Environmental Efforts in South Korea
IRC Director George Gann recently returned from a trip to Seoul, South Korea where he was invited to be a judge on a panel to determine the design of Gangbuk Park. The site of an abandoned amusement park, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to convert the 100 hectare area into an environmental oasis where people and nature can connect. George was the point person for environmental assessments and was instrumental in the selection of a design that will not only provide space for people to enjoy recreational activities, including sports and the arts, but will also reconnect fragmented natural areas and integrate wildlife habitat throughout the park. While in Seoul, George also met with Kwi-Gon Kim, a professor at the Seoul National University who also directs the Korea Eco-City Network. In his role as chair of the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER), George is working with Professor Kim to establish SER’s first international ecological restoration resource center.

New Pithecellobium for the Florida Keys
IRC Biologists Keith Bradley and Michael Barry discovered a population of Bahamas cat's claw (Pithecellobium bahamense) in a pine rockland on Big Pine Key last fall. While this population is the first discovered in Florida, it is considered native to the area because of its close proximity to natural populations in the Caribbean and the fact that it is not currently being cultivated in Florida.

Join Us for a Movie Extravaganza!
We join forces with Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) to bring you Wind Across The Everglades. This classic 1958 movie, never released in the U.S. on DVD or video, stars Burl Ives, Chris Plummer and Gypsy Rose Lee. Get a glimpse of Miami in its pioneer days as you're transported to a conservation battlefield where the Audubon Society takes on the Cottonmouth Gang to protect wading birds from plume hunters. The battle gets nasty as elements of the Everglades become weapons... beware death by manchineel!

When: Thursday, May 8. Doors open at 7pm.
Where: Doc Thomas House (5530 Sunset Drive)
Tickets: $20 at the door - Proceeds from this fundraiser will be split between IRC and TAS to support underfunded conservation projects.

Native Plant Day A Success!
Many thanks to everyone who helped make Native Plant Day a big success for IRC! We sold 2/3 of our plants and met many new people. We got great feedback from everyone who stopped to chat and really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with old and new friends. Thanks again! We hope to see you at our next event.

Join us March 15 at Native Plant Day
It's time for the Dade Chapter of Florida Native Plant Society's Native Plant Day! Join us Saturday, March 15 from 9am to 4pm at the Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park (1725 N.E. 135th St.) for a day of fun and learning. IRC will be hosting a plant sales and information booth where you can learn about and buy lesser known native plants. Be sure to visit us as you make your way around all the different activities! For more information on the event, as well as a schedule of talks, visit the official event webpage.

Debris Cleared at the IRC Restoration BBQ
The day started with dismal piles of trash along one edge of our George N. Avery Pineland, including everything from fresh, dirty diapers to 5-gallon containers filled with motor oil. Fortunately, our Friends are a tough crew and, after seven truckloads taken to the dump and a site visitation by a DERM inspector, the day ended with laughter, good food and a cleared fenceline. Illegal dumping is just one of the ongoing threats to natural areas in South Florida. Many thanks to everyone who donated their Sunday morning to helping us combat this problem!

Grant Award from the Pacific Foundation
We recently received an unsolicited grant from the Pacific Foundation for general operating costs based on a recommendation by one of our Friends of IRC Members. The Pacific Foundation supports "new and innovative technology, ideas and global communication" relevant to social justice, the environment and the arts. IRC strives toward a holisitic approach to ecological conservation that depends upon participation of local residents, particularly in urban areas. It is often difficult to find funding for the less familiar, but still essential, components of our approach. Grants such as this one are crucial to our success. Many thanks to the Pacific Foundation for enabling our work and to the Friends of IRC member that recommended us for this funding! If anyone else has connections with foundations or corporations with giving programs, please keep us in mind. Our vision is big, but our resources are limited.

Come to the IRC Restoration BBQ
Join us on Sunday, February 24 for a morning of fun and fulfillment at this year’s Restoration Barbeque. Contribute to the planet by helping us restore critically imperiled pine rockland habitat at the IRC George N. Avery Pineland. There is limited parking at the pineland so please meet at the IRC office (22601 S.W. 152 Ave.) between 8:30-9:00am to carpool. If you arrive after 9:00am, please head directly to IRC’s pineland on S.W. 125th Avenue, just north of SW 240th Street. We’ll work from 9-noon, then, after admiring our work, we’ll head back to the IRC office for festivities. We’ll be serving one of Keith’s now famous meat dishes (don’t worry, there will be vegetarian options as well) so please bring a side, salad or dessert to share. We hope you will all be able to join us! There will be plenty of work for every age and fitness level and more than anything, it is a chance to hang out. For more information, call Patty at 305-247-6547.

IRC Nursery Now Open for Business
Have you ever found that perfect plant on our Natives for Your Neighborhood website, but not been able to find it on the market? Frustrating, isn't it? IRC has been working to solve that problem by creating a nursery focused on hard to find native species. We have limited inventory at the moment, but we have stock available for sale. Check out our current native plant price list. Help save South Florida's unique plant diversity by bringing the wilderness to your backyard and support IRC's conservation efforts at the same time! Please contact Patty at 305-247-6547 for more information or to make a purchase.

Another IRC Database Launching
Ever wanted to arrange your visits to state parks in the Florida Keys around the plants you love most? Now you can! IRC's newest database, the State Parks of the Florida Keys Database, is designed to do just that. This is IRC's second internal replicate of the conservation methodology first developed with the Florisitic Inventory of South Florida (FISF). We are currently working on other replicates in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. For more information on our methodology, please see the Executive Summary and Chapter 1 of IRC's Book Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration (Gann, Bradley & Woodmansee, 2002).

Sun-Sentinel Article Highlights NFYN
IRC and the Broward County Water Resources Division have been working together to promote native plant landscaping through the Naturescape program. The Sun-Sentinel just created a new venue for the program through their newly announced Native Plant of the Week article. This will be a biweekly article in the New Homes section by author Debby LaFogg-Dochtery. The article announcement, " Go 'native' with our exciting new column", ran on November 24, 2007.

IRC in the Florida Parks and SFC CESU Fall Newsletters
IRC’s work gained mention in the fall issues of the Florida Parks and South Florida Caribbean (SFC) CESU newsletters. The Florida Parks newsletter, Park Scene, highlighted Biologist Kirsten Hines’ new finding of an endangered rimrock crowned snake (Tantilla oolitica) at the Barnacle Historic Site (see page 15) and Director George Gann’s involvement in identifying a population of Mahogany mistletoe (Phoradendron rubrum) in north Key Largo, a site where it was thought to be extirpated (see page 16). IRC was introduced as a new partner in the SFC CESU newsletter, South Florida Caribbean CESU News and Updates, and a brief summary was given of various IRC vegetation mapping projects pertaining to this partnership (see page 2).

Floristic Inventory of the Florida Keys Database Launched
You can now do a detailed search for plants in the Florida Keys! Get a general plant list, or search by Conservation Area or Habitat on the Florisitic Inventory of the Florida Keys (FIFK) Database. Data collection began for this project as part of the Florisitic Inventory of South Florida (FISF) in 1995 and assessment began in 2006. This is IRC's first internal replicate of the conservation methodology first developed with the FISF. We are currently working on other replicates in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. For more information on our methodology, please see the Executive Summary and Chapter 1 of IRC's Book Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration (Gann, Bradley & Woodmansee, 2002).

4th Annual Friends of IRC Fundraising Party A Success!
Many thanks to everyone who helped make this event our most successful yet! We're pleased to announce that we more than doubled both the number of attendees and the amount of money raised from last year's event. Over 100 people, including founding FOIRC members and many new faces, shared in the fun throughout the day; we also hit the $5,000 mark! We could not have done this without your help. We would especially like to thank Tropical Audubon Society for co-hosting this event, Suzanne Koptur for an enlightening talk, and Citizens for a Better South Florida for keeping the children happy and learning. This was a collaborative effort, and IRC Director George Gann summarized it best in his closing remarks when he reminded us that we are essential to solving today's environmental challenges and that we can achieve this by working together.

Join The 4th Annual Friends of IRC Fundraising Party
When: Saturday, October 13 from 11am—3pm
Where: Doc Thomas House, 5530 Sunset Drive
It’s time for another reunion of past, present and future Friends of IRC members! Tropical Audubon Society is opening their doors for this year’s event so that you can get a first-hand look at IRC’s pine rockland restoration. In addition to a walk featuring this work, Suzanne Koptur is giving a talk on pinelands and their pollinators. Other highlights include kids’ activities hosted by Citizens for a Better South Florida, barbeque, beer by Peroni, music, plant raffle & sales, a silent auction and great company.
We hope you can join us!
Nonmembers are welcome with a donation. Please RSVP to Patty at castillo@regionalconservation.org (email preferred) or 305-247-6547.

SER's Global Climate Change Statement
A global climate change statement was released by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) at their recent joint "Ecological Restoration in a Changing World" meeting with Ecological Society of America (ESA). According to IRC Executive Director George Gann, now acting chair of SER, “Unless checked, global climate change will destroy people, places, and life as we know it. Ecological restoration offers hope in two key areas: by reconnecting fragmented ecosystems allowing animals and plants to migrate in response to such change; and, by capturing carbon through the restoration of forests, peat-forming wetlands, and other ecosystems that act as carbon sinks.” For more details, go to SER's Global Restoration Network Website.

New Opportunities for IRC!
IRC just received great news! We are now official members of the South Florida and Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU). CESU’s are a national network of cooperating agencies and organizations which work together to provide research, technical assistance, and education to land managers. The South Florida and Caribbean CESU consists of several large government agencies including the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and most regional universities. IRC is only the second not-for-profit organization accepted into the local CESU.

IRC Director Honored for Dedication to Restoration
IRC Executive Director George Gann recently received a Board Appreciation Award from the Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) for over 20 years of restoration work on their Doc Thomas House property. His dedication to restoration is also being recognized by the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER) as they have nominated him to be Chair of their board for a second time starting in August 2007.

New IRC Posters for Sale
Two IRC wall posters featuring trees & shrubs and wildflowers are now available for $10 each, including tax and shipping. Please send a check to: Attention Patty, IRC, 22601 SW 152 Avenue, Miami, Florida, 33170 (USA only or contact us for special handling). Below are preview images of the posters designed by our 2006 intern Anja Skroblin with photos by Keith Bradley, Steve Woodmansee, and George Gann.