2024-2025 Meetings and Field Trips
General Meetings
Our General Meetings are typically (with exceptions) in-person and on Zoom at 7:00 pm on the 3rd Monday of each month, September through May. We first convene for a short business meeting followed by the evening's program. After the presentation, the meeting concludes with a moderated Q&A session with the speaker. The in-person meetings are at the Selby Garden downtown campus (1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL 34236), and Zoom meeting registration links for each meeting are provided below, if available. Please register in advance.
For the best experience we recommend you download the Zoom app ahead of time at https://zoom.us/download. Contact Alison Bishop for zoom technical assistance serenoa@fnps.org or 941-376-4415 (text is best)
Field Trips
There's now something happening at least once a month. Whether it's an educational tour, informal hike, or to advocate, Serenoa is getting out into the community. Some trips have limited availability. Register online in advance to confirm your spot. Please wear appropriate clothing, pack trail snacks and bring water. Details and directions will be emailed to registrants as the trip date approaches.
September 2024
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Monday, September 16th, 7-8pm - General Meeting - Exploring Florida’s Native Grasses
Presenter: Elizabeth Gandy
Liz Gandy will discuss the range of Florida’s native grasses, as well as looking at challenges and threats. The Monday presentation will be followed by a Saturday field trip to take a closer look.
Register here to join zoom meeting
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Saturday, September 21st, 9am-noon - Field Trip - Exploring Florida's native grasses - Old Miakka Preserve
Come with us on a plant walk to learn more about native grasses.
Elizabeth (Liz) Gandy
Liz has recently joined Sarasota County Parks and Natural Resources as a Land Manager. She previously worked as Assistant Curator in the Botany Department at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens where she assisted with imperiled species conservation projects in Florida, specimen curation, species inventory and data management. Before that, she got her start in land management as the botanist for the Florida Park Service’s Southwest District, she was responsible for all aspects of species inventory, imperiled plant monitoring and invasive species management in 34 parks covering over 240,000 acres of conservation land. Her work included Florida’s largest state park, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, as well as Myakka River State Park.
October 2024
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Monday, October 21st, 7-8pm - General Meeting - Converting Mowed Turfgrass to a Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Haven
Presenter: Damon Moore
Damon will provide a presentation that details the specific steps taken to convert an approximately 10,000 square foot area near the trailhead at Perico Preserve from mowed turfgrass to a pollinator friendly native plant haven. With grant funds awarded to ORE from the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and Restore America's Estuaries, this area has undergone an intensive transformation over the past year. Damon will also provide an overview of the overall restoration of Perico Preserve that has occurred over the past 15 years transforming that site from a fallow agricultural area covered in invasive exotic species to the mosaic of natural habitats that exist on this site today. This will be a wonderful introduction to the site in preparation for a guided field trip the following Saturday.
Register here to join zoom meeting
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Sunday October 27st, 9am-noon - Field Trip - Perico Preserve
(11700 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton FL 34209 ) - From Turfgrass to a Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Haven with Damon Moore
The restoration of Perico Preserve is a story of transformation. The land has undergone significant changes from its original acquired state of farmland to the beautiful mix of habitats we see today. Featured at this site are the coastal wetlands expected in this area as well as carefully planned scrub hills and upland areas that hearken back to historical coastal Manatee County.
Damon Moore is a habitat restoration practitioner with 20 years of experience developing and implementing local habitat restoration projects. His career has included ten years working in private-sector consulting and ten years working for Manatee County Government within the Natural Resources Department. In 2022 he founded a nonprofit organization called Oyster River Ecology (ORE) and currently serves as the Executive Director. ORE’s mission is to restore ecosystems and preserve ecological functions while increasing the understanding of the natural systems.
Damon has played an instrumental role in local habitat restoration projects including the restoration of Perico Preserve, Robinson Preserve Expansion, and large-scale oyster restoration in the Manatee River. He is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) through the Society for Ecological Restoration. Damon enjoys spending time with his lovely wife and daughter as well as fishing, hiking, uploading plant and insect observations in iNaturalist, and volunteering on habitat restoration projects.
November 2024
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Monday, November 18th, 7-8pm - General Meeting - Native and Invasive Plant Management at Archbold Biological Station
Presenter: Dr. Aaron David
Register here to join zoom meeting
Dr. Aaron David is the Program Director of Plant Ecology at Archbold Biological Station. He completed his B.A. at Washington University in St Louis, and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. He has been working in Florida ecosystems since 2016, including postdoctoral positions at the University of Miami and the USDA-ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory prior to starting his position at Archbold in 2021. His research interests include plant population ecology, plant-microbe interactions, and biological control of invasive plants.
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Saturday, November 23rd, 9-12:00pm - Field Trip - Archbold Biological Station(123 Main Dr. Venus, FL, 33960) - Exploring Natives and Invasives at Archbold Biological Station with Dustin Angell
Archbold’s footprint encompasses the ancient scrub habitats of the Lake Wales Ridge; the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape; the vast, open ranchlands of Central Florida; and the many waterways that flow south into Lake Okeechobee and then drain to the coasts, touching the lives of millions of Floridians.
Dustin Angell is an environmental educator and conservation photographer living and working in the headwaters of Florida's Everglades. As the Program Director of Education at Archbold Biological Station in Venus, FL, he builds community relationships and interprets ecological research for audiences of all ages. Dustin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University. Dustin’s photography, which highlights science and environmental stewardship, has been published nationally locally, regionally, and nationally; a recent collaboration with The Wild Center, in New York State, resulted in a permanent Climate Change Solutions exhibit. Dustin is the two-time former President of the League of Environmental Educators in Florida (LEEF), winner of LEEF's Golden LEEF Award for contributions to EE across the state, and a recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award from the Florida Chapter of the Wildlife Society.
December 2024
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Monday, December 16th, 7pm - General Meeting & Chapter Holiday Party at Saraota Audubon Nature Center at Celery Fields
Share the holiday joy with chapter members. This is a potluck so please bring a dish to share, your own plate, class & utensils. BYOB.
We will play a gift exchange game; if you want to participate, bring a wrapped, nature-oriented gift (up 20 $20 value). Expect a lively game of exchange and re-exchange!
Non-members of FNPS may join us, but we encourage you to become a member:
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Saturday, December 21st, 9am-noon - Making holiday decorations from native plants with Jeff Weber at Sarasota Audubon Nature Center at Celery Fields
Jeff has been making (and selling) native plant holiday decorations for some years and is now willing to share his secrets with the group. Watch and learn, or better yet, bring a grapevine wreath form and appropriate native plant material (red cedar, sand pine, magnolia, beautyberry, dahoon holly, coontie).
Non-members of FNPS may join us, but we encourage you to become a member:
Jeff Weber, Sarasota County Environmental Specialist (recently retired)
I was born in Olean, N.Y., but have lived in Florida since I was 8 years old. I graduated from Seminole High School in Pinellas County and attended Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in biology. I started my career with the Florida Park Service in 1985, working as a state park ranger at various Central Florida parks, including Gamble Plantation State Historic Site in Ellenton, Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin and Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka. In 1989, I was promoted to a district biologist position within the Florida Park Service, working at Oscar Scherer State Park in Sarasota County, and held that position for approximately three years. Then, in 1992, I accepted my current position as an environmental specialist with Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, where I enjoy the many rewards (and the occasional challenge) of managing five Sarasota County natural area preserves. In my spare time, I enjoy exploring local, state and national parks, nature photography, wildflower gardening and traveling to new and exciting places.
January 2025
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Tuesday January 21st, 7-8pm - General Meeting - History of Peace River Valley with Chelsea Wisner
Delve into the history of the Peace River Valley, the phosphate industry’s influence on this significant river, and its contribution to the ecological health of the region.
Phosphate mining in Florida is almost as old as the State itself. Phosphate was discovered while surveying the Peace River in 1881, shortly after the conclusion of the Seminole Indian Wars. By the 1890’s, more than 200 companies were mining this non-renewable resource in Central Florida. The discovery and subsequent mining of phosphate in the Peace River Valley has had an ever-lasting impression on the land; from the physical disruption of the river, to the construction of railways to accommodate this economic industry, which in turn shaped the development of human communities from the Heartland to the Southwest coast.
Register here to join zoom meeting
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Saturday, January 25th, 9am-noon - Field Trip - Payne's Creek Historic State Park (more park info)
Chelsea Wisner , Land Protection Manager, Conservation Florida
Chelsea Wisner dreamed of being a conservationist before she knew what to call it. Hailing from New York City, she grew up surrounded by concrete with her head buried in encyclopedias of the world’s lush ecosystems and diverse wildlife, cultivating a deep desire to experience and protect them. She pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Behavior, Ecology & Conservation at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, where she graduated magna cum laude. Upon graduating, Chelsea worked her way across the country exploring different avenues of conservation, from environmental education and animal husbandry to research and endangered species management.
Florida’s outstanding uniqueness beckoned her back to permanently put down roots along the Peace River in 2018. She has been privileged to work in some of Florida’s most inimitable ecosystems: from the remnant morsels of dry prairie to the exceptionally biodiverse Lake Wales Ridge all the way to the strand swamps and sawgrass seas of the Everglades. In her spare time, Chelsea enjoys kayaking, native gardening, doting on her dogs, and arguing about the latest and best land management practices with her husband, who is also a professional conservationist.
February 2025
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Monday, February 17th, 7-8pm - General Meeting - Exploring Edibility and Ethnobotanical Uses of Florida Plants
Presenter: Elliot Prout
Chapter President Elliot Prout will introduce you to a variety of remarkable Florida plants along with their foraging and ethnobotanical value.
Register here to join zoom meeting
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Saturday, February 22th, 9am-noon - Field Trip - Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (1101 Country Club Way S, St Pete, FL 33705)
Exploring Edibility and Ethnobotanical Uses of Florida Plants with Elliot Prout
Elliot will guide you to a variety of plants and ecosystems with a focus on identifying edible plants in this unique preserve located in the heart of St. Petersburg. The preserve brings an abundance of nature activities for everyone. It’s home to the Lake Maggiore Environmental Education Center. There are also several fascinating habitats to experience and learn about while walking the trails.
Elliot Prout is the incoming President of the Sereno Chapter of FNPS. He is a native Floridian born and raised in Bradenton. His professional background is in sales and finance and he has always had an interest in the outdoors and wildlife. He regularly leads nature tours in Manatee and Sarasota counties to educate others about local ecology. In his free time, you can find him camping, hiking, or playing ultimate frisbee.
March 2025
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Monday, March 17th, 6-8:30 pm - General Meeting & Program at Selby Botanical Gardens Welcome Center
Program and Tour of the New Selby Botanical Garden Facilities
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens recently completed a transformative renovation, enhancing its role as a world-class destination for plant enthusiasts and nature lovers. The renovation includes a stunning new Welcome Center, which offers visitors a modern, eco-friendly entry point with sustainable design elements. A highlight of the project is the addition of the Living Energy Access Facility, a state-of-the-art, solar-powered structure that generates renewable energy and helps the gardens maintain a net-positive energy footprint. The revitalized gardens in the next phases will feature improved walking paths, expanded plant collections, and immersive exhibits that celebrate the region's unique tropical flora. The upgraded facilities provide enhanced educational opportunities, connecting guests with the beauty and importance of botanical diversity. With its breathtaking bayfront views and lush landscapes, the renovation ensures that the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens continues to be a vibrant oasis for future generations. Join chapter members on a behind-the-scenes tour with the Selby Botany staff.
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Saturday, March 22nd, 9am-noon - Yard Tours - TBD
April 2025
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Saturday, April 12th, ??? - Annual Plant Sale to benefit FNPS - Sweet Bay Nursery, Parrish, FL (map here)
Register here to join zoom meeting
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Monday, April 21st, 7-8pm - Annual Native Plants Panel Discussion, Natives, Exotics and Invasives: Where are we now and what is next - Panelists - TBD
This is a panel discussion of the current challenges and opportunities facing our local world of Florida Native Plants.
May 2025
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Monday, May 19th 7-8pm - General Meeting - Balancing Development and Natire
Presenter: Jon Thaxton
Long-time community conservationist, Jon Thaxton will outline his 40-year experience balancing the need for development with protecting our natural environment. In the talk he will explore past growth decisions and the impacts to wildlife, water quality, and open space.
Register here to join zoom meeting
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Saturday, May 24 9am-noon - Field Trip - Oscar Scherer State Park
Jon will explore with us the unique challenges of preserving Oscar Scherer State Park in the midst of development on all fronts.
Jon Thaxton, Senior Vice President for Community Leadership at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Jon Thaxton creates and implements Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s key strategies for transforming our nonprofit community while providing leadership on emerging issues. Jon joined Gulf Coast in 2012 after serving 12 years as a Sarasota County Commissioner. At Gulf Coast, Jon works with community partners on initiatives that will transform our region and improve public policies.
Jon has provided leadership in the creation of a system of care for the homeless, a food distribution system focusing on healthy and nutritious foods, and the improvement of affordable housing policies. Jon led a multidisciplinary team of experts who created the Water Quality Playbook and is working on other transformative projects, including extensions of the Legacy Trail and creation of the Sarasota downtown bayfront park, The Bay.
Jon is also recognized as a leader for protecting the natural environment. A fifth generation Sarasotan, he was raised on a family farm near Osprey. He began his environmental advocacy at Venice High School in 1974, and in 1996 he was featured in National Geographic for his efforts to protect endangered species.
