A non-profit organization to promote the study and conservation of Alaska native plants.
The Alaska Native Plant Society (AKNPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to studying and conserving Alaska native plants. General membership meetings are open to the public and are held on the first Monday of every month from October through May. Various guest speakers give presentations on topics related to native plants and AKNPS members give informative slide shows, plant family, and mini- botany talks. During our October meeting, members share photos from their summer adventures. See our Recent News to learn about recent activities.
There are numerous volunteer opportunities including leading public hikes, invasive plants control, plantings and cooperative work with other local groups. Local events are listed on the Upcoming Events page.
General Information
The Alaska Native Plant Society was formed in 1982 by a small group of enthusiastic amateur and professional botanists for the purpose of educating Alaskans about their native flora and the growing need for its protection. We accomplish this through:
- Monthly meetings, held on the first Monday of each month, October through May (with occasional exceptions due to holidays), at 7 PM via Zoom and/or in person at the Campbell Creek Science Center in Anchorage. All interested persons are welcome.
- Field Trips, ranging from half day local outings to multi-day excursions throughout Alaska. Some prior trips have been to Kodiak, Seldovia, Chitina / Kennicott, and Denali National Park.
- Displays at local malls during “Celebrating Wildflowers” periods.
- Publication of Borealis, our bi-monthly newsletter for members, October through May.
- Compilation of Alaskan flora references in a bibliography.
- Recommended publications for Alaskans interested in collecting seed and propagating native plants.
- This website which is an ongoing project for which volunteers are welcome.
Recent News
Curious about how climate shapes the past, present and future distribution of tree species in Alaska's coastal forests? Want to increase your knowledge about Alaska's aquatic and medicinal plants?
If so, join the Dec. 4 Alaska Native Plant Society Meeting at 7 p.m. via Zoom!
We'll have 10-15 minutes of club business, after which we'll begin our speaker program:
+ How Climate Shapes Past, Present & Future Tree Species Distributions in Coastal Alaska,” presented by Paul Hennon & Robin Mulvey
+ Mini-Botany: Medicinal Plants, Moneses uniflora (Single delight), presented by Val Cancino
+ Plant Families: Aquatic Plants, Sparganiaceae, presented by Justin Fulkerson
Non-members who want to join the meeting via Zoom can join our "Meeting Link" group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/480059036764461 to obtain the meeting link.
Otherwise, if you would like to receive regular email announcements from the Alaska Native Plant Society and our Borealis newsletter, become a member! Learn more and sign up at https://aknps.org/membership. Membership dues paid in October-December apply to 2024.
Last week, the Alaska Native Plant Society was honored to present a lifetime achievement award and lifetime membership to Dr. Patricia (Pat) Holloway, Professor Emerita of Horticulture at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
This award recognizes Pat for the many decades she has conducted research and educated Alaskans about the value of our native plants and how to cultivate them. She continues this important work, and we are very grateful.
We announced the award during our Nov. 6 meeting, with an unsuspecting Pat attending via Zoom. A few days later, we gathered with other fans of Pat's work to present the award to her in person at the Alaska Food and Farm Festival in Anchorage.
Please join us in celebrating Pat's contributions and her lifetime achievement award!
📷: Donna Dewhurst
Join our free Dec. 2 "Seedy Saturday" seed pickup + educational event in Anchorage!
+ Fulfill Alaska native seed requests for in-person pickup (deadline Nov. 30) https://bit.ly/native_seed_form
+ Attend a 1:30 p.m. seed propagation talk
+ Get educational materials
+ Network with other native plant growers
Note: Supplies are limited; if you would like to pick up seed at the event, you’ll need to fill out our request form (https://bit.ly/native_seed_form) by Nov. 30. Can't attend? You can request seed through our mail distribution program, which will begin on the first of the year.
This event is open to the public. See the attached flyer for location.
Curious about Alaska's only native plant listed as endangered? Want to increase your knowledge about Alaska's aquatic and medicinal plants?
If so, join the Alaska Native Plant Society on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., via Zoom and in-person at the Campbell Creek Science Center in Anchorage (5600 Science Center Drive).
We'll have 10-15 minutes of club business, after which we'll begin our speaker program:
+ Mini-Botany: Medicinal Plants, Rumex arcticus (Arctic dock), presented by Burt Smith
+ Aquatic Plant Family: Scheuchzeriaceae (Pod-grass), presented by Marilyn Barker
+ Featured Talk: “Aleutian Shield Fern & the Endangered Species Act,” presented by Sabrina Farmer & Leah Kenney
The public is invited to attend in person or via Zoom. In-person attendees are encouraged to arrive 10-15 minutes before the meeting start time for hot tea and conversation.
Non-members who want to join the meeting via Zoom can join our "Meeting Link" group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/480059036764461 to obtain the meeting link.
If you would like to receive regular email announcements from the Alaska Native Plant Society and our Borealis newsletter, become a member! Learn more and sign up at https://aknps.org/membership. Membership dues paid in October-December apply to 2024.
Enjoy photo sharing of the native plants we saw in 2023 at the first Alaska Native Plant Society indoor meeting of Fall 2023, on Monday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in-person at the Campbell Creek Science Center (5600 Science Center Drive).
The meeting will start at 7 p.m. However, in-person attendees are encouraged to arrive 15-30 minutes beforehand to enjoy refreshments and conversation.
We'll have 10-15 minutes of club business, after which members are invited to share and discuss up to 10 native plant photos they took in 2023.
The public is welcome to our member meetings. Non-members who want to join the meeting via Zoom can join our "Meeting Link" group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/480059036764461 to obtain the meeting link.
If you would like to receive regular email announcements from the Alaska Native Plant Society and our Borealis newsletter, become a member! Learn more and sign up at https://aknps.org/membership. Annual membership dues paid October-December apply to 2024.
Here is an upcoming event for anyone interested in assisting with native plant rescue in the Anchorage area. Only the second date is an opportunity to collect plants for personal use.
To view a list of plants and RSVP for either of these events, please visit: https://bit.ly/plant_salvage_events
Many thanks to the Anchorage Soil & Water Conservation District for securing this opportunity.
