Current issues | Past issues
V 34 1 Fall 2020. For the Covid-19 Summer, the Clark Fork Chapter reported on “A Trip to Cliff Lake” with 8 masked participants led by Peter Lesica to this beautiful lake on the Montana-Idaho border; the Flathead Chapter reported on annual meeting plans; President Gretchen Rupp reported on a survey conducted by the Board who see membership growth but not so much interest in volunteering; founding member Virginia Vincent remembered by Peter Lesica, along with the reprint of Vincent’s “Fire Lookout on Stark Mountain”; Matt Lavin contributes “The Future of Montana Grasslands” about ecosystem-level changes in plant productivity; Robert Wooley shares thoughts on plant name changes in “Taxonomical Meanderings: Western Wheatgrass”; in Gardener’s Notebook, Caroline Kruckeberg Clemans discusses landscaping with Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa); and a reprint from the “Native Plant Conservation News” about native plants in healthy human immune systems.
V 34 2 Winter 2021. “Celebrating the Spirit of Volunteerism” is the theme encompassing the front page and a two-page feature. President Gretchen Rupp talks about how volunteering supports our mission and keeps our organization vital. A call for small grants proposals, information about the Annual Meeting for 2021, chapter meeting plans, calls for members to nominate people for outstanding service, leadership, and a call for new state board leadership candidates. A Small Grant Report by Paulette Epple describes a Sacajawea Audubon Society “Plants for Birds Garden” at Story Mills Community Park in Bozeman built with MNPS assistance. Peter Lesica and Elizabeth Bergstrom discuss how busy 2020 was for conservation organizations in Montana and what MNPS has been able to accomplish. Kelly Chadwick offers a memorial for a long-time Clark Fork Chapter volunteer Ginny Deneve, and Anne Morley offers appreciation of long-time Flathead Chapter member Malcolm Thompson.
V 34 3 Spring 2021. A Small Grant Report on “Reestablishing Native Plant communities Post-herbicide in the Centennial Valley,” by Claire Ols details how a our grant helped reseed 10 acres of high priority wildlife habitat with a mixture of natives; Beth Judy offers a celebration of Kelly Chadwick’s career as UM’s “Garden Manager” in “The People Behind the Plants: UM’s ‘Plant Lady’ Retires.” Our newly-appointed vice-president, Robert Pal, is introduced – outgoing VP Ryan Quire stepped back due to other commitments; outgoing Kelseya editor Caroline Kurtz is celebrated for her services; Ben Deeble of the Big Sky Upland Bird Association offers, “What ‘firebirds’ Can Teach Us About Habitat”; and wildlands management champion Bill Gabriel is memorialized. Three Small Grants are announced; in a “Conservation Corner” article, Peter Lesica and Elizabeth Bergstrom report about how mining endangers the rare thick-leaved bladderpod in the Pryor Mountains, and the conservation risks posed by HB 418 in the Montana Legislature; in the “Gardener’s Notebook,” Leah Grunzke tells how to use Chokecherry in native garden plantings; in the President’s Platform, Gretchen Rupp outlines reasons to pay attention to trees; and Paul Beck gives “A Winter Field Trip” report on a Clark Fork Chapter trip aimed at shrubs and mosses in their winter forms.
V 34 4 Summer 2021. Peter Lesica’s article “Plants Don’t Need Nerves” tells about how internal communication works in plants; chapter events are listed; 2021 election results announced; an appreciation of outgoing Kelseya graphic designer Eileen Chontos; and a welcome to 53 new members.;Community scientists are invited to help with Western Redcedar dieback research; Herbarium by Barbara M. Thiers is thoroughly reviewed by Arnold Thiem – the book talks about the history and value of the world’s 3,300 herbaria; Small Grant Reports include “Tell our History with Native Plants!” by Kathe Gabel, describing a native plant garden associated with the Huntley Project Museum; “Revitalizing Sweetgrass for the Fort Belknap Indian Community” by Colette Work tells how restoring sweetgrass near the powwow grounds helped restore the land and culture; in the “Gardener’s Notebook”, Kelly Chadwick describes Penstemon fruticosus and its characteristics; and the President’s Platform article passes the torch from out outgoing President Gretchen Rupp to incoming President Patrick Plantenberg.