Calendar

The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society in conjunction with Sandpoint Parks and Recreation have monthly presentations at the Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First Avenue. The meetings are held from 9:45 - 11:30 AM. The meetings are held on the 4th Saturday of each month, January thru June and September thru November.

January 25, 2020, 9:45-11:30 am, at Sandpoint Community Hall

Native Plant Conservation and KNPS

Summary: One of our missions at KNPS is “to advocate the conservation of this rich natural [native plant] heritage for future generations.” This program will include a brief presentation and discussion of native plant conservation in our changing world, as climate and competition from invasive species increasingly impact our native plant ecosystems. We especially want to devote time to discussing how KNPS, through the leadership of the Conservation Committee, can be actively involved in native plant conservation issues in our area, such as through advocacy, participation in field surveys, or the re-introduction and maintenance of native plants and their habitats.

Bios:
Preston Andrews is the current Program Coordinator and member of the Board of KNPS. He is an Emeritus Professor of Horticulture from Washington State University, where his research focused on sustainability and the environmental physiology of woody plants. He is active in citizen science and a volunteer for several local organizations. He has a keen interest in the adaption of native plants to human disturbance and a changing climate.

Ken Thacker is the current Board President of the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. He has lived, worked and played in the wild parts of the northern Rocky Mountain region for nearly 50 years. Since retiring from the Bureau of Land Management in 2004, Ken has been running a weed control business and is widely known by many people in the Sandpoint area only as “The Weed Guy.”

Phil Hough is a past president of KNPS and a former co-chair of their Conservation Committee. He is a member of the Idaho Panhandle Forest Collaborative and the North Idaho Resources Advisory Council. He also co-hosts a radio talk show on conservation and outdoor recreation on Sandpoint’s community radio station, KRFY. Phil is one of the founders and current Executive Director of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, and a founding board member of the Idaho Trails Association.

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February 22, 2020, 9:45-11:30 am, at Sandpoint Community Hall

Priest River Forest Reserve: Then & Now

Jennifer Costich-Thompson

The Priest River Forest Reserve, Idaho’s first federal forest reserve, was established in February 1897. What followed was the extensive evaluation and publication of the Reserve’s characteristics and resources by John Leiberg in his 1899 report, “The Priest River Forest Reserve.” Jennifer’s presentation will provide both historical context and comparison of Leiberg’s work to current forest conditions. For those who have read Jack Nisbet’s book or attended his KNPS presentation, “The Dreamer and the Doctor”, this presentation will provide more details about Leiberg’s local work on the Priest River Forest Reserve.

Bio: Jennifer Costich-Thompson was born and raised in rural northern Idaho and has Forestry and Range degrees from the University of Montana. She has worked as a forester and team leader in northern Idaho for nearly twenty years and has served as the Idaho Panhandle National Forests’ North Zone Botanist for the last ten years.