckle Sweep, Mallard Lake Partnership
  Appreciation Award

Confirmation of Chapter Officers, Board of Directors
As required by national Wild Ones bylaws, chapters are to hold an election of officers or a confirmation vote each year. The current officers, who were elected November, 2016, are:

• President – Marsha Gebhardt
• Vice President – Wes Boshart
• Secretary- Fran Glass
• Treasurer – Penny Holtzmann

They, along with four members-at-large, make up the chapter Board of Directors. Wild Ones – St. Louis Chapter Members-at- Large are:

• Dawn Weber
• Sue Leahy
• James Faupel
• Marilyn Chryst

Wes Boshart has decided to resign from the board, due to time constraints and other priorities. James Faupel has agreed to serve as Vice-President in 2017. Ed Schmidt made a motion to vote James Faupel as Vice-Present and to confirm current officers for a second year. Andy Leahy seconded. Motion approved.

Native Landscaping Yard Signs (a members-only benefit)
Sue Leahy, our Publicity/Marketing Chair, presented our new yard signs which are available for purchase for members-only. The new signs state, Native Missouri Landscape for the Benefit of Wildlife and People with the monarch graphic that is printed on the popular T-shirts. They are 9 x 12 inches and made of Max Metal (aluminum-coated plastic), mounted on a post and ready to put in place.

These beautiful and educational signs are available for members to purchase for $22.00. Contact Sue at sleahy@sbcglobal.net.

Missouri Department of Conservation Group Seedling Order (a members-only benefit)
Each year, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offers Missouri residents a variety of tree and shrub seedlings for reforestation, windbreaks, and erosion control, as well as for wildlife food and cover.

Wild Ones members who want to order less than 10 of any one species can order seedlings as part of the Wild Ones-St. Louis Chapter group order.

Seedlings could be ordered online though November 16 and will be distributed at our April, 2017 gathering. After November 16, or if you want to a large number of seedlings, you can order from MDC directly. For further information see our previous blog post.

2017 Shaw Wildflower Market
Plant sale coordinator Marilyn Chryst announced that she will be travelling during the 2017 spring Shaw Wildflower Market plant sale. Dawn Weber will oversee the preparations and sale. Kathee and Mike Morgeson and Susan Burk volunteered to help as co-leaders. Marilyn asked for volunteers to help Dawn with each of the following:

• Set-up and unloading plants
• Friday evening sales
• Saturday sales and takedown

Website
Dawn Weber and Marcia Myers asked members to contribute by writing blogs for our website. A photo with simple observations of wildlife or other activities in the garden are suitable for blogs. Kathee Morgeson volunteered to write a blog about seed propagation. Others are encouraged to do so also.

New “Announcements” section
There is a new “Announcements” section on our website. It is located on the top right-hand side below the banner photo. This sidebar section shows up on our homepage and main blog page. For more information

Partnerships
Our chapter continues partnerships with the following organizations to promote the use of native plants in home landscapes:

• Shaw Nature Reserve
• St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home
• Grow Native! of the Missouri Prairie Foundation
• Missouri Department of Conservation
• Forest Releaf
• Metropolitan Sewer District

In addition, we co-sponsor Shaw Nature Reserve’s Native Plant School. Also we provide a grants program to non-profit organizations for landscaping projects incorporating native plants in an educational setting.

New Program Committee / 2017 Calendar of Events
A new committee has been formed to plan and provide follow-up for the monthly gatherings. Tasks of the committee are to:

• Create the calendar of monthly gatherings
• Find hosts and/or speakers for these meetings
• Communicate with host to be sure everything is ready to go, including mini program

Prem Barton, Anne Horton, and Susan Orr have agreed to be the committee members. Susan Orr will act as the chairwoman.

Our February 1 and March 1, 2017 gatherings will be at 7:00 p.m. at The Heights community center of Richmond Heights. Programs will be announced later on the website. The remaining seven gatherings will be outdoors, with the majority at homes, as our focus is promoting natives in home landscapes.

Southwest Illinois Chapter Wild Ones
The Southwest Illinois Chapter is disbanding due to their inability to find someone willing to be president. They expect some of their members to transfer their membership to our Chapter.

Next Gathering
Wednesday, February 1, 7:00 p.m.
Location: THE HEIGHTS Community Center in Richmond Heights
Program: To be announced on our website.
Carpooling is encouraged.

AWARD
Ed Schmidt was awarded a gift certificate for serving six years as President and 10 years as Landscape Challenge Coordinator.

Recorded by: Fran Glass, Secretary