Monthly Meeting & Program
The Florida Master Naturalist Program

Jeanne Murphy,
Florida Master Naturalist Program Instructor and Wildlife Biologist
Monday February 2, 2009

The University of Florida's award-winning Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) turns learners across the state into teachers on Florida’s ecology and environmental history. FMNP training benefits those interested in learning more about Florida’s environment, seeking educational contact hours, or wishing to increase their knowledge for use in education programs as volunteers, employees, and ecotourism guides.
Ms. Murphy, a seasoned FMNP instructor, will describe how the program uses classroom learning, field trips, and practical experience in interpretation to deliver its three comprehensive courses, Freshwater Wetlands, Coastal Systems, and Upland Habitats.

About Jeanne Murphy

As a child, Jeanne enjoyed wading ditches trying to catch snakes and frogs—first in Michigan and then in Illinois. She climbed trees to get a different view; walked through meadows watching birds fly overhead; and during annual Sarasota vacations, she looked on with fascination at the painted coquinas digging feverishly back into the sand until the next wave would uncover them.

Today, Jeanne has not changed much. She loves traversing through uplands and swamps in hope of seeing birds, snakes, frogs; deciphering wildlife clues of critters who passed through the area before her; and meeting other fascinating friends like pitcher plants, lopsided Indian grass, and everything else natural. After pursuing a bachelor degree in biology, Jeanne has since spent over four years mapping wetland and upland habitats throughout the United States, including most of northern Florida. She realizes that she is happiest when teaching about nature, writing about the importance of people sharing Florida with our native wildlife, or just being outdoors. Jeanne has spent the past 12 years smiling while working as a Wildlife Biologist and now she is thrilled to be co-owning an ecotourism, environmental education and consulting company called Sensing Nature™.

Monthly meetings and programs of the Hernando Chapter are held on the first Monday of the month, and are open to the public, free of charge. Meetings are held at the Hernando County Cooperative Extension Office – 19490 Oliver Street (next to the County Fairgrounds) in Brooksville. We gather for delicious food and fellowship at 6:30pm, meeting and program starts at 7:00pm. For more information about this program or the Florida Native Plant Society, contact the Hernando Chapter Board at hcfnps@gmail.com.

2009 Florida-Friendly Landscaping Workshop

The Hernando Chapter will participate in the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Workshop on February 20, 2009. This event will be presented by the Hernando County Cooperative Extension Service Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program, South West Florida Water Management District, and Hernando County Utilities Department.

The workshop will feature demonstrations and talks covering vegetable gardening, irrigation systems and efficient watering, adding color to your landscape and more! The workshop will be held at SNPJ Lodge, 13383 County Line Road and run from 8:00am to 12:00pm. There will be door prizes, refreshments, and educational materials. Cost for the workshop is $10 per person. Registration and payment are required by February 17th. Registration is limited and is accepted on a first paid, first registered basis. Stop by the Hernando County Cooperative Extension Service 19490 Oliver St., Brooksville to register. Call 754-4433 for details. Hernando County Utilities customers who prepay and attend the workshop may be eligible for a $10 rebate. One rebate per account. Call 540-4368 Ext. 35139 for more information on the rebate

Chapter News & Resources

The Hernando Chapter braves the chill to speed restoration of the Cypress Lakes Preserve, one of three county properties purchased under the Environmentally Sensitive Lands program.

Hernando Environmentally Sensitive Lands Workday
On Saturday, January 24, volunteers met at the Cypress Lakes Preserve, one of three Environmentally Sensitive Lands managed by Hernando County. At 8:30 am the temperature was just creeping over 40 degrees when the group set out. Leading the group was Jim King, Hernando County Conservation and Recreation, and his wife Jackie. Participants including many members of the Hernando Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, including Mark Hutchinson, Judith and Larry Simpson, Miki Rennar & Don Brown, Annie Schmidt, and Mike Liberton. The trash and litter clean up of the area we were working went quickly, the volunteers then spent almost 3 hours clearing and cutting trees not native to the scrub ecosystem; small oaks and slash pines. This is a task that Mother Nature usually takes care of on a regular basis with wildfires. A prescribed burn is scheduled for later in the year to help complete the work accomplished this last weekend. To volunteer for future workdays, contact Jim King at the Hernando County Planning Department 352-754-4057.

Workday at the Green Bean Organic Market

Saturday, January 24th, Chapter members went to work to spruce up the native plant landscaping at Green Bean Organic Market. Three years ago, when the Chapter first installed this landscape, there was little green on the medians surrounding the Green Bean. Now many of the Simpson Stoppers, Wax Myrtles, Chickasaw Plums, Beauty Berries and Palmettos are gaining some size.

During this work day, new plants were supplied by Rita Grant's nursery to replace some killed accidentally by mowers and motorists. The Chapter also learned that our plan to feature scrub plants at the front door was made impractical by the high lime content of the soil, which is surrounded by cement. Additional Coonties were planted, along with Purple Love Grass. At the end of February, the Chapter will decide whether to enter the annual FNPS landscape award under the commercial category, or wait another year. We'll see how it looks!

Hernando Representative Jim Clayton shares the Gopher Cabin with the Hernando Team, including Gene Kelly, FNPS President, and on the girls' side, Cindy Liberton and Annie Schmidt.

FNPS Hosts Annual Board Retreat and Strategic Planning
Over 30 board members from Chapters across the state gathered north of Gainesville for two days of strategic planning for the Society. Hernando is fortunate to be represented by 4 members in this governing body. Implementation of the strategic plan will result in improvements and increased impact for the Society during this time of opportunity. Representatives were also asked to identify those within their Chapters who have interests in participating in Land Management Reviews or working on Membership and Promotionals at the state level. They were also asked to help identify Chapter educational materials that can be shared with the Society's new education chair. If you have an interest in expanding your role in FNPS, let Jim Clayton know at the meeting, or email Cindy Liberton at liberton@earthlink.net.

Butterfly Gardening Group Forming at Chinsegut Nature Center

A Garden Group is forming to help maintain the new demonstration butterfly gardens at Chinsegut Nature Center. Volunteers will learn from local native plant experts how to maintain plants that butterflies love. The first meeting and workday is scheduled for February 26, 2009 from 1-3 pm.

Five theme gardens feature a wide variety of native plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds under different growing conditions. On a cold day in January, hearty simpson stoppers, anise and blueberry bushes thrived in spite of recent freezing weather. Cardinal flowers in the water garden showed lush green growth at the base of last year’s flower stalks, and the first bright blossoms of spring appeared on the redbud tree.

The gardens were designed by experts from the Florida Museum of Natural History. The Longbrake Family Foundation, Seattle Washington, funded the project. The Hernando Chapter FNPS donated some of the mulch. A micro-irrigation system maximizes water conservation. Interpretive signage is in the works. Later this spring, citizen scientist volunteers will be trained by the Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network to study butterflies that live in the sandhill areas.

For more information on joining this garden group contact: Becky Brown at Chinsegut Nature Center, 352 754-6722. Email HYPERLINK "mailto:Rebecca.Brown@MyFWC.com" Rebecca.Brown@MyFWC.com