协会概况与历史
美国阿拉斯加原生植物协会 Alaska Native Plant Society（缩写 AKNPS）是一家 1982 年成立的非营利组织，由一群业余与专业植物学家在安克雷奇成立，专注于阿拉斯加州原生植物的研究、教育与保护。协会的标志植物是 Linnaea borealis（北极花／双铃花），早期成员把这一北极圈广布的常绿小灌木绘制成徽章，象征本土植物的低矮坚韧。首任会长 Verna Pratt 与首任会刊编辑 Frank Pratt 共同奠定了协会结构与对外联络机制，Verna Pratt 于 2014 年入选阿拉斯加女性名人堂。
会员与活动
AKNPS 个人会员年费 15 美元、家庭会员年费 20 美元，缴费经 PayPal 处理，会员可收到《Borealis》会刊、年度选举投票权，并优先参加外地考察团。每月第一个周一晚 7 时（10 月至次年 5 月）在安克雷奇的 Campbell Creek Science Center 召开月度例会，公开向公众开放，邀请讲员做专题报告，会员亦作 5 分钟幻灯片分享；年度考察活动从 5 月开始，曾前往 Kodiak、Seldovia、Chitina/Kennicott 与 Denali 国家公园等多地。
《Borealis》会刊与实地指南
《Borealis》双月刊会刊自 1982 年创刊起持续出版至今，每年 9 月、11 月、次年 1 月、3 月、5 月发行，会员可阅读当年所有期数，公众可在线翻阅历年存档。Dennis Ronsse 维护的阿拉斯加步道实地指南涵盖 Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge、Arctic Valley、Flattop、Indianhouse Mountain、Kobuk Dunes 等 15 个区域，提供按植物学名排列的物种清单与可下载 PDF，便于野外辨识。
科研项目与种子交换
协会与阿拉斯加楚加奇州立公园合作开展 Flora of Chugach State Park 项目，自 2020 年起通过 iNaturalist 收集园内维管植物、苔藓、地衣与真菌的观测数据，已发布 2020 与 2021 年度进展报告。2022 年发起的 Alaska Botany Bioblitz 鼓励公众在 7 月上旬提交野外照片，由评审选出观测数量、地理分布、影像质量与鉴定贡献优胜者。种子交换项目每年元旦向会员开放，2025 年批次包含 40 余种阿拉斯加原生植物，如 Nootka Lupine、Chocolate Lily、Pale Poppy、Stinging Nettle 等。
本土植物月与年度物种
每年 5 月定为 Alaska Native Plant Month，协会向 K-12 学校、社区团体与园艺爱好者提供课程指南与讲座资源。自 2020 年起推选年度本土植物，2025 年同时表彰 feltleaf willow（Salix alaxensis）与 netleaf willow（S. reticulata）两种柳属植物，2026 年的年度物种为 tall cottongrass（Eriophorum angustifolium），由 UAF 研究科学家、协会会员 Martha Raynolds 撰文介绍其形态特征与在阿拉斯加两种亚种的分布。协会与 Interior Chapter-Alaska Native Plant Society 保持松散合作，共享教学与考察资源。
Society Overview and History
The Alaska Native Plant Society (AKNPS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1982 in Anchorage by a small group of amateur and professional botanists, dedicated to the study, education and conservation of Alaska’s native flora. The Society’s emblem is Linnaea borealis (twinflower), a low evergreen subshrub widespread across boreal and arctic regions, drawn onto the round badge to reflect the resilience of native plants. Co-founder Verna Pratt served as the first President while Frank Pratt edited the inaugural newsletter Borealis; Verna Pratt was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014.
Membership and Activities
Individual memberships cost $15 per year and family memberships $20 per year, both renewable through PayPal. Members receive the Borealis newsletter, vote in AKNPS elections and enjoy priority on multi-day excursions. General meetings are open to the public on the first Monday of each month, October through May, at 7 PM, held virtually and at the Campbell Creek Science Center in Anchorage, featuring invited speakers and 5-minute member slide shows. Field trips run from May into the summer, with past destinations including Kodiak, Seldovia, Chitina/Kennicott and Denali National Park.
Borealis Newsletter and Field Guides
Borealis is the Society’s bimonthly newsletter, published continuously since 1982 in September, November, January, March and May for members, with archived issues from earlier years open to the public. The Society also maintains Alaska trail field guides compiled by Dennis Ronsse, covering fifteen areas such as Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, Arctic Valley, Flattop, Indianhouse Mountain and Kobuk Dunes. Each guide lists plant species alphabetically by scientific name following the Flora of Alaska Project and is available as a free downloadable PDF for phone or print use.
Research Projects and Seed Distribution
AKNPS partners with Chugach State Park staff on the Flora of Chugach State Park project, launched in spring 2020 through an iNaturalist collection project that has gathered vascular plant, bryophyte, lichen and fungi observations across the park; 2020 and 2021 progress reports are publicly downloadable. The 2022 Alaska Botany Bioblitz invited Alaskans to upload plant photos during the first two weeks of July, with prizes for most observations, widest geographic extent, best photo and most identifications. The annual Native Seed Distribution program opens to members every January 1; the 2025 batch lists more than forty Alaska native species, including Nootka Lupine, Chocolate Lily, Pale Poppy and Stinging Nettle.
Native Plant Month and Plant of the Year
May is celebrated across Alaska as Alaska Native Plant Month, with AKNPS providing K-12 curriculum guides, gardening with native plants resources and event listings for community groups. Since 2020 the Society has designated an annual Alaska Native Plant of the Year: 2025 celebrated both feltleaf willow (Salix alaxensis) and netleaf willow (S. reticulata), while 2026 highlights tall cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium), profiled by UAF research scientist and AKNPS member Martha Raynolds. The Society works closely with the loosely affiliated Interior Chapter-Alaska Native Plant Society to share educational programs and field trip opportunities across the state.
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