Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society, Inc. Annual Report 2013

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society, Inc. P. O. Box 1092, Sandpoint, ID 83864

www.NativePlantSociety.org.

Prepared by Gail Bolin, President

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Introduction

The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 is governed by a nine-member board of directors. At the January, 2013 board meeting, officers were elected: Gail Bolin, President, Rae Charlton, Vice President; Lorrie Stockwell, Secretary; Bob Wilson, Treasurer. Other board members include: Don Childress, Konrad Dahlstrom, Cheryl McKee, Sylvia Chatburn and Becky Mills. The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society (KNPS) was effective in 2013 promoting its mission “to foster an understanding and appreciation of native flora and its habitats in the panhandle area of North Idaho, to advocate for the conservation of this rich natural heritage for future generations, to encourage the responsible use of native plants in landscaping and restoration, and to educate youth and the general public in the value of the native flora and their habitats” through a variety of events and programs. It’s the KNPS members’ individual dedication, passion, and never-ending work that define KNPS and in promoting its mission.

Co-hosted with Sandpoint Department of Parks and Recreation nine presentations

Hosted a booth at Sandpoint Earth Day.

Co-hosted with Sandpoint Tree Committee and the Idaho Department of Lands the Sandpoint Arbor Day Celebration along with a Native Plant Sale in the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum

Continued to maintain and promote our flagship project—the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum located on South Ella Street next to the Bonner Historical Museum

Co-hosted a booth with the Master Naturalists at the Bonner County Fair.

Exhibited a display about KNPS in the Sandpoint Library.

Commented on several US Forest Service projects.

The book, “Landscaping with Native Plants in the Idaho Panhandle, ” continues to gain in popularity and is carried by several new book sellers.

Conferred with a number of local non-profits, schools, the city of Sandpoint, and KNPS members on the advantages of landscaping with native plants.

Held several successful fundraising events

Our newsletter team, Jill Wilson, Wendy Aeschliman and Marilyn George did a great job in 2013 in publishing five issues of the Kinnikinnick Journal. All issues are available on our web site: www.nativeplantsociety.org

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Arboretum Sylvia Chatburn, Arboretum Manager

Spring came early this year so cleanup in the arboretum occurred in early April. The Trillium were in full bloom when 15 gardeners and helpers set to work getting the arboretum looking good for the summer season. They raked paths, trimmed roses, picked up limbs and spread out the pine needles that the city dumped last fall for us to use. They make good mulch to keep down the dandelions. Twelve gardeners and the manager spent almost 300 hours during the summer keeping things looking good. In September two new areas were planted with flowering native plants. There should be more color out there this coming season. The Interior Rain Forest now has a drip system that makes keeping that area moist a lot easier. In June, tree tours for third grade students were conducted. In all, almost 100 students participated during the week. The official Arbor Day Celebration also occurred with a very good native plant sale provided by Cedar Mountain Perennials and bake sale with goodies donated by KNPS members. The paid coordinator was a forestry student from the high school. He did a good job, but only worked for a couple of months before he was offered a full time job elsewhere. In early October the arboretum was put to bed for the winter. The newly planted areas were mulched with aged wood chips to keep the weeds down. All of the water lines were blown out and one post was replaced on the arbor to the Meditation Grove. In 2014, a kiosk is planned to be installed near the Riparian area. It will be used as an information center with a map of the arboretum being the focal point.

Conservation Committee Molly O’Reilly, Chair

The Conservation Committee met several times through the year in response to Forest Service progress with the new Forest Plan. Aside from the progress of this document toward (hopefully) 2014 approval, that was the main issue focus of the Committee. The Committee, through its members, participated actively in the Treasured Landscapes project in the Lightening Creek drainage. The Forest Service and Master Naturalists provided training in weed identification and rare plants. Field participants on excursions to inventory both included Gail Bolin, Jim DuBuisson, Phil Hough and Molly O'Reilly. That work was celebrated as a success. The Conservation Committee closed out 2013 with a review of the Draft Forest Plan for the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. A number of us expressed concerns to the Bonner County Commissioners on the objections they registered in a letter written by their new Natural Resources Committee. The latter appears aimed at extraction and motorized access and not

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broadly representative of the interests county residents have in their public lands. Several of us signed up to participate in sessions reviewing some of the objections that most impact native plant habitat and the wildlands of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Study Area. Phil Hough's November presentation highlighted the fun we all had botanizing for the Treasured Landscapes project in the Lightening Creek Watershed. We look forward to more summer fun there next year.

Landscaping Committee Eileen Atkinson, Chair

We started the 2013 season with two fruitful meetings on March 21. Nine members attended at either Panhandle State Bank or Hydra Restaurant and we agreed to stick with Mickinnick Trailhead maintenance and Landscaping Consultations. Four members continued work at Mickinnick but we need to recruit more Society people for 2014. We scheduled a work crew from the Sheriff’s Office but rain cancelled their participation. We expect to not make further attempts for outside help since solicitation and planning are too time-consuming. We were concerned at meeting time that we would not have enough clients to fill the four consultation spaces for June- September. It turned out we had more than four but could calendar only three: Lockwood-O’Reilly in May, Lexie de Fremery in July, and Vicky Johnson for a revisit in August. We will schedule the remaining three for the 2014 season. We decided to keep a record of these visits and to continue offering a map and notes to clients. It was a very good year. (Number of Volunteers: 10. Number of Hours: 325)

Fundraising Cheryl McKee, Chair

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society began a year of many new fundraising events in 2013. The efforts kicked off in February with a first ever offering of KNPS shirts and sweatshirts to our members. Advance orders began in February and continued through most of the year. Marilyn McIntyre provided the design using the KNPS logo. Members appreciated the quality and beauty of the items and supported the new fundraiser with their orders. This was a profitable and well-received fundraiser. Fundraising continued in June at the annual Arbor Day Celebration. KNPS shirts, member-donated baked goods, handmade arbors and the KNPS Landscaping with Native Plants in the Idaho Panhandle books were all for available for purchase as part of the bake sale. This was another successful fundraiser. The annual Wine Tasting Social was held in June at Pend Oreille Wine and Pasta. This event was well attended and the maximum number of tickets were sold. In the past ticket money covered the cost of the event and went to the merchant, but in 2013 an additional $5.00 per ticket was added to provide some profit to KNPS from ticket sales. The ticket sales combined with the amount donated to KNPS from members’ purchases of wine added more revenue to the treasury.

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In October another new fundraiser took place at the Little Olive Restaurant. KNPS participated in their Dine Out for a Cause program. Volunteers greeted diners, a display of KNPS information was set up in the lobby, and brochures were placed on each table as well as a pumpkin decoration with a thank you note acknowledging the restaurant’s support of local non-profits. This was a very good fundraiser with the potential to be even stronger with increased member support. The final new fundraiser in 2013 took place at the Pend d’Oreille Winery. The KNPS Sip N Shop included a silent auction with eleven beautiful and creative baskets donated by members. The auction items were a hit and generated a significant profit along with the nearly $300.00 donation from the winery for wine sales that evening. This fundraiser was not only profitable, but it was a festive and fun way for members to begin the holiday season.

Hospitality Mary and Doug Toland, Hospitality Hosts

KNP members have to be the most cooperative, helpful and “hands on” group of folks we know! Before and after every meeting, there are always many hands helping to set up and put away the chairs, tables and equipment at the Community Hall. Members continue to graciously sign up for snacks. And the new thermos hot pots have made the world of difference in transporting fresh coffee. We thank the Board for that investment! Sylvia Chatburn opened her home to all of us for the annual Holiday Potluck. Everyone who attended commented on how nice it was to have time (and all the wonderful potluck goodies) to share. Thank you, Sylvia! Donations continue to trickle in each month. And 2014 might see an expansion of some healthy snack options.

Lois Wythe Native Plant Grant Janice DeBaun, Chair

Committee Members: Janice DeBaun, chair; Nancy Low, Pat Ramsay, and Pat Stevens Volunteer Hours: 25 The committee's activities included the following: review and revision of application form; distribution of application forms to Bonner County schools, cities and libraries as well as interested groups such as Panhandle Special Needs, Bonner County Gardeners Association and the Bonner County 4-H council; and selection of the winning applicant for 2014. From the 4 entries received, the project submitted by Lake Pend Oreille High School to add native plant landscaping to Hickory Park was determined to be the recipient of the 2014 Lois Wythe Native Plant Grant.

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Book Sales Carol Jenkins

The KNPS landscaping book, Landscaping with Native Plants in Idaho Panhandle, was first published in 2011; 479 copies were printed and distributed. In July 2012, a second edition of 500 copies was printed. Thus far, 377 have been sold. Sixteen distributors are selling the book in three counties of Idaho and two in Washington.

Programs Becky Mills & Lexie de Fremery

January 26, 2013

Gail Bolin, President of KNPS, gave a presentation entitled “Landscaping for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies.” Due mainly to human activities (pesticide use, habitat loss, etc.), populations of birds, bees and butterflies are all in decline. Gail discussed ways to attract all three to urban and rural landscapes. Our local fauna have co-evolved with the native plants in our area, thus making native plants the best choice for landscaping. Some of the advantages of native plants include deep root systems for finding water and nutrients, and thriving without the use of fertilizers and pesticides. In addition to planting a variety of native plants for food and shelter, shunning the use of pesticides, providing water, and providing good habitat (brush piles, leaf litter, rock piles, and dead wood) are ways to attract birds, bees and butterflies.( 63 people)

February 23, 2013 John Reuter, executive director of Conservation Voters for Idaho, spoke on “Politics and (Native) Plants.” John indicated that if politics is defined as the art of the possible, his job is to expand what is possible. He achieves this goal by bringing Idahoans together around issues that are important to their shared values to present a unified conservation message to legislators. Idaho is defined by two key resources: its people and its landscape. How do we organize the first to allow us to both preserve and sustainably use the second? John provided a number of examples of issues his organization is guiding through the legislative process. He suggested that citizens should communicate with their legislators to share informed opinions and offer thanks when support is offered. A lively question and answer session on effective lobbying followed John’s remarks. (34 people) March 23, 2013 Master Naturalist Derek Antonelli provided details on a citizen science project at Hager Lake, a valley peatland of high biodiversity approximately 5 miles south of Nordman. The lake is about 5 acres in size and was created by retreating glaciers. It contains a one-acre floating moss mat and is surrounded by lily pads, sedges, rose spirea and lodge pole pine. The peatland creates specialized plants due to slow decomposition and lack of oxygen. There has been considerable human impact on the lake over the years but the current owners have established a conservation easement on the property. It is one of the best studied peatlands in northern

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Idaho, beginning with a doctoral thesis with field work in 1952 followed by a joint study in 1992 by the US Forest Service and Idaho Fish and Game. The Master Naturalists project was undertaken by 25 volunteers completing 62 field days in the summer of 2012. The group found 320 different species of plants, 16 plant species rare to Idaho, and some vegetation changes compared to previous studies. In spite of the changes, Hager Lake is doing well and still supports specialized plant species. The biggest threats on the horizon are disruption of water levels and invasion of non-native plants. (41 people) April 27, 2013 John Hastings, named Idaho Environmental Educator of the Year for 2012, gave a wide-ranging presentation on projects undertaken by students in the Natural Resources Management cluster of Professional/Technical Education at Sandpoint High School. John stressed the quality and importance of technical education in Sandpoint as a means of preparing students for either postsecondary education or the work force. Some of the major projects the students have participated in recently are the Pack River Delta restoration, Habitat Evaluation Procedures, Yellowstone pronghorn habitat improvement, Multi-Species Baseline Initiative, Dover Bay riparian buffer zone, Water Festival, and native plant demonstration garden at the Bonner County administration building. The projects are done in partnership with government agencies or non-profit organizations. Students in the program are tracked for three years after graduation and a very high percentage go on to school or successfully enter the work force. John indicated that community support is essential to the success of public education in Sandpoint and thanked the group for its assistance. (27 people) May 25, 2013 District Ranger Erick Walker of the Sandpoint Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National Forest, presented an overview of the Treasured Landscapes initiative, why the Lightning Creek watershed was chosen to participate, and outlined the plan for the project. Erick explained that the National Forest Foundation, the non-profit partner of the USFS that was chartered by Congress in 1991, will lead the Treasured Landscapes effort. The goal is to leverage public and private resources to accelerate restoration and strengthen the public’s connection to our national forests. There are 14 sites nationally and Lightning Creek in the only one in Idaho. Lightning Creek was part of a competitive process and was selected because it is an iconic landscape, has a history of flooding, implementation of the 2008 watershed restoration plan is already underway, community collaboration exists and there is a high potential for public involvement. The plan for 2013-2014 includes prescribed burns, whitebark pine planting, decommission roads, trail construction, native and rare plant surveys, noxious weed surveys and treatment, snowmobile warming hut, riparian vegetation planting and large woody debris installation. KNPS is among the community partner organizations for the project. The USFS has scheduled training sessions to build a corps of volunteers to help with the Treasured Landscapes initiative and beyond. (39 people)

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June 22, 2013 Ken Thacker, former BLM representative, spoke on “Noxious Weeds—More Than Just Plants Out of Place.” A weed was defined as a plant, usually of vigorous growth, that is not valued where it is growing. Noxious weeds are designated by states and require control by law. There are 64 species named in Idaho as noxious weeds. Ken described various types of weed control (cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical) and recommended integrated weed management using the best combination of available controls. His take-home message was noxious weed infestations need to be taken seriously and managed. There are many alternatives available and chemical control is part of the solution. (40 people) September 28, 2013

Ed Robinson, Area Manager of the Idaho Department of Lands, spoke about the history and purpose of state endowment trust land. This property was derived from a federal grant of 3.6 million acres of land for the support of state institutions when Idaho became a state in 1890. Some land was initially sold and the IDL manages the remaining 2.4 million acres to generate income for the beneficiaries, mainly public education. The main source of revenue is the sale of timber followed by leases for grazing, commercial buildings, and earnings from invested funds. IDL follows the directives of the State Board of Land Commissioners made up of the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Controller, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. In FY 2013, $475 million was distributed to beneficiaries; Bonner County schools received $594,000. Ed manages 95,000 acres; his area extends from Kootenai County to the Canadian border. IDL regulatory responsibilities include issuance of permits to log private lands; tree slash management; protection of the lands beneath navigable lakes and rivers; and fire protection for 820,000 acres of wild land. IDL also provides forestry and fire education programs. Ed ended his presentation with a series of historical photos of the region from 1933. (35 people)

October 26, 2013

Nan Vance, former research plant physiologist for USFS and graduate faculty member at Oregon State University, spoke about insects' relation to flowers and to each other in the context of pollination ecology. Nan provided a brief explanation of the process of pollination. Using close-up photos, she demonstrated flowers being pollinated along with other lesser known flower-insect interactions. She explained what makes an insect visitor a potential pollinator and how research determines which insects are the most likely to be effective pollinators. Nan’s photography included a wealth of plants and insects endemic to the Columbia River Basin. The photos provided a background for the presentation that was both beautiful and informative. (36 people)

November 23, 2013

On November 23, 2013, Phil Hough, Executive Director, and Kristen Nowicki, Program and Projects Assistant, of Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness spoke of the 88,000-acre Scotchman Peaks area currently managed for backcountry and wilderness activities. Using a

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Power Point slide show, Phil listed some of the unique characteristics of the Scotchman Peaks proposed wilderness qualifying it for such protection, noting that as a former chapter of the Native Plant Society, our KNPS formally supported and endorsed it. In addition to sensitive, threatened, and endangered animal species, Scotchman Peaks contains rare or sensitive plant species such as Whitebark Pine. Phil highlighted the Lightning Creek Treasured Landscape partnership with Idaho Panhandle National Forest and the National Forest Foundation. In fall of 2011, 3,000 trees were planted. Local participants included KNPS, Idaho Master Naturalists, and the Backcountry Horsemen. This year FSPW coordinated projects with citizens and IPNF to mitigate weeds and to help preserve and enhance habitat for Whitebark Pine, which is in decline. Both projects required training and field work in plant and habitat surveying. The weed survey involved 35 miles of trails, not counting roads which are managed by the IPNF. The Whitebark Pine survey area is 3,500 acres, including 140 acres surrounding three lakes. The Morris Creek trail also benefited this year from partnership with NFF and IPNF on National Public Lands Day through trail maintenance. Future projects depend on agency and NFF funding and planning. (45 people)

Treasurer’s Report Bob Wilson, Treasurer

2013 was a very active year for the KNPS particularly in the area of fundraising. Three new fundraising projects were initiated which left the cash funds in better shape than when the year started. In addition, expenditures were considerably less than we budgeted for. The treasury started the year with $4,489 and ended the year at $7,286, a gain of $2,797. In addition, our investments with Vanguard grew at a rate of 9.19% and increased by $1,016 for the year. One budgeting error did not account for plant sales, both cost and revenue, in the 2013 budget. Thus, the budgeted amounts on both sides of the balance sheet were a little over $1,000 too low. Revenues Total revenues for the year were $8,486, far exceeding our projection of $5,900. Fundraising Revenues were generated by five different projects -- the Arbor Day Plant Sale, Wine Social at Pend Oreille Pasta, the Wine Social at Pend Oreille Winery, Dine Out for a Cause at the Little Olive, and t-shirt sales. In addition, we continue to sell calendars and note cards.

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KNPS Fundraising Project Expenses Revenues Net Gain

Plant Sale $ 1,126.00 $ 1,584.00 $ 458.00

Wine Social - Pend Oreille Pasta

$ 525.00 $ 780.00 $ 255.00

Wine Social - Pend Oreille Winery

$ - $ 648.00 $ 648.00

Dine Out For a Cause - Little Olive

$ - $ 290.00 $ 290.00

T-Shirts $ 850.00 $ 1,424.00 $ 574.00

T-shirts were very popular and sales exceeded initial expectations. The design was done by artist-in-residence Marilyn McIntyre and was replicated on a variety of shirt styles. Both note card and calendar sales came in below expectations Donations KNPS received several unexpected donations this year due to the passing of Priscilla Garvan whose family suggested our organization as a suitable place to make a donation in her name. Total donations for the year were just under $700 which is $500 over expectations. Expenses Total expenses for the year were $6,069 which was below our projected expenses of $6,545. Notable differences were printing costs at $470 below projections, and employee salary at $994 below projections. Our arboretum employee was working at a lower wage than we budgeted for, and worked a shorter season than we expected, starting in mid-June, and leaving to take another position in mid-August. Also, as mentioned above, plant sale costs were $1,126 above projections due to a budgeting error. Book Fund The landscape book fund started the year in the red by $362 due to recent printing expenses. Sales have been steady all year thanks to the diligent efforts of Carol Jenkins. No additional expenses were incurred for the year. We sold 229 books in 2013 bringing in $3,322 which brought the book fund to $2,960 at the end of the year. Looking Ahead Much of what we can accomplish depends on our fundraising efforts. We do not need as much fundraising as we had this past year to maintain the programs and activities that we do. If we continue to bring in this much revenue, we should consider what other productive uses we can put the money towards. We do not anticipate that we will match 2013 t-shirt sales in 2014 without issuing a new design. Of the other projects, the Wine Social held at Pend Oreille Pasta brought in the least revenue and required a fair amount of organizational effort. Considering fundraising, this would be the logical one to drop if we have difficulty finding organizers.

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Membership Our membership has remained very constant over the past year. We now have 84 memberships, up 1 from last year at this time, and 123 voting members, also up 1. Membership categories also remained essentially unchanged. We added one Sustaining and one Household membership, and dropped one Individual membership. (Bob’s volunteer hours 67.25)

Website Analysis 2013

www.nativeplantsociety.org

Wendy Aeschliman, website administrator

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society’s website, I believe is about 10 years old now! It is presently composed of a total of 328 total files including 119 image files. In 2013 the unique visitors totaled 32,696 (Compare to 29,284 in 2013, 23,920 in 2011, 15,163 in 2010, 10,623 in 2009, and 7,467 in 2008). Total hits were 202,264 (Compare to 169,182 in 2013, 131,901 in 2011, 89,097 in 2010). The month of May continues (each year so far) to draw the most visitors, 3,738 in 2013 (Compare to 3,724 in 2012, 2,822 in 2011, 1,718 in 2010, 1,126 in 2009 and 930 in 2008). The visitors came from 54 Total Countries (Compare to 56 in 2013, 50 in 2011, 41 in 2010.) Top countries are US, China, and Canada. Google is by far is the most used search engine to refer to us, Bing a distant second. Windows is the most used operating system by visitors, followed by MacIntosh. As for browsers, Mozilla was the most used, overtaking MS Internet Explorer this year. IPhone and Android are the most used smart phones to access our site. A summary of 2013 statistics for our website native plant society is below:

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One last table that is interesting is the most viewed pages:

End Report