Duke Energy Awards Cuplet Fern $11,000 for West Volusia
Chelsea LeNoble, Ph.D.
Duke Energy has awarded Cuplet Fern a nature grant of $11,000 for the inception of a brand new conservation and education program line at Lyonia Environmental Center in Deltona. The grant allows Cuplet Fern to expand an ongoing plant rescue initiative focused on the conservation of imperiled scrub and sandhill plant species facing development. This occasion marks the first time that Cuplet Fern has secured external funding to support the FNPS mission.
Cali Adams standing behind the rows of rescue plants staged at the Geneva Wilderness Area recipient site the day before the planting event this past spring. The Duke Energy Foundation nature grant allows Cuplet Fern to expand this effort to the West Volusia area and strengthen the partnership with the Lyonia Environmental Center in service of the FNPS mission.
Cuplet Fern concentrated on the rescue of a bald rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides) sandhill plant community earlier this year. Rescued species of note include scrub blue curls (Trichostema suffrutescens [G1]), jeweled blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium xerophyllum [G3]), and nodding pinweed (Lechea cernua [G3; LT]). This effort resulted in well over 3,000 pots rescued, many of which contain multiple plant species and specimens. The final installation of rescued plants that will occur at the recipient site adjacent to the Lyonia Environmental Center will also increase species biodiversity for the local scrub jay habitat. Previous recipient sites included our partners at Seminole Leisure Services and St. Johns River Water Management District. Local media coverage of the Geneva Wilderness Area planting can be found here.
The Duke Energy Foundation funding will allow Cuplet Fern to further involve the community in plant rescue efforts. The conservation and education program consists of a planting day with Duke Energy volunteers, a bioblitz event focused on evaluating the success of the rescued plant transplanting, and a mini conference that includes guest speakers and activities designed to teach community members about the importance of Florida native plant rescue efforts. A press release statement has been made here.
