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. The October meeting starts earlier as it is a potluck where members bring 5-6 slides of their summer adventures to share. See our recent news for more information.
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 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.
- Public Land Sources for Native Plant Materials in the Southcentral Alaska Region for Personal Landscaping Use click here to download pdf.
- This website which is an ongoing project for which volunteers are welcome.
Recent News
Flora of Chugach State Park Progress Report
The 2020 Progress Report is ready! To view and download it click here: Flora_of_CSP_2020_ProgressReport_May2021.pdf
The Flora of CSP project is a volunteer-led project organized by the Alaska Native Plant Society (AKNPS) in cooperation with CSP staff. Its objective is to inventory the flora and fungi of the Park, including vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi. We initiated the project in the spring of 2020 with the creation of the “Flora of Chugach State Park” iNaturalist project (www.inaturalist.org /projects/flora-of- chugach-state-park).
If you would like to contribute observations to this project . . . it’s possible you already have! The iNaturalist project is a “collection” project, which means that all observations that are recorded within the boundary of CSP and uploaded to iNaturalist are automatically included in the project. The Flora of CSP project will continue in 2021, and we need your help to make observations and provide identifications! To learn more please go to the iNaturalist link above. Please direct all questions to treasurer@aknps.org.
Curious about lichens? Our friends at the Bureau of Land Management - Alaska's Campbell Creek Science Center will host a webinar on lichens May 10 at 6 p.m.
From the event listing: "With names like boreal pixie-cup, arctic finger, and flaky freckle...
It's #NationalWildflowerWeek! We invite all who enjoy Alaska's native flora to explore the Alaska Native Plant Society website: aknps.org. Here you will find:
+ Information about our events (tonight is our last monthly meeting until October!)
+ Recent news including...
The first ANPS field trip of the year will be led by Annie Ronsse this Sunday, May 2, 1PM, on the Turnagain Arm Trail. The hike will be less than three hours, and very slow paced, stopping often to enjoy the emergence of spring along...
Join us next Monday, May 3 at 7 p.m. for a presentation by University of Alaska Fairbanks botanist Carolyn Parker on "The western exploration of Alaska's flora; almost 300 years of adventures, discovery, and a few mishaps." Carolyn, based at the Museum of the North...
Parrya (Parry's wallflower) along the Pinnell Mountain Trail. Photo courtesy Marilyn Barker.