2026-2027 Meetings and Field Trips
General Meetings
Our General Meetings are typically in-person and on Zoom at 6:30 pm on the 3rd Monday of each month, September through May. We first convene for a short business meeting at 7pm, followed by the evening's program. After the presentation, the meeting concludes with a 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 registration links for each meeting are provided. Please register in advance.
For the best experience we recommend you download the Zoom app ahead of time.
Field Trips
There's now something happening at least once a month – an educational tour, informal hike, or advocacy in the community. Some trips have limited availability. Register in advance to confirm your spot. Please wear appropriate clothing, pack trail snacks, & bring water. Details and Directions will be emailed to registrants as the trip date approaches.
Non-Members of FNPS may join us, but we encourage you to become a member.
September 2026
-
Tuesday, September 22nd, 6:30-8 PM - General Meeting - Lee Amos on Restoration at the Elling Eide Center
Hidden along the shores of Little Sarasota Bay, the 72-acre Elling Eide Center preserve encompasses a unique mosaic of coastal habitats, historic arboretum collections, and ecologically sensitive wetlands. Join us for an engaging presentation by Lee Amos as he details the center’s ambitious ongoing initiatives to rehabilitate its natural grounds and establish vital infrastructure for regional conservation. Lee will walk attendees through the multi-phase restoration strategy designed to enhance biodiversity across the property—from invasive species removal and hydrologic enhancement to prescribed fire within pine flatwoods.
Presentation Highlights
- Habitat Restoration on the Eide Property: Insights into the ecological assessment, invasive plant mitigation, and re-wilding strategies tailored to coastal shoreline and pine flatwood communities.
- Building a Native Plant Nursery: How the center is developing a dedicated, on-site propagation facility focused on producing site-appropriate native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers for internal restoration and broader purposes.
- Establishing a Regional Seed Bank: The vision, setup, and protocol for creating a seed bank aimed at preserving local ecotypes, safeguarding rare coastal flora, and ensuring genetic resilience against climate pressures.
- Community & Volunteer Opportunities: Ways FNPS members and local naturalists can get involved with hands-on seed collection, nursery propagation, and citizen-science monitoring projects.
Whether you are a home gardener passionate about native propagation, a seasoned restoration practitioner, or simply curious about local land stewardship, this presentation will offer practical knowledge and an inspiring look at the future of native plant conservation in our region.
Lee Amos
Lee Amos serves as Director of Land Management and Environmental Programs at the Elling Eide Center, bringing more than 16 years of experience as a land stewardship manager and staff biologist at Big Waters Land Trust in Southwest Florida, where he supervised 27 preserves totaling over 3,000 acres and helped protect nearly 20,000 acres of habitat. A lifelong Venice, Florida resident with a BA in Biology from Tennessee Wesleyan University and a background in horticulture and farming, Lee brings a holistic approach to managing landscapes for biodiversity, one rooted in careful attention to the needs of people, plants, and animals alike. His key interests include conservation horticulture, structural ecology, and the ecology of altered landscapes, and his advocacy for land conservation in Southwest Florida has been featured in numerous newspapers, magazines, and online videos. In his free time, Lee enjoys hiking, bicycling, playing blues and folk rock on acoustic guitar, and relaxing with his cat, Barry.
Register here to join zoom meeting
-
Saturday, September 26th, 9 AM - noon - Field Trip - Explore & Contribute to the Seed Bank Project at the Elling Eide Center
Join Lee Amos in developing the seed bank at the Elling Eide Center. Activities will be determined in the weeks preceding the event, but may include seed collection, seed processing, or various plant propagation work.
October 2026
-
Monday, October 19h, 6:30 - 8 PM - General Meeting - The Landings Microforest Project - Native Plants in a Sarasota Gated Community
Come learn about the Landings Native Plant Microforest in Sarasota. It is a high-performance community reforestation project designed to restore biodiversity, filter runoff, and enhance urban resilience. Located within The Landings—a waterfront community along South Tamiami Trail known for managing the largest area of privately owned mangroves in the country—the microforest turns underutilized green space into a dense, rapidly maturing ecosystem.
Key Highlights of the Project
- With plots designed with more plants of various sizes, the project triggers shade competition. This forces young trees to stretch upward quickly, accelerating growth.
- Scale & Native Biodiversity: Installed in phases starting in late 2024 through 2025, the project features approximately 1,800 plants representing 60 distinct native Florida species—with planned expansions expanding the footprint close to a full acre.
- Soil & Sheet Mulching Prep: Prior to planting, volunteers created a simulated forest floor using a "mulch-cardboard layer cake". Cardboard suppresses invasive turf, while a heavy layer of wood-chip mulch fosters fungal networks and organic soil microbial activity essential for long-term health.
The microforest has already demonstrated dramatic growth—with early plantings shooting up from 3-foot saplings into a 15-foot canopy within a single season. Winding paths integrated through the pocket forest allow residents and local naturalists to walk through, observe caterpillar-to-butterfly life cycles, and experience native habitat restoration firsthand.
Register here to join zoom meeting
-
Saturday October 24th, 9 AM - noon - Field Trip - Tour of the Microforest Project at the Landings
Join us on a tour of the Landings Native Plant Microforest.
Douglas Booth
Doug Booth is the Chairman of the Nature Preserves Committee in the Landings where he has lived for over 25 years. He is a 66 year resident of Sarasota and his career spanned 45 years as a tradesman in high end drywall, plaster and framing. Doug brings his love of nature and his meticulous craftsmanship together as he stewards the Landings Preserves among other special projects.
Pamela Callender
Pamela Callender is a Sarasota-based interdisciplinary eco-artist, native plant landscape designer, and educator dedicated to regional conservation. She has been designing native plant landscapes and forests for about 4 years. Holding an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, she merges creative expression with environmental advocacy. Callender was the previous Art Curator at Fogartyville, as well as a recipient of the 2019 John Ringling Towers Grant. Her community impact extends beyond the gallery, and through her design business and collaborations with the Sarasota Audubon Society, she creates native habitats and leads educational workshops.
November 2026
-
Monday, November 16th, 6:30 - 8 PM - General Meeting **ZOOM ONLY** -STEPS & TOOLS for Plant ID, an Easier Approach? With Bobby Hattaway
Join Bobby Hattaway who says, “The only thing I like better than identifying plants is teaching people how to identify them!” This noted botanist will give a Zoom program (with Q & A at the end) on plant identification. One of the steps and tools will be a process called HIPDAD.
Bobby Hattaway 
Robert A. (Bobby) Hattaway was interested in plants at an early age. Compared with animals, Bobby believes too many people consider plants as the “underdog” in the biological world and for most of his career, he fought to change that. Bobby got his MS in Botany from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) in 1973. He went to Pennsylvania State University for his Doctorate in Botany. His academic career spans some 30 years. Bobby considers himself a general botanist, having taught everything from Microbiology to Bryology and Mycology. Woody plants are his favorite because you don’t usually need to learn floral terms to identify them. As for south Florida, Bobby first became interested in the botany of south Florida in the mid-80s, when during spring break, he would take students there. Those forays eventually led Bobby to his “dream” job as a botanist for southwest Florida for the Florida Park Service. He lived in Nokomis for 7 years and was in the Serenoa chapter. Bobby’s infatuation with the botany of southern Florida culminated in 2025 with the publication of his magnum opus, The Trees, Shrubs and Vines of Southwest Florida. Since 2003, he has been active in the Georgia Botanical Society, with a two-year term as President.
Register here to join zoom meeting
-
Saturday, November 21st, 9 AM - noon - Field Trip - Plant ID with Bobby Hattaway (location TBD)
Join Bobby in identifying plants in the field. Bring a 10X magnifier such as a hand lens or loupe if you have one. Bobby will give pointers for using it.
December 2026
-
Monday, December 14th, 6:30 - 8 PM - General Meeting & Chapter Holiday Party at Sarasota Audubon Nature Center at Celery Fields
Share the holiday joy with chapter members at Sarasota Audubon Nature Center at Celery Fields! This is a potluck so please bring a dish to share, your own plate, glass & utensils. BYOB. We will play a gift exchange game; if you want to participate, bring a wrapped, nature-oriented gift (up to $20 value). Expect a lively game of exchange and re-exchange!
-
Saturday, December 19th, 9 AM - noon - Chapter President's Holiday Walk (location TBD)
Join our chapter president on a collegial holiday plant walk of their choosing.
January 2027
-
Wednesday January 20th, 6:30 - 8:00 PM - General Meeting - the Nature of My Yard with Christina Evans
Christina’s love of birds and of Florida nature led her into gardening with Florida native plants in her suburban Florida yard to attract and support birds, butterflies and other wildlife. She has been at it now for nearly 25 years. Her presentation will show and tell some of the experiences, rewards, and means of creating a natural habitat in a home landscape.
Christina Evans
Christina Evans is a nature photographer, artist, and graphic designer. Her photographs, focused on Florida's birds, flora and fauna, have won national awards and have been published in many books and magazines, including National Wildlife, Living Bird, Florida Audubon’s Naturalist, and National Geographic books. The American Birding Association (ABA) Birding magazine has featured a number of her photos—including a cover image of an endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, and a cover and inside photo essay on the Crested Caracaras of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. Her photos can also be found on covers and inside Dr. Craig Huegel’s books on Florida’s native plants.
Register here to join zoom meeting
-
Saturday, January 23rd, 9 AM - noon - Field Trip - TBD
February 2027
-
Monday, February 15th, 6:30 - 8:30 PM - General Meeting - TBD
Register here to join zoom meeting
-
Saturday, February 20th, 9 AM - noon - Field Trip - TBD
March 2027
-
Monday, March 15th, 6:30 -8:30 PM - General Meeting - Plants and Grants: The Serenoa Chapter FNPS Grants Program with Pamela Callender
Discover how community-driven conservation takes root through the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) Serenoa Chapter Grants Program. Led by native landscape designer and eco-artist Pamela Callender, this engaging one-hour presentation outlines how grant awards up to $1,000 empower schools, non-profits, homeowner associations, and public spaces across Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, and Hardee counties to establish thriving native habitats.
Pamela will guide us through the chapter’s grant application process, key funding priorities, and essential site design principles. Learn how projects focusing on pollinator corridors, retention pond restorations, entryway enhancements, and invasive plant replacements qualify for support. She will also share practical strategies for site assessments, soil testing, and selecting the right native plants to ensure long-term ecological success.
The program highlights inspiring mini-presentations from past grant recipients. These community leaders will share visual transformations, project insights, and the tangible ecological benefits achieved within their local landscapes. Whether you represent a community organization eager to apply or simply wish to see native flora flourish in your area, join us to discover how grant funding turns ecological vision into vibrant reality.
Register here to join zoom meeting
-
Saturday, March 20th , 9 AM - noon - Serenoa FNPS Annual Yard Tours -TBD
Join us for a tour of yards that are devoted to native plant landscaping!
April 2027
-
Monday, April 19th, 6:30 - 8 PM - General Meeting - TBD
Register here to join zoom meeting
-
Saturday, April 24th, 9 AM - noon - Annual Fundraising to benefit FNPS - TBD
May 2027
-
Monday, May 17th 6:30 - 8:30 PM - General Meeting - Annual Native Plants Panel Discussion - Natives, Exotics and Invasives: Where Are We Now and What is Next? - TBD
-
Saturday, May 22nd, 9 AM - noon - Field Trip - TBD
