Partnerships – Coastal Plain Chapter

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Partnerships/Volunteering

Partnerships formed involve monetary support and volunteer planning and work hours:

Pollinator Garden at Tifton-Tift County Library

A new native plant pollinator garden has been installed at the Tifton – Tift County Public Library. Funding for the garden came from the Georgia Public Library Service in partnership with the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail and the Magnolia Garden Club of Tifton. Plants valued at $100 were provided by the Coastal Plain Chapter GNPS through their grant program. The garden will be registered on the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail. Photographs of these new library gardens are to be featured in a 95th birthday book for Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. July 2022.

Tifton and St Mary’s

Partnered with elementary schools in Tifton and St Mary’s to design and supply plants, volunteer workers and funds for pollinator gardens using native plants meeting the specifications of the Connect to Protect Program sponsored by the Georgia Botanical Garden.

Len Lastinger Elementary Butterfly Garden

Coastal Plain Chapter, GNPS members have been working on a butterfly garden for Len Lastinger Elementary School in Tifton. Five kindergarten classes got their `hands into the soil as they replanted an abandoned butterfly garden at the school. The 20’ x 30’ neglected space was part of a larger school garden area that included raised vegetable beds and a chicken coop. This project was proposed by the kindergarten teacher last November after CPC members completed a native plant border garden around the school’s Outdoor STEM Learning Lab. CPC members assisted with garden prep, removing weeds and pre-digging holes for many plants.

STEM Program at Len Lastinger Elementary School

Members of the Coastal Plain Chapter, GNPS helped design and install a pollinator garden at Len Lastinger Elementary School in Tifton using the criteria for a Connect to Protect Garden, State Botanical Garden of Georgia. The garden is part of their STEM Outdoor Lab.Native plants that bloom in three different seasons were selected as well as multiple native insect larval host plants. The Coastal Plain Chapter assisted in acquiring plants from members of the chapter and by donating plants left over from spring/summer plant sales. The garden is approximately 156 square feet and forms a border on all four sides of the STEM Outdoor Lab. The school will commit to avoid broad-spectrum insecticides in the garden area and to maintaining the garden as well as applying for Connect to Protect status.

Matt Wilson Elementary Pollinator Garden

Pollinator Garden Installed at Tifton’s Dog Park

Last November the Coastal Plains chapter in cooperation with City of Tifton planted a native pollinator garden on the perimeter of the new dog park at Fulwood Park in Tifton. Plants are growing and blooming. Plants chosen are to bloom in three seasons and serve as hosts to several pollinator species, including the monarch butterfly. The plant list included 27 different flowers, vines, shrubs, and grasses.
Assisting CPC members were other volunteers representing Keep Tift Beautiful, the KTB Community Garden, the Tifton Tree Board, and UGA Tifton Campus students and faculty. Many of the volunteers will receive credit for volunteer hours needed to complete the State Botanical Garden’s

Ongoing Crooked River State Park (CSRP) project

Coastal Plain Chapter and Friends of CRSP are using solarization to kill mostly bahia grass in to establish a meadow of pollinator-friendly native plants. They laid about (32′ x 110′) 3 ml polyethylene plastic on freshly mowed, freshly soaked grass then used concrete blocks to hold the plastic in place. In early winter, they will take out dead grass, overseed with native wildflower and grass seed, roll it, and lay a thin layer of pine needles on top. They will walk away, hope for favorable weather, and see what grows next spring.

Certificate in Native Plants program offered through UGA Tifton Campus.

Partnered with the Georgia Botanical Garden in Athens to plan and coordinate a Certificate in Native Plants program in South Georgia – 2019 – 2020.

Partnered with Gaskins Forest Education Center in Alapaha to provide funds and activities for A Day in the Woods for the 4^th A free open to the public field day held in April each year.

Other Activities

Plant sales at the Wiregrass Farmer’s Market in Tifton were conducted on Saturdays between April and July to raise funds for chapter activities. Plants were grown and donated by local Chapter members.