- Monthly Conservation Note - Family, Friends, and Community
- Upcoming Events
- Give Miami Day!
- Science and Peace Day with Miami-Dade County EEL
- Thank You to Our Donors
- From the Field
- George Gann is awarded the Bradshaw Medal Award
- Interesting Finds with Joel Otero
- Recent Events
- Bloomin' and Buzzin' - An Autumn Social Fundraiser - Do Good Delray Event
- Tropical Audubon Ambassador's Program with Alex Seasholtz
- Follow IRC on Social Media
| | Monthly Conservation Note | | Family, Friends, and Community | | |
The world is full of bad news – climate change, the degradation of landscapes and seascapes, the biodiversity extinction crisis, wars abroad and civil strife at home. It is overwhelming. But we can all play a role in making things better, in charting a different future. This is why IRC exists, not only to have a vision for the future but to empower ourselves, our families, friends, and communities to make restorative and transformative change, to make the world a better place for people and nature.
A version of this statement opened my remarks at our recent Bloomin’ and Buzzin’ event in Delray Beach, an event that by all measures was an incredible success. As I looked out at the more than 100 people participating in the event, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the support given by my family and friends, and those of IRC staff and supporters, who make the work we do possible. Together we make a community, through which so much good is accomplished.
As 'the season' commences in South Florida and the year draws to a close, life becomes increasingly busy. Requests for support from organizations like ours are poised to surge, and we deeply appreciate the ongoing dedication and backing from our families, friends, and the communities that support us. On behalf of everyone at IRC, I want to extend a heartfelt 'Thank You!' Wishing everyone a peaceful and secure conclusion to this year, no matter where you may be.
George Gann
Founder and Executive Director
| | IRC Program Associate Michelle Smith, my daughter Maya Gann, and our friends from the Delray Beach Historical Society John Miller and Connie Cook Lyons. | IRC staff and board at Bloomin’ and Buzzin’. | | | |
Nov 16th - Give Miami Day!
For Give Miami Day each year we raise money for our Pine Rockland Initiative Program. The goal of the program is to restore and manage pine rockland fragments on public and private lands throughout the range of pine rocklands, including providing the thought leadership needed to move beyond "business as usual" and save this unique part of our natural heritage.
Please save these dates for Give Miami Day:
November 13-15: Early Giving
November 16: Give Miami Day
Here's the direct link to our Give Miami Day page.
Consider creating a Fundraiser Page to share with your family and friends to help raise money to support our work in this imperiled ecosystem. We created a template you may use: https://mtyc.co/narctf. If you have any problems navigating the website, let us know and we'll try to help!
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Nov. 11th - Science and Peace Day Event
Join us for the "Science and Peace Day" event hosted by the Miami-Dade County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, taking place at the Hattie Bauer Hammock Preserve on November 11th, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
This event is an exciting environmental education forum that we are happy to be a part of. It offers an interactive experience where attendees can explore different information tables, each representing a unique organization. You'll have the opportunity to learn about these organizations and participate in volunteer opportunities, including the removal of invasive plant species.
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To secure your spot at this event, please register by following this link: Registration Link.
Should you have any questions or need further information, don't hesitate to reach out to EEL at eel@miamidade.gov.
We encourage you to explore other upcoming events hosted by the Environmentally Endangered Lands Program by checking out the graphic above or visiting this link: EEL Events.
Event Location:
Hattie Bauer Hammock Preserve
26715 SW 157 Avenue
Homestead, FL 33031
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Thank you to all who have supported IRC's programs with a $20 or larger donation in the last month: Michael Haley & Edda Post.
Thank you to our Monthly Sustainers who donate $25 or more each month: Barbara McAdam, Lindsay Boehner and Valerie Seasholtz.
While we get funding for some great projects, those funds rarely cover all of our costs, so we really do need your support to continue our important work.
Donations allow us to provide important conservation services such as improving our free online resources, increasing protection of rare plants and animals, restoring native ecosystems, and advocating for better public policy.
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If you're interested in our NFYN sponsorships, reach out to Michelle Smith.
IRC has an E-Trade account. Please contact us about giving gifts of stock.
| Atala caterpillar on host plant, coontie (Zamia integrifolia). Photo by Joel Otero | | | Virgil Hawkes and George Gann receiving their Bradshaw Medal awards at the SER2023 conference in Darwin, Australia. | |
George Gann is honored with the Bradshaw Medal Award
At the Society for Ecological Restoration's 10th World Conference in Darwin, Australia, the Bradshaw Medal was recognized for three scientific papers by the Restoration Ecology Editorial Board for their significant contributions in the field of ecological restoration. In celebration of these scientific contributions, the scientific publications will be available for the public to read until November 10, 2023.
Among these papers, features George Gann, IRC Executive Director, who was one of the contributing authors. Congratulations to George Gann for this prestigious honor!
You can access George's publication as well as the others using the link below. "Restoration, reclamation, and rehabilitation: on the need for, and proposing a definition of, ecological reclamation," authored by Travis G. Gerwing, Virgil C. Hawkes, George D. Gann, and Stephen D. Murphy in 2022, at this link: Link to the paper.
| | Interesting Finds with Joel Otero, Ecological Restoration Crew Member | | | | |
Interesting finds with Joel Otero, IRC Ecological Restoration Crew Member
Joel shares some photos of wildlife and a plant he has recently found in the field. This Carolina mantis was seen at Rockldale Pineland. This species is known to be native to the southeastern United States. The purple/pink-ish flower seen below is called Sensitive brier seen at Pine Shore Pineland Preserve, in flower and showing off it's capability as a groundcover and also happens to be one of Joel's favorite native. Lastly a photo capture of the atala butterfly enjoying some wild-sage, seen at Rockdale Pineland.
All photos by Joel Otero.
| | Bloomin' & Buzzin' - An Autumn Social - Do Good Delray Event | | Photos by Masterwing Creative Agency | | |
IRC’s SECOND fundraising event for Do Good Delray was a buzzin’ good time!. We had a fabulous night enjoying the taekwondo demonstration, playing trivia, and the kids doing fun nature themed crafts, and getting faces painted! We are so grateful patrons participated in our raffles, and enjoyed our silent auction. There was lots of fun to be had especially the delicious eats from La Paella Chef and the lovely grazing table provided by the Delray Beach Historical Society. We hope you learned about our conservation efforts and taekwondo-themed trivia! Big thank you to everyone who joined us for such a beautiful night!
We are happy to annouce that we surpassed our $10,000 goal!
We raised a total of $14, 728!!!
We are incredibly appreciative of everyone who helped us raise funds for Natives For Your Neighborhood website and program. We want to thank you for your support whether it was from purchasing tickets, monetary donations, or participating in our silent auction and raffle – we appreciate you. Also special thanks to our event sponsors, who really made our fundraiser special. We truly appreciate your efforts in supporting the IRC mission!
We are grateful to the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce for celebrating non-profits like IRC this month through Do Good Delray. Thank you to Central Park Taekwondo Academy for being our partner in this event, we couldn’t have done this without your generous support. We are so thankful!
Thank you to the Delray Beach Historical Society & Heritage Gardens for the incredible and beautiful venue that night!
Our event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors, and we'd like to acknowledge them:
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Pollinator Restorer – Telford Cooling, LLC
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Conservation Cultivator – My Accounting Crew
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Garden Guardian – East Delray Dental, Erin L. Deady, P.A. , Joyce DeMoose, and ModSnap Design
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Bee Kind – Delray Orthodontics, Jan Kinder, Maria Rowley, Michael Kohner, Seacoast Bank, Sandy Koi, Valerie Seasholtz, and William Bathurst
A heartfelt thank you is also in order for those who contributed items for our silent auction, raffle items, and trivia prizes:
We'd also like to express our gratitude to those who contributed drinks and other food items:
Of course, we want to extend our thanks to everyone who purchased tickets for the event and to those who, though unable to attend, still made generous contributions. Your support means the world to us!
Thank you to the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce for the annual Do Good Delray - Partner with a Purpose opportunity! IRC is grateful for many new relationships and connections with local people and businesses. We are committed to nurturing this growing support and advancing IRC's mission to make a lasting impact, not just locally but also on a global scale, particularly in ecological restoration.
Be sure to check out our Facebook album of photos from the event!
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Tropical Audubon Ambassador's Program with Alex Seasholtz, Ecological Restoration Team Leader
South Floridians 18 and older who are passionate about the natural world and interested in fostering “conservation through community” can become more engaged, educated, and effective environmental advocates by attending Tropical Audubon’s free Ambassador Program. This award-winning education series is designed to inspire environmental ambassadors who want to become engaged, knowledgeable and supportive of South Florida’s unique and endangered ecosystems.
Participants will receive comprehensive advocacy training from environmental experts and will come away with an in-depth knowledge of our region’s cornerstone ecosystems: The Everglades, Pine Rocklands and Tropical Hardwood Hammocks and Biscayne Bay. The end objective of the program is to empower participants to activate their “Tropical Audubon Ambassador” education on behalf of South Florida’s wild places and the indigenous wildlife who inhabit them.
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On October 17th, 2023, Alex Seasholtz, our Ecological Restoration Team Leader participated as an expert panelist, for the session on Pine Rocklands/ Hardwood Hammocks: What’s Being Done To Fix It, which covers conservation and restoration efforts for these upland habitats. Alex’s goal was to provide a question-and-answer session where the “ambassadors-in-training” could engage with a regional expert in the field and dive deeper into the topics covered.
For more information about Tropical Audubon Society's Ambassador Program, visit the link here.
| | Follow us on Social Media | | | | |
The best way to stay up to date on all things IRC is to follow us on social media! Every week we spotlight native plants for "Wildflower Wednesday" and give a glimpse into one of our many unique projects from our "From the Field Friday" posts. You can also follow our socials where we share about our event photos and lots of relevant information about the environment and beyond.
So, if you haven't already, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn!
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We are a nonprofit conservation organization exempt from taxes under the
U.S. Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)3.
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The Institute for Regional Conservation | Website
Newsletter Editor: Michelle M. Smith
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