Jeff Nelson, KNPS President
As Fall winds down and the Winter Solstice fast approaches, this time of year is one of reflection and consideration of the year that is passing and the year to come. In 2026, the Kentucky Native Plant Society will be 40 years old. In 1986, several prominent botanists in the state came together to found a society dedicated to serving as a medium of fellowship and information exchange among botanists, both amateur and professional, to promote conservation of the native plants and natural plant communities of Kentucky, to promote public education in botanical science, and to encourage botanical research in Kentucky.
In the decades since it was founded, KNPS has grown to be a statewide organization of over 600 active members. It has introduced and educated thousands of Kentuckians to the importance and beauty of the state’s native plants and plant communities. Every year, more and more of our neighbors are planting native species for their beauty and, even more importantly, for their value to native butterflies, moths, bees, birds, and other wildlife. It seems that every week one hears or sees stories in the media about the native plant movement. We believe that the efforts of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, and native plant societies in other states, over the past 40 years have played no small part in this growth of interest in native plants.
Wildflower Weekend 2026 is scheduled for April 17-19 at Natural Bridge SRP, where the first Wildflower Weekend was held in 1989. Planning for WW2026 is well underway with plans for more hikes and workshops, activities for nature lovers of all ages, and opportunities to socialize (and botanize) with other KNPS members and friends in one of Kentucky’s premier natural areas.
A major focus of WW2026 will be KNPS’ 40th Anniversary. KNPS has always depended entirely on volunteers and the contributions of members and friends to accomplish our goals. Volunteering can be the best part of KNPS membership—you will meet the most interesting people and you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you join with others to support the Society and the native plants and plant communities of Kentucky. We have volunteer activities for everyone that range from 2-hour shifts at events to 2-year officer terms. Over our 40 years, hundreds of members and friends have volunteered thousands of hours to make our Society the exciting, dynamic organization that it is today. Every volunteer is important to the success of KNPS. At WW2026 we will be specifically honoring those who volunteered to serve as officers, board members, and committee chairs over the years.
As I write this, I am in the last few weeks of my second two-year term as President of the Kentucky Native Plant Society. It has been a joy and an honor to serve in this role for the past four years. Without question, the greatest reward of serving as president has been working alongside so many talented and dedicated volunteers who share a love of Kentucky’s native plants and natural areas. From the multitude of members who say “yes, I can do that” when asked to take on a task for the Society, to the officers, directors, and committee chairs that have served on the board, and to all of the friends and members that work throughout the state. preserving and protecting our native plant based ecosystems, I just want to say “thank you”.
Although my term as president is expiring, I will still be on the KNPS board as Immediate Past President. I am also going to chair the new Communications committee. The Communications team will facilitate communications both within KNPS and between KNPS and the public. The team will handle media relations, develop messaging, maintain the website, manage social media, and create content to effectively promote our mission and programs to the public. One of the first goals for the committee in 2026 is to design and create a new website for KNPS. Our current website has a ton of great and useful content, but it is dated, a bit clunky, and wasn’t really designed for mobile devices. To get a new website designed and created or to have our social media accounts managed or to get any of the several other communications jobs handled, requires volunteers. If you have experience in or an interest in learning about designing, building, and managing WordPress websites or want to learn more about other opportunities with the Communications team, please send me an email at Communications@knps.org .
I just want to end with a big shout out of appreciation to our current Vice-president, and soon to be President for the next two years, and my friend, Kendall McDonald. In the KNPS Bylaws, among the other duties, the vice-president is assigned to serve as chair of the Programs committee. The committee is responsible for planning, developing and overseeing educational programs and community engagement activities, such as the Society’s spring and fall membership meetings, the Wildflower Weekend, symposia such as the Kentucky Botanical Symposium, workshops, as well as online webinars and meetings. This is an enormous and difficult job which Kendall has accomplished with incredible organizational skills, a positive outlook, many hours of hard work, and an obvious and infectious love for the natural world and the wide community of those who seek to understand, protect, and preserve that world.
Thank you for all of your help Kendall, I am so excited to see how KNPS will grow and find new ways to communicate our love of native plants to even more Kentuckians under your leadership. – Jeff