罗德岛野生植物协会（Rhode Island Wild Plant Society，简称 RIWPS）是一家成立于 1987 年的志愿者主导、志愿者驱动的 501(c)(3) 非营利保护组织，总部位于罗德岛州北金斯敦，致力于保护与研究罗德岛本土植物及其栖息地。协会以欣赏、保护、研究三大宗旨为核心，汇聚了对本土植物充满热情的爱好者群体，并推动相关教育、种植实践与土地保育工作。
协会概况与创立背景
协会的成立源自 1980 年代后期一群关心本土植物栖息地流失的志愿者，自 1987 年起开始有组织地记录本地植物多样性并倡导本土植物的保护与种植。早期由 Lisa Lofland Gould 担任首任主席（1987–1989），其后 Gilbert George、Martha Marshall、Kathleen Barton、Joan Pilson、Richard Hull 等历任主席共同推动了协会由小型兴趣团体向专业保护组织的转型。1995 年协会曾获新英格兰野生花卉学会颁发的社会认可奖（Society Recognition Citation），1991 年又获罗德岛州园艺俱乐部的特别展览奖；自 1994 年起更连续多年在罗德岛春季花卉与园艺展上获得人民选择奖、最佳非营利展览奖及多项特别设计奖，其中 2016 年以 “SEEDS for the NEXT GENERATION”（下一代种子）主题展品同时斩获最佳非营利第一名、人民选择第一名及罗杰与伊丽莎白·斯温设计执行奖。该协会现任理事会成员包括主席 Dan Rakosky、副主席 Sue Theriault、财务 Lynn Feiner、秘书 Mary O’Connor，以及多位任期理事，会员与公众均可参加每两月一次的公开理事会会议。
ReSeeding Rhode Island 本土种子项目
ReSeeding Rhode Island 是协会自 2022 年起推进的多年期旗舰计划，旨在大幅增加罗德岛本土、特别是当地”生态型”（ecotype）植物种子与种苗的可获得性。生态型植物是指源自本地区历史原生种群的本地植物，其遗传特征最能适应当地的生物与非生物环境。项目延续了植物学家 Hope Leeson 在 2010 年发起的罗德岛本土植物行动（Rhody Native Initiative）以及康涅狄格东北部有机农业协会（CTNOFA）于 2019 年设立的生态型项目的思路。在 2022 年生长季，植物学家 Shannon Kingsley 以可持续、合乎伦理的方式从野外采集了多个野生种群的种子并完成冷层积催芽；2023 年，园艺师 Barbara Shaughnessy 培育出 15 个物种的穴盘苗；2023 年秋季这些穴盘苗被定植于合作有机农场与土地信托机构管理的”基础圃”（foundation plot）中，并在 2024 年完成了首次种子采收。协会通过与 Northeast Seed Collective 合作销售种子，目前可提供的首批 ReSeeding RI 种子包括甘草一枝黄花、西洋蓍草、泽兰、波形紫菀、马鞭草、贯叶泽兰、红花半边莲、狭叶山薄荷、广叶山薄荷与灰色一枝黄花等十个物种。
教育与公众活动
教育与公众参与是协会战略规划（2022–2027）的核心目标之一。协会全年举办面向不同水平参与者的活动，包括初学者植物识别讲座、每月第一个星期四的常态化植物考察散步（Botanizing Walk）、春、秋两季的本土植物销售（其中 2025 年春季销售售出超过两千株本地植物与一百五十包恢复级种子）、青少年与家庭的”Wild Things Family Walk”自然体验、专题工作坊以及年度大会与嘉宾讲座。2022 年 11 月，创始会员 Lisa Lofland Gould 在罗德岛大学举办的”Seeding the Future”专家论坛上发表了关于协会历史与本土植物保护的回顾演讲；2024 年 2 月，副主席 Dave Vissoe 在 URI 合作推广中心通过线上讲座详细介绍了 ReSeeding RI 项目的运作。协会还设立年度小额资助计划，每年向符合资格的教育工作者、罗德岛州植物学或环境协会成员以及相关领域学生提供最高两千五百美元的资助，支持与本土植物及其栖息地保护相关的项目，包括花园建设、入侵植物清除、社区外展活动以及研究材料采购等。
合作网络与资源库
协会与多个区域机构建立了长期合作关系，其中包括罗德岛自然历史调查（Rhode Island Natural History Survey）、罗德岛植物—昆虫社区网络（RI Plant Insect Community Network）、罗德岛树木委员会（Rhode Island Tree Council）、URI 推广中心及 URI 大师园丁项目，以及新英格兰野生花卉学会旗下的 GoBotany 数据库。这些合作使得协会能够为会员与公众提供包括罗德岛原生植物指南（Rhode Island Native Plant Guide，包含四百个具有观赏与生态恢复价值的本土物种数据库）、本地区植物识别工具、推荐阅读书目（涵盖 Douglas Tallamy 的《Bringing Nature Home》、Sara Stein 的《Noah’s Garden》系列以及 Richard Louv 的《Last Child in the Woods》等经典著作）、自助式植物与自然散步指南，以及曾由罗德岛野生花卉爱好者小组长期维护、现已并入 RIWPS 网站的”罗德岛野花”（Among Rhode Island Wildflowers）专题资源。协会通过”2026 Capital Campaign”（2026 年资本运动）继续推进 ReSeeding RI 项目的基础圃扩展与种子库建设，公众可通过官网了解最新活动、销售安排与志愿参与方式。
The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society (RIWPS) is a volunteer-led and volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The Society is dedicated to the preservation and protection of Rhode Island’s native plants and their habitats, and operates on the three-part mission of appreciating, protecting, and studying the state’s indigenous flora while educating the public about their ecological and aesthetic values.
About the Society
Founded by a small group of naturalists concerned about habitat loss in the late 1980s, RIWPS began formal efforts in 1987 to document the state’s plant diversity and to advocate for the conservation and cultivation of native species. Lisa Lofland Gould served as the founding president from 1987 to 1989, followed by Gilbert George, Martha Marshall, Kathleen Barton, Joan Pilson, Richard Hull, and others, who together guided the organization’s evolution from a small interest group into a professional conservation body. The Society received a Citation of Society Recognition from the New England Wild Flower Society in 1995 and a Special Exhibit Award from the State Garden Club in 1991; from 1994 onward it earned consecutive recognitions at the Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show, including People’s Choice, Best in Show–Non Profit, and the Roger and Elizabeth Swain Award for Design and Execution, culminating in the 2016 SEEDS for the NEXT GENERATION exhibit which won all three top honors. Today the Board of Trustees comprises President Dan Rakosky, Vice President Sue Theriault, Treasurer Lynn Feiner, Secretary Mary O’Connor, and multiple Trustees-at-Large, with public Board meetings held every other month.
ReSeeding Rhode Island Initiative
ReSeeding Rhode Island is the Society’s flagship multi-year initiative, launched in 2022 to dramatically expand the availability of locally sourced “ecotypic” native seeds and plants for Rhode Island. Ecotype plants, those derived from historically local native populations in an ecoregion, are uniquely genetically adapted to the biotic and abiotic conditions of their region. The initiative builds on the Rhody Native Initiative started in 2010 by botanist Hope Leeson under the Rhode Island Natural History Survey and on The Ecotype Project established in 2019 by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut. During the 2022 growing season botanist Shannon Kingsley ethically collected seeds from multiple wild populations; horticulturist Barbara Shaughnessy nurtured the resulting plugs through 2023, and in fall 2023 plugs of 15 species were transplanted into foundation plots on partner organic farms and land-trust properties, with the first seed harvest realized in 2024. The Society now partners with the Northeast Seed Collective to distribute ReSeeding RI seeds, with the current species list including licorice goldenrod, common yarrow, Joe Pye weed, wavy-leaved aster, blue vervain, boneset, cardinal flower, narrowleaf mountain mint, broadleaf mountain mint, and gray goldenrod.
Education and Public Programs
Public education is one of the central goals of the Society’s 2022–2027 Strategic Plan. RIWPS offers year-round programs designed for all botanical abilities, including introductory plant identification workshops, the monthly First Thursday Botanizing Walk, twice-yearly native plant sales (the May 2025 sale alone moved more than 2,000 locally native plants and 150 packets of restoration-quality seed), Wild Things Family Walks for children and families, special-topic workshops, and the Annual Meeting with featured guest lectures. Notable past events include founding member Lisa Lofland Gould’s retrospective talk at the November 2022 “Seeding the Future” panel at the University of Rhode Island and Vice President Dave Vissoe’s February 2024 online presentation on ReSeeding RI for URI Cooperative Extension. The Society also administers an annual small-grants program, offering up to $2,500 to qualifying Rhode Island educators, association members, and students for projects related to native plant conservation, invasive species removal, community gardens, or related research, with applications traditionally accepted from January through February each year.
Partner Network and Resources
RIWPS maintains long-term collaborations with the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, the Rhode Island Plant Insect Community Network, the Rhode Island Tree Council, URI Cooperative Extension and Master Gardener Program, and the Native Plant Trust’s GoBotany database. Through these partnerships the Society curates a public resource library that includes the Rhode Island Native Plant Guide (a searchable database of 400 native species selected for ornamental and restoration value), recommended reading lists featuring works by Douglas Tallamy, Sara Stein, Richard Louv, Mary Holland, and others, self-guided plant and nature walk notes for sites across the state, and the integrated “Among Rhode Island Wildflowers” archive originally maintained by amateur naturalists covering ferns, orchids, violets, carnivorous plants, and other regional taxa. The Society’s current “2026 Capital Campaign” (SEEDS for the NEXT GENERATION) supports continued expansion of ReSeeding RI foundation plots, seed bank development, and outreach programming; members and the public can follow the Society’s website for the latest sales, walks, lectures, and volunteer opportunities.
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