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Kinnikinnick
Chapter The
Board members for the year 2002 were: Eileen Atkisson (President), Pat Ramsey
(Vice-President and Chair of Education), Annette Fraser-Runnalls (Secretary),
Sylvia Chatburn (Chair of Arboretum), Pat Stevens (Treasurer), Molly O’Reilly
(Chair of Conservation), Jan Griffitts and Mary Shackelford (Field Trip
Co-Chairs), Dixie Stansell (Chair of Hospitality), Mike and Phil Franklin
(Newsletter Co-Chairs), Valle Novak (Chair of Programs), Michele Murphree (Chair
of Ways and Means). Founder’s
Report
– Lois Wythe: Visitor
and member interest in our wild medicinal plants continues very strong.
This year I became a member of United Plant Savers, finding that their
interests parallel our own in education and conservation of native medicinals.
This group offers small grants to further the development of conservation
plots, and I applied for and received a $250 grant to prepare the site for
expanding our own collection at the Arboretum.
This has been accomplished and I am presently searching for and
purchasing (when available) endangered natives for this small new area.
This task of locating seeds or plants will be ongoing as many are rare,
endangered, hard to propagate, and difficult to transplant. In
May I presented to the general membership meeting a program of 80 slides of
endangered medicinals and described UpS purposes, projects, people, and mission.
The slides were excellent and the program well received. Work
is in progress on a booklet describing the plants in our collection, their
medicinal uses, history, and general information. At
our monthly membership meeting I have presented a “Plant of the Month” and
described it on a handout that could be kept for reference.
SAGE Notes has used one of these information sheets.
Plants presented this year include: Aspen, Kinnikinnick, Oregon Grape,
Saskatoon, Tamarack/Larch, Flax, Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir. Arboretum: Volunteers
from the Kinnikinnick Chapter of the Idaho Native Plant Society have staffed the
arboretum for four years. This past
year we had 16 regular volunteer gardeners working an average of three hours per
week for six months. At least a
third of those gardeners have been working from the time the first sod was
turned and the first plants planted. It
is estimated that we had over 1500 hours of volunteer labor this past year.
Most of our income this year has come from one of our faithful gardeners
who likes to build furniture from willows and alder.
The proceeds from the sale of this furniture were donated to the
Arboretum. The
Master Plan was developed by Tom Runa and completed in March. It called for more
water sources to make watering an easier task.
The first step in this aspect of the Plan was accomplished by the end of
the season. The city agreed to put
in another connection off the city water main.
The probation department’s community service people, men and teenage
boys, dug 90 feet of ditch three feet deep, by hand, to bring the water line
from the street to a location next to the Rain Forest Habitat.
Another volunteer laid the line and made all the necessary connections.
The gardeners filled in the ditch. We
now have two more spigots and the capability of putting in a drinking fountain. The
Arboretum is an ever-changing project. We
will continue to implement elements from the Master Plan.
More plants are added each year and new areas are being developed.
New landscape features will be added. Conservation
Committee: At
the April 2002 chapter meeting we passed around a sign up sheet for those
interested in conservation. A dozen
signers responded. As
we introduced ourselves at the first meeting it was evident that all are
passionate about protecting our native species and frustrated with the low
profile of native plants. Sandpoint
is near both the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and Priest Lake State Forest (PLSF).
So we got ourselves on the quarterly listing of NEPA projects for the Forest
Service here and asked for information on FY 2003 proposed cuts from the State. We
realized shortly that we're beginners. We clearly would need to do rare plant
surveys in PLSF to be effective, but had no idea how to go about it! Local
botanists were reluctant to get involved. So we jumped at the chance to survey a
private property for a Priest Lake developer that wants to put in a public beach
and trail. A local botanist volunteered to assist us with this project. After
a recon, a spring and a fall survey and drafting a report for Huckleberry Bay we
understand the process far better, are contributing a Lycpodium dendroideum
community to the CDC database and are protecting a lovely Botrychium population.
We are also advocating hard for weed control in a botanically significant
area. The "client" was delighted and plans to incorporate our
recommendations into their actions. Priest
Lake State Forest proposes cutting over 2,400 acres in a variety of locations in
2003. Using USGS maps we identified one area as low, potentially wet and
interesting. With local forest officials we conducted a recon in June and
recognized several significant areas. With exceptional good luck, the INPS
Annual Meeting was scheduled for Sandpoint and we planned a field trip to PLSF
that weekend. Some
of the best botanists in the state helped with our rare plant survey and we
identified Epilobium palustre, Carex leptalea
and Carex paupercula. Karl Holte is
identifying additional Carex species in his Pocatello lab. We later
worked with the Forest Supervisor to protect these populations. We
later completed a Letter of Understanding with Priest Lake Forest to botanize in
lowlands near Priest River and make recommendations on proposed projects there
over the next few years. We are the
only group with an interest in native ecosystems to work collaboratively with
this state forest to date. Starting
with the July 2002 Quarterly list of proposed actions in the Northern Zone of
the Idaho Panhandle National Forest we began inquiring about projects that
appeared of interest. We receive EIS materials for all projects of interest to
us in our area. Criteria include:
populations of sensitive plants, restoration of seral species to the appropriate
forest landscape, road building/removal, prevention/treatment of noxious weeds,
and health of riparian areas. We
have requested a number of reports, commented on several and toured one proposed
project site. We plan to monitor occasionally after activity. We
submitted initial input to the local Forest Plan Revision process identifying
commercial wildcrafting (beargrass, huckleberries, etc.), weed control,
identification and protection of sensitive plant species and public access as
issues of concern to us. We plan to
be involved in this important process, which continues for several years. Additional
actions:
Our
projects are varied and, we hope, will improve the approach taken to important
populations of native plants in our community in the coming years. We also hope
to spend considerable time in lovely areas seeing first hand what is growing and
what humans are planning. Education: The
main function of the Education Committee was to coordinate the Arbor Day
presentation in Lakeview Park on April 26, 2002.
We sent invitations to all the Bonner County elementary schools as well
as to many civic leaders, some press, County Commissioners and Chamber of
Commerce Officers. Over 100 students
representing second, third and fourth grades attended, as well as guests from
the community. Eight high school
students from Sandpoint High School Advanced Forestry Class assisted as tour
guides, demonstrated “tree cookies” and helped with preparation and
distribution of tree seedlings. Mayor
Paul Graves read the Arbor Day Proclamation and Karen Robinson, from the Idaho
Department of Lands, did the Tree City USA presentation.
We distributed to the public donated free seedlings, including red osier
dogwood, choke cherry, quaking aspen, ponderosa pine, serviceberry, western
white pine and grand fir, with information about planting.
Docents gave Arboretum tours to the students and guests and Fields Cobb
and Betsy Hammet demonstrated tree boring, primarily to the students. Field
Trips: Members
participate in field trips to learn more about native plants and to enjoy nature
with sympathetic friends. Members
visited the first plants of spring along the Pend Oreille River above Highway 2.
They checked out the Mineral Point trail in May and July to view the
great variety offered over a time period. A
tour of Plants of the Wild resulted in many purchases for the Arboretum and for
private gardens. Along with the July
trip to Mineral Point, the walk on Gold Hill and the survey at Priest Lake were
part of the Annual Meeting offering to our southern visitors. The
Conservation Committee primarily, but Landscape too, invited the general
membership to attend field trips designed for specific explorations of native
plant areas. Historian: This
year we decided that we should start a record of our story.
Sherry Metz became our historian. She
has gathered a great deal of material from members and is in the process of
organizing the project. Hospitality: 2002
was also the first year of an organized committee.
Dixie Stansell headed it up and set up coffee and tea for the social time
preceding each of the eight General Membership meetings.
Her committee consisted of eight Directors from the Board who volunteered
to bring baked goods to the meeting. Dixie
reminded them before their assigned dates and she cleaned up the food and drink
after each meeting. Landscape: A
group of six members enthusiastic about landscaping and anxious to formalize
activity met in October as an interest group.
Besides plant identification and conservation for themselves, other
members and the public, the participants plan to learn about landscaping
principles, participate in community planting projects and spearhead a
Kinnikinnick booth at the County Fair. The
members organized a recon visit to the Hazel Hall property as preparation for a
series of field trips to identify all of the native plants there.
They plan to continue meeting and will consider committee status in the
near future. Newsletter: Nine
issues of the Kinnikinnick Journal
were published during the year of 2002. There
was a newsletter every month during which a Chapter meeting took place, the
three exceptions being December and the two summer-hiatus months of July and
August. In addition, the Franklins
were involved in a number of other projects of the Kinnikinnick Chapter. Program: There
was an educational program at each of the eight General Membership Meetings.
As the year 2002 progressed, Board members contributed suggestions and
contacts to the Chair of Programs who has served outstandingly in that role for
several years. In the fall, the
Board decided that its members would be responsible for programs and that the
Chair would continue to prepare for the speaker(s) and to make introductions to
the general membership. The
programs were: (1) January: “Native Habitats and the Wildlife That Live
There” by Pat Cole, habitat biologist with Idaho Department of Fish and Game;
(2) February: “Utilization of Native Plants” by Dr. John Anderson; (3)
March: “Wild Selkirks: An Exceptional Experience; a Rare Opportunity” by
Joanne Hirabayashi and Sharon Sorby of the Selkirk Conservation Alliance; (4)
June: “United Plant Servers – Planting the Future: Dedicated to Preserve,
Conserve, Restore and Cultivate At-Risk Native Medicinal Plants” by Lois Wythe;
(5) June: “Public Involvement in the National Forest: The National
Environmental Protection Act (NEPA)” by Dick Kramer, District Ranger, USFS;
(6) September: “The Explorers’ Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers” by
Jerry Pavia; (7) October: “American Wildlands’ ‘Corridors of Life’’’
by Tom Perlic, Idaho Field Director, American Wildlands; (8) November: “
Pollinators in Peril” by Howard
Winkelman. Founder,
Lois Wythe, preceded each presentation with “Plant of the Month”, an
activity which she described in her report above. Secretary To
date, my responsibilities as Chapter Secretary have included attending monthly
Board meetings and documenting the meeting proceedings.
After the meetings I have transcribed my notes and, following the
accepted format, recorded the minutes in a computer file.
These minutes then were forwarded by email to the various members of the
Kinnikinnick Board. My volunteer
duties as secretary to this Board began in July, 2002, and continued through
December. My time averaged about
five hours per month including meetings and computer time; therefore, the
volunteer time equals approximately 30 hours (6 months). In
addition, I became the “notetaker,” actually secretary, of the Conservation
Committee formed last spring. Since
April I have recorded the Conservation Committee proceedings each month,
transferred my notes to the computer, and forwarded them to Molly O’Reilly,
Conservation Committee Chair. I also
attended a number of field studies sponsored by the Conservation Committee.
I have counted all this as volunteer time as well.
Roughly, this equates to about 45 hours (9 months). Treasurer: After
another successful year, our treasurer announced our year-end balance of
$4,472.93. The general account
amounted to $1,234.99. The Arboretum
account totaled $3,237.94
Ways
and Means: In 2002, the Ways and Means Committee focused on developing a list of foundations that may be good possibilities for grants for our chapter. A chart was created which identifies foundations that fund organizations with goals similar to the Kinnikinnick Chapter and which specifies the deadlines to submit applications. Another chart was created which lists all the grants that our chapter has applied for in the past and the results. Grants received during 2002 were (1) $150 from Tri-State Distributors, (2) $250 from United Plant Savers (application submitted by Lois Wythe), and (3) $150 from the Idaho Department of Lands (from a grant submitted by the City of Sandpoint in conjunction with the Ways and Means Committee). Also, in November, Michele Murphree and Molly O’Reilly submitted a grant application to the National Forest Foundation, asking for $5,000 to buy the field equipment needed by our chapter’s Conservation Committee. The U.S. Forest Service provided a letter of support for our application. Although we did not receive the grant, the groundwork was laid for future applications for the Conservation Committee.
Michele and Eileen Atkisson have begun
work on developing a web site for the chapter with the assistance of Wendy
Aeschliman. Wendy brings a lot of
experience, enthusiasm, and great ideas to this project.
The committee also continued its work of tracking donations and sending
thank you letters to donors. We are
so fortunate to have such a wonderful and generous membership! · Our membership topped 100, due to our high level of activity and our excellent educational programs and field trips. · Our members organized a Conservation Committee that became immediately active in the preservation of native plants in the region. · Many members contributed to the preparation and completion of the Master
Plan for the Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, a public place for conserving native
plants, learning about them, experimenting and creating with them, and
especially, enjoying them. Tom Runa,
landscape architect, presented the plan to us in March. ·
Several members landscaped with natives the base of the Tolerance
Sculpture at the Bonner County Courthouse. · The Kinnikinnick Chapter hosted the Annual Meeting of the Idaho Native
Plant Society in July. Members prepared meeting spaces, arranged room and board,
organized a luncheon, Arboretum tour and several field trips.
All but one chapter had members in attendance and Kinnikinnick Chapter
takes credit for reviving the Annual Meeting and promoting meaningful
participation in the state organization. · The Kinnikinnick Board sent representatives to all three Idaho Native
Plant Society Board Meetings, including the February meeting in Boise.
Representatives made the state organization very aware of Kinnikinnick’s
involvement in and commitment to the local and state missions.
Our representatives and members believe that their participation renewed
commitment throughout the state. · Arlis Harvey continued to donate proceeds from her willow branch designs
to the chapter. · Marilyn George introduced her beautiful photographs as an on-going
fundraising project. All profits from note cards, bookmarks, key chains and
magnets go to the Kinnikinnick treasury. The following does not represent a complete list of the many hours spent by our members in assisting the chapter and the Arboretum. It represents the hours spent by the chairpersons and occasionally the hours donated by all volunteers to specific projects within a committee. Arboretum: Over
1500 hours Conservation: 425
hours Education: 360
hours Field Trips:
50 hours Founder: 300
hours Hospitality:
16 hours Landscape: 35
hours Membership: 50
hours Newsletter: 441
hours Programs:
Over 100 hours Ways and Means: 60
hours President and Board of
Directors: Over 500 hours.
These are administrative hours and include participation by Board members
at twelve Board of Directors’ Meetings. Secretary: 75 hours
Treasurer: Over 100 hours
Other Significant Events: Over 500 hours
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ANNUAL
REPORT 2002