2026 South Georgia Native Plant and Wildflower Symposium Meeting Speakers
Jennifer Whittington
Wildlife Biologist 2
Private Lands Program | Bobwhite Quail Initiative
Wildlife Resources Division
(229) 500-0601
Title: Pollinator Syndromes: Flowers and Their Pollinators
I graduated from the University of Georgia with a M.S. in wildlife ecology and management, focusing specifically on space and resource use by coyotes. Following my masters, I worked on a National Park Service exotic plant management team where I traveled throughout the southeast to treat various invasive plant species. Then I worked as a technician in middle GA for the Wildlife Conservation Section for GA DNR, gaining knowledge and experience in habitat restoration through use of prescribed fire and native plant propagation. After working primarily on public lands, I transitioned into private land conservation initially as a Farm Bill Biologist for Quail Forever in south GA, and now I’m a private lands biologist for the GA DNR Bobwhite Quail Initiative.
Brian Romm
Wildlife Biologist II | Private Lands Program
Wildlife Resources Division
(404) 273-9305
Presentation Title: “Using Indicator Species to Identify Natural Communities and Reference Sites to Inform Plant Selection”
Bio: Graduated the University of Georgia with a degree in wildlife biology, with a focus on reptiles and amphibians, and worked for Texas A&M as a technician collecting data on endangered lizards in New Mexico. Started learning plants to utilize native species in gardening, which led to operating a business in the Atlanta and Athens area helping people develop and install native plantings in residential spaces. Interest in plants turned into a renewed interest in natural communities, ecology, and habitat management, leading to a position with the GADNR Botany team as their habitat management and restoration technician. After a couple of years transitioned to a position as a biologist for the GADNR private lands program.
Amy Heidt
Coastal Plain Chapter GNPS
Title: Edible and Medicinal Native Plants in the Coastal Plain
Amy Heidt is a retired science educator. She taught in Ben Hill and Tift Counties and spent the last two of years as a Science Mentor to school systems across South Georgia. She became interested in native plants as a classroom teacher and wove this into her teaching; writing grants and developing curricula that integrated native plant studies into K-12 curricula through RESA projects and state curriculum development.
Amy is a founding member of the Coastal Plain Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society (CPC, GNPS). She has served as Vice President, President, Secretary, and currently as Propagation Director for the Chapter.
She is a member of the Georgia Native Plant Society Board of Directors and serves as Conservation Director, and as such Chair of the Conservation Committee. She also serves on Propagation, Rescue and Restoration Subcommittees and the Education Committee for GNPS.
Amy has been a member of Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance (GPCA) as a plant guardian/volunteer since 2013. She and her husband, Paul, assist with plant rescue and restoration projects. They are active with rare plant safeguarding, maintaining collections and propagating additional plant materials for conservation out-planting on protected lands. They contribute directly to the conservation work of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
Mary Alice Applegate
Title: Shrink the Lawn and Create Habitat Using Coastal Plain Native Plants.
Since 2017, Mary Alice Applegate has been transforming her 1/3 acre property to an ecological landscape, while keeping it “tame” enough for in-town neighborhood standards. Her residence is certified at the Silver level as a Native Plant Habitat by the Georgia Native Plant Society. The presentation will outline her steps and share lessons learned.
After retiring from a career in economic and community development, Mary Alice Applegate turned her attention to her lifetime interest in native plants. She attended classes and completed requirements for the State Botanical Garden of Georgia’s Certificate in Native Plants in 2020. Applegate lives in Tifton, Ga., and is the immediate past-president of the Coastal Plain Chapter, Georgia Native Plant Society.