About Us
Welcome! The Georgia Native Plant Society (GNPS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the stewardship and conservation of Georgia’s native plants and their habitats. We involve ourselves in all sorts of activities to support our mission. Some of our activities include:
- Meetings - held every other month, with presentations/speakers
- Educational activities - workshops, field trips and symposia
- Grants for research and scholarships
- Plant Sales
- Newsletter - published quarterly (NativeSCAPE)
- Plant rescues (saving plants threatened with destruction)
- Partnership with communities and public places to establish/restore native plant preserves
- Annual Garden Tour for Members
We hope you'll consider joining us - our general meetings are open to everyone and are a wonderful opportunity to hear a great speaker and get to know us better. We currently have one chapter, the West Georgia Chapter, but we would love to have more. Please contact us if you are interested in forming one.
We are also very proud of our website – it contains a lot of resource material. You’ll find our latest news on the Announcements page, and our Events of Interest page provides information on our events and workdays as well as events of like-minded organizations.
If you have questions or want additional information you can reach us via phone at: 770 343-6000 or send a message to the GNPS Webmaster.
Jacqueline McRae
President
Mailing Address:GNPSPhone:
PO Box 422085
Atlanta, GA 30342-2085770 343-6000Email:Board of Directors - See Below for Listing
GNPS Information - Info@gnps.org
Website - WebMaster@gnps.org
Useful Links
Plant Identification Forum
Membership Information
| President | Jacqueline McRae | Send Email |
| Vice-President | Charlie Brown | Send Email |
| Treasurer | Ron Smith | Send Email |
| Secretary | Kimberly Ray | Send Email |
| Director of Communications | Ellen Honeycutt | Send Email |
| Director of Conservation | Marcia Winchester | Send Email |
| Director of Education | Lane Conville-Canney | Send Email |
| Director of Membership | Susan Hanson | Send Email |
| Member at Large 1 | Carol Brantley | Send Email |
| Member at Large 2 | Mary Moore | Send Email |
| Member at Large 3 | Carl Tackett | Send Email |
All GNPS members are welcome at board meetings. The minutes of past board meetings provide a record of the board's activities.
The Bylaws of the Georgia Native Plant Society provide the basic rules for the conduct of the Society's business and affairs. We were officially incorporated as a non-profit in the state of Georgia in 1999. The Organization Chart shows the current organizational structure of committees and board members. The Committee Chair Contact Page has a listing of current committees, along with links to committee descriptions, and who is the chair.
Our Privacy Policy.
Individual or family membership is $20 annually ($15 Seniors and Students) or $250 lifetime. Memberships are effective for one calendar year, beginning January 1st. See the Membership page for an application. Gift Memberships are also available from that page.
The organization meets on a bi-monthly basis, and programs cover a wide range of topics and speakers. The Society also holds an annual Native Plant Symposium, plant sales and garden tours. For more information see Meetings and Events.
Our Archives Section provides some historical background of the Society.
This is a major effort and an integral part of the Georgia Native Plant Society, and was a motivating factor in the group's formation. The purpose of this progam is to save native plants that are in the direct path of development. It is a community effort undertaken with the developer's written permission and with many hours of volunteer labor. Rescued plants go to nature centers, schools, public gardens and backyard habitats. For more information, see our Native Plant Rescue FAQ.
Restoration is an integral part of GNPS’s mission of conservation and stewardship of native plants. Restoration activities are centered on native plant gardens and restoration of publicly accessible land taken care of by garden clubs or organized groups. Restoration activities include plant rescues, plant identification, removing invasive exotic plants, and planting and care of native plants until they are established. If your group wants to learn restoration techniques, apply to GNPS Restoration to partner on a project, or if you want to volunteer in a restoration, go to the Restoration webpage to see if there is a restoration project near you.
The Stone Mountain Propagation Project (SMPP) was established in November 2007 as an adjunct to the GNPS Restoration projects. GNPS plant rescues provide many of the plants used in restoration projects, as well as plants for the GNPS plant sales. But having a ready, dependable, well maintained source for plants had been solely dependent on individual members, tending to the plants in their own yards. SMPP was established to help facilitate these efforts. Since our inception we have grown numerous varieties of native forbs, shrubs and vines from seed and cuttings, experimenting with different propagation techniques. We've held propagation workshops and worked with the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA) improving the educational signage for the Nature Trail, identifying plants, and adding natives to that site and the Bird Sanctuary at Stone Mountain Park. Volunteering at SMPP gives all an opportunity to learn about native plants through hands-on experience, while actively supporting GNPS projects, with the added bonus of taking home excess plant material.
Volunteers are the backbone of GNPS activities, and there are numerous opportunities for all members to give of their time and talent. Some tasks are ongoing; others are a one-time job. Some tasks involve hands-on work with plants at various locations; others are desk jobs that can be performed at home. Whatever you have to offer, you will find that by volunteering you will make friends, learn about native plants, and get the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to promote the stewardship and conservation of Georgia s native plants and their habitats.
Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Susan Hanson, or visit our Volunteers Needed page to find out what volunteer opportunities are available or to volunteer your time.
The Georgia Native Plant Society publishes the quarterly newsletter NativeSCAPE and a subscription is included with membership in the organization. The newsletter's excellent staff of writers includes botanists, landscapers, horticulturists, naturalists and garden variety gardeners.
The NativeSCAPE is now provided in HTML format for online viewing and in PDF format for downloading. This new electronic version benefits the environment, our budget, and our members - color photographs of our beautiful native plants are included in every issue!
Contact Ellen Honeycutt, editor.