The North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society is a group of enthusiastic people sharing their knowledge of California’s native plants, studying native plants, and speaking up for native plants for conservation. The mission of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is to increase understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and to conserve them and their natural habitats through science, education, advocacy, horticulture, and land stewardship. The public is welcome at our events.
Dedicated to the preservation of California native flora
CNPS Mission Statement
Welcome! – The North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society is a group of enthusiastic people sharing their knowledge of California’s native plants, studying native plants, and speaking up for native plants in conservation issues. The public is welcome at our events. We encourage membership in CNPS to make our voice for native plants stronger.
The mission of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is to increase understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and to conserve them and their natural habitats through science, education, advocacy, horticulture, and land stewardship.
CNPS is a statewide, non-profit organization of amateurs and professionals with a common interest in California’s native plants. The Society, working through its local chapters, seeks to increase understanding of California’s native flora and to preserve this rich resource for future generations. Membership is open to all. Our members have diverse interests including natural history, botany, ecology, conservation, photography, drawing, hiking, and gardening.
The North Coast Chapter
The North Coast Chapter is one of the 33 local chapters of CNPS. Our members are mostly in Humboldt, Del Norte, western Siskiyou, and western Trinity counties, and most of our field trips are in that area. Our monthly evening programs take place in Arcata. Most of our events are free and open to non-members.
We encourage membership, as it gives us a louder voice for native plants. Everything we do is entirely volunteer-powered.
Our members:
- learn about native plants: study them, identify them, quantify them.
- share native plants: lectures, interpretive walks, wildflower show, workshops, yard consultations, newsletter, web sites.
- grow native plants: in our yards, in public gardens, in pots for sale.
- photograph and draw native plants.
- protect native plants: educate about and remove invasive species, contribute in the planning process at all levels.
- enjoy native plants!
Thanks to our dedicated and talented volunteers, our chapter offers:
- evening programs on second Wednesdays, September through May,
- field trips short and long, near and far, monthly,
- a spring wildflower show with featured speakers, guided walks, and school visits,
- two native plant sales each year,
- an active, volunteer-run native plant nursery,
- a native plant consultation service,
- an interesting and informative newsletter,
- occasional workshops on botanical topics,
Our chapter supports other local groups with overlapping goals, in particular Friends of the Dunes, Friends of Arcata Marsh, and Humboldt Baykeeper. Our chapter is a member group of the Northcoast Environmental Center.
With funds mainly raised from plant sales our chapter supports a variety of projects and causes that promote native plants.