A Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.
The Naples Chapter is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to conserve and restore Collier County's native plant communities. Everyone may access free native plant resources on this website. We strive to collaborate with increasing numbers of community organizations for native plant landscaping, conservation, and education. Help us reach our goals by making a donation today.
Listen to Dr. Brian Bovard from Florida Gulf Coast University describe the Naples Chapter and talk about how important native plants are to Collier County! Learn more...
The Florida Native Plant Society provides resources and wonderful opportunities to learn about Florida's unique environment. Click here to learn more
Click here to receive our monthly e-newsletter! This is a great way to stay in the loop for all our upcoming programs, field trips, and volunteer opportunities!
Saturday, March 20th, 10am‒2pm The public is invited to visit the Naples Chapter for a native plant sale at Cutting Horse Eco-Center in Bonita Springs. Masks & social distancing required. Anyone interested in volunteering that day at the Eco-Center may RSVP below.
A bill that would protect farmers from nuisance pollution and air particle emissions complaints is working its way through the legislative session in Tallahassee, and environmental groups worry that it could lead to further degradation of Florida's already ailing waterways read more…
Lake Okeechobee has been at or above 15 feet above sea level since the past rainy season, and the next wet cycle starts in a matter of weeks. Rain and all the lake water are causing some to fear there will be another toxic algae bloom this summer, that devastating blooms will return. read more…
A coalition of nonprofits filed suit against the federal government Thursday, warning the state’s citrus industry could become the breeding ground for dangerous antibiotic–resistant bacteria. read more…
Lake Okeechobee has been at or above 15 feet above sea level since the past rainy season, and the next wet cycle starts in a matter of weeks. Rain and all the lake water are causing some to fear there will be another toxic algae bloom this summer, that devastating blooms will return. read more…
From a distance, the beaches look normal. White sand meets a blue Gulf of Mexico and an even bluer sky. But already I know that something is amiss as I spot a struggling Royal Tern and Herring Gull at the edge of the waves:red tide is here again. read more…
A joint ecosystem restoration effort between the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is nearing completion. read more…
It seemed to start with the birds,staggering loopily on the beaches, flopping into the surf;then came the fish littering Fort Myers Beach; then the sea turtles washing onto the sand or into back bays – all victims of the latest wave of havoc wrought by red tide. read more…
Florida wildlife officials are planning to ban owning or breeding six types of pythons, the green anaconda and nine other “high-risk” reptiles. Serpent lovers say it’s nothing less than a state-orchestrated snake-pocalypse targeting their pets and businesses. read more…
Across the United States and Canada, pollen season is starting 20 days earlier and pollen loads are 21% higher since 1990, and a huge chunk of that is because of global warming, says a new study in Monday’s journal the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. read more…
A Texas-based oil company’s applications to build roads and oil pads in Big Cypress National Preserve through Florida’s newly assumed wetland permitting program has rekindled opposition from environmental groups. read more…
To grow more avocados, native forests are being destroyed and, with them, critical habitat. Americans’love for avocados is voracious; we eat them year round, not just on Super Bowl Sunday. Total U.S. consumption increased about 620 percent between 1995 (360.1 million pounds) and 2020 (2,592.1 million pounds). Although some avocados come from the United States, Chile, Peru and the Dominican Republic, most come from Michoacán. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 acres, an area about a third to half the size of Washington, D.C., are converted from pine and fir forests to avocado farms each year read more…
The state recently took over the permitting process for the filling of ecologically sensitive wetlands — a move many environmentalists didn’t like — and is now issuing permits. read more…
The plan to restore Tigertail lagoon on Marco Island to pre- Hurricane Irma conditions puts in jeopardy the nesting grounds of hundreds of threatened birds, according to Audubon Florida. read more…
The EPA announced it would let Florida growers again use aldicarb after more than a decade of prohibition while also ruling that farmers nationwide can use streptomycin on citrus trees read more…
All Naples Chapter gatherings are temporarily suspended as a precaution to reduce potential spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Our meetings are being held online until further notice. Chapter members and e-newsletter subscribers will receive registration links to attend the meetings live. Presentation recordings will be made available shortly after the meeting.
The Naples Chapter meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm, unless otherwise specified. No meetings will be held in July or January due to holidays.
4820 Bayshore Drive
Naples, Florida 34112
Meetings are held in the Harvey Kapnick Education and Research Center. After coming through the main entrance for Naples Botanical Garden, take your first right to find parking.The Kapnick Center is located just north of Naples Botanical Garden's Chabraja Visitor Center. The auditorium is located at the north end of the Kapnick Center
Would you like the Naples Chapter to speak to your group or participate in your community event? Please contact us at Naplesoutreach@fnps.org. For general inquiries use the form below:
Andee Naccarato
∗ President & Program Chair
Andee Naccarato grew up in Naples and earned a Master's Degree in Environmental Science from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2011. She became further immersed in the world of native plants by working at Naples Botanical Garden and Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. Andee joined FNPS in 2013 and has served on the board of directors as Chair of Membership, Conservation, and Education, and President.
Evan Barr
∗ Vice President & Plant Sales Chair
Evan Barr is a Naples native. He holds a B.A. degree in Economics and a Permaculture Design Certificate. He has over 10 years of experience in horticulture, ranging from farming to landscaping to gardening. His passion is working within the intersection of native plantings and residential gardens to improve biodiversity in the landscape.
Karyn Allman
∗ Secretary & Outreach Chair
Karyn Allman currently works as a senior supervisor for the Lee County Conservation 20/20 program. She has a Master's Degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Kent Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology. Karyn grew up in Maine and has spent her life exploring the outdoors as a part of her professional and personal life. She enjoys hiking, diving, camping, kayaking, birding, and of course taking the time to stop and learn new plants wherever she goes! Karyn has been a member of the Naples Chapter for 12 years. Karyn can be contacted at Naplesoutreach@fnps.org.
Becky Troop
∗ Co-Treasurer
Becky Troop is retired from The Naples Players, where she was the Director of Volunteers for 17 years and the Director of Development for two years. Within the last four years, Becky completed both the Florida Master Naturalist and Master Gardener programs through the University of Florida. Becky has volunteered with Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Rookery Bay, and the Florida Trail Association. She landscaped her home garden with Florida native plants and Florida friendly plants, with particular interest in adding pollinator plants and littoral plants (along a small lake).
Wade Gurley
∗ Co-Treasurer & Co-Conservation Chair
Wade Gurley received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in wildlife biology through the Texas A&M University system. He moved to southwest Florida in 2010 and has worked since as a biologist in the region on projects involving sea turtles, mangrove cuckoos, rare orchids, prescribed fire, white tailed deer, Everglades mink, bonneted bats, and red cockaded woodpeckers. In 2020, Wade served as Treasurer and Membership Chair for the Naples Chapter.
Liberty Gibson
∗ Co-Conservation Chair
Liberty Gibson graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Horticulture. She fell in love with Florida flora (and fauna) when she moved to Naples to complete an internship with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Liberty joined the Naples Chapter board in 2019.
Kara Driscoll
∗ Chapter Representative
Kara Driscoll is a native Floridian and has been involved with the Florida Native Plant Society for seven years. She first joined the Society while living in Tallahassee and worked closely with the Magnolia Chapter, serving as field trip and program coordinator. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in environmental science at Florida Gulf Coast University and conducting research on one of Florida's endemic milkweed species. Kara also serves the Florida Native Plant Society on the Council of Chapters.
Connie Nagele
∗ Membership Chair
Connie Nagele describes herself as a very curious person with many passions. Professionally, she is a small business consultant specializing in back-office setup/organization and building teams. Connie is also active in the outdoors and enjoys hiking, kayaking, and fishing in Florida's natural areas. Butterflies are her special joy! Connie is restoring and maintaining the Butterfly Garden at Sugden Regional Park as part of her commitment to making a positive difference in her community.
Michael Troop
Website Designer
Now retired, Michael Troop designs websites for a hobby. He knows nothing about plants and animals and depends on his wife, who is a master gardner to explain the birds and the bees (and plants) to him. In his prior life, he served in the military for 20 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He holds a master of science degree in nurse anesthesia from Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan and has practiced anesthesia for over 40 years. He loved the business...he thought it was a "gas".
Alicia Schwartz
Facebook Volunteer
Alicia Schwartz moved to Naples, FL in 2017, after living in New York and Puerto Rico. She is a recently retired nurse. As an active member of the Community Emergency Response Team, Alicia volunteered for disaster relief in New York City (after 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy) and in Puerto Rico (after Hurricane Maria). Alicia always had a love for growing plants, even when all the space she had was a New York City terrace. Alicia is a recent graduate of the Florida Master Gardener program and has a special fondness for orchids.
Danny Cox
YouTube Volunteer
Danny Cox began editing the Naples Chapter's YouTube videos in May 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic necessitated a shift to online meetings. Danny is the Aquatic Areas Manager at Naples Botanical Garden. He is also a Past President of the Naples Chapter. His favorite Florida native plant is blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium).
Thank you for doing YOUR part to preserve, conserve, and restore native plants in Collier County!
Be sure to check out other videos from our YouTube Channel (click here) and from Florida Native Plant Society YouTube Channel (click here).
*Express written permission from the Naples Chapter Board of Directors (naplesnativeplants@fnps.org) is required for any other use of these documents.
Every member of the Naples Chapter is eligible for a one-hour native landscaping consultation at their home. Fellow members volunteer to identify native plants that are present, identify any invasive plants to remove, and suggest additional native plants that could be added to the site.
Interested in a native landscaping consultation, but not yet a member? Join the Florida Native Plant Society here. Memberships start at $35/year (individual). Be sure to indicate that you are joining the Naples Chapter.
Community representatives are welcome to contact us to schedule a one-hour site visit. Please give at least one month's notice so we have time to include the volunteer opportunity in our monthly e-newsletter. We request that at least two members of the landscaping committee become members of the Naples Chapter.
