Sept. 19, 2024

Every year, the Native Plant Society of Texas recognizes organizations and individuals that advance the nonprofit’s mission: to promote conservation, research and utilization of native plants and plant habitats of Texas through education, outreach and example. 

This year, North Texas native plant advocates had a strong showing with seven local recipients receiving honors — Amy Martin, Cecil Carter, Kim Conrow, Betsy Farris, Kyle Cowart, Barney Lipscomb and the Lingleville ISD Parent Teacher Organization.

All of the honorees will be recognized at NPSOT's annual awards banquet Oct. 12, during NPSOT’s 2024 Fall Symposium in New Braunfels, Texas. 

Below is complete list of 2024 award winners:

BENNY J. SIMPSON FELLOW HONOREES

Kim Conrow, Betsy Ferris and Cecil Carter.

The honor of Fellow is given to members in recognition of remarkable service to the Society in advancing NPSOT’s mission at the State or Chapter level. Fellows are chosen by the membership from a list of members with 10 years of continuous commendable service. 

The 2024 recipients are Cecil Carter of Denton, Kim Conrow of Fort Worth, and Betsy Farris of Collin County.

STATE BOARD AWARDS: APPRECIATION, NATIVE STAR AND DIGITAL MEDIA

A 2024 State Board Award of Appreciation goes to Kyle Cowart, a Mid-Cities high schooler who mobilized student support for wildflwer planting. Cowart became an ambassador for planting Texas bluebonnets by making presentations to multiple groups, creating a display for outreach, and giving away seeds.

The Native Star Award is for a specific act of conservation or public service in the field of Texas native plants. The 2024 award goes to the Lingleville ISD Parent Teacher Organization in Erath County for mobilizing, inspiring, and enlisting the community to create an outdoor learning environment for pre-K through 12 students as a hands-on living lab to enhance education. 

With the leadership of Christine Whitefield, Emily Howe and Doris Hasten, the PTO received grants and in-kind donations, coordinated volunteers and turned a tiny rural school construction zone into a campus-wide outdoor education living laboratory. Watch a video presentation about these three women.

The Digital Media Award recognizes outstanding digital publications featuring Texas native plants. The 2024 award goes to Joe Marcus for his significant contribution as program coordinator of the Native Plants of North America database and website for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. 

Marcus developed a program to recruit photographers to contribute images and many other volunteers to gather species information, upload images to the database, and independently verify the species identification of each photograph submission.

MEMORIAL AWARDS

The NPSOT has seven awards that honor people from the past who were important in the study and advancement of Texas native plants and to people who founded and developed NPSOT. 

The Carroll Abbot Memorial Award is for writings in the popular vein on Texas native plants. The 2024 award goes to Dallas-based writer Amy Martin for her book Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature around Dallas-Fort Worth, which explores the ecology, natural history, and flora and fauna of North Texas and where to experience them. 

Martin has been an environmental writer in the DFW area for more than 40 years. She’s a senior reporter for Green Source DFW. 

Her latest book provides useful information for both the experienced naturalist as well as the novice nature explorer on how to safely explore natural habitats that are often overlooked in the urbanized areas of DFW.

The Mary Jo Laughlin and Dr. Eula White Memorial Award is awarded for visual art that illustrates, interprets or promotes Texas native plants. 

The 2024 award goes to Jane Felts Mauldin for her illustrations highlighting Texas native plants in the Herald-Zeitung newspaper in New Braunfels. Mauldin’s work provides a visual connection to Texas native plants to all readers of the newspaper, thereby enhancing the educational work of the Society’s New Braunfels Chapter.

Mary Curry receives the Shirley Lusk Memorial Award for her scientific study and Botanical Research Institute of Texas herbarium contributor of prairie plants of Northwest Texas. 

The Nancy Benedict Memorial Award is for a specific act of conservation or public service in the field of Texas native plants. The 2024 award goes to Ashley Landry for founding and leading the Native Plant Rescue Project in Central Texas, resulting in thousands of plants and seeds and more than 275 species being saved from development and given to botanic gardens, nurseries, and the public. (Pictured at top of page.)

This project grew out of Landry’s concern about the eradication of many native species due to residential and commercial development projects in Williamson, Burnet and Travis counties. NPRP is a collaboration between the Native Plant Society of Texas, both the state organization and the Williamson County Chapter, and the Good Water Master Naturalists.

The Lynn Lowrey Memorial Award is for horticultural achievement. The 2024 award goes to Patty Manning for work done through Twin Sisters Native Nursery in the Big Bend region, developing propagation protocols and providing new plant species to the Sul Ross State University Plant Material Center, and donating to living collections for botanical gardens throughout Texas.

Manning died on Sept. 10, 2024 at her home in Alpine. She was aware of this award and especially happy to be associated with Lynn Lowrey. Manning’s long career in West Texas spanned academia, field research, commercial plant propagation and the visual arts.

The Charles Leonard Weddle Memorial Award is for lifetime achievement in the field of Texas native plants. The 2024 award goes to Barney Lipscomb for serving as Director of BRIT Press and Library, Editor-in-Chief of botanical journals, Leonhardt Chair of Texas Botany; doing research and fieldwork; co-authoring several flora books and multiple journal articles; and speaking dynamically to NPSOT audiences on multiple topics.

The Donovan Stewart Correll Memorial Award is for scientific writing in the field of the native flora of Texas. There was no 2024 award in this category, and we look forward to 2025 nominations for this award.

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