About Us
History of Our Chapter
In the spring of 1979, a group of native plant enthusiasts met to establish a Lane County chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon and to elect initial officers of the chapter. David Wagner (President), Stan Cook (Vice President), Laramie Palmer (Secretary), and John Christy (Treasurer) were joined by Linda Johnson, Charlene Simpson, Ken Lodewick, and Robin Lodewick as founding members. On August 13, 1979, the Emerald Chapter was installed by state NPSO President Frank Lang as the sixth chapter in the state.
Notable Emerald Chapter Contributions to the Local Botanical Community
- Hosted NPSO statewide annual meetings in 1983, 1991, 1998, 2009, 2016, 2023.
- Co-hosted Wildflower Festival at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum from 1988 to present.
- in 1989, members join Lane County Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Roadside Vegetation Management to promote mapping and management of R&E plants along roadsides in Lane County. The information organized by the committee is used to this day to manage timing and location of treatments countywide.
- In 1993, Emerald Chapter member Charlene Simpson and a team of other local botanists lead the effort to produce a geographical inventory of the flora of Lane County which culminated in the publication of the “Vascular Plants of Lane County: An Annotated Checklist.”
Current Governance and Priority Projects
Officers and Board of Directors (April 2024 – March 2025)
- President: Jenny Lippert
- Vice President: Karl Anderson
- Secretary: Bob Hladky
- Treasurer: Claudia Crawford
- Directors at Large: Angela Soto, Sarah Erskine, and Steven Yeager
Committees
- Programs Committee: Gail Baker and Angela Soto
- Publicity Committee: Margaret Conover and Camille Stewart
- Field Trip Committee: Jenny Lippert
- Website Committee: Clayton Gautier
- R & E Committee: inactive, reconvenes every 3rd year in preparation for Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC) list review
- Conservation Committee: inactive
Projects for 2024
- Lane County Checklist Update: Jenny Lippert, Chair; Members: Steven Yeager, Michael Hartman, Karl Anderson, Thea Jaster, Tanya Harvey, Bruce Newhouse
- Emerald Chapter Website Redesign: Clay Gautier, Chair; Members: Tanya Harvey, Angela Soto, Camille Stewart, Steven Yeager, Jenny Lippert