by Dan Whitten
I attended Lobby Day at the State Capitol this year for the first time on February 25th. I spoke with both my state representative and state senator on issues I felt were important to both the conservation community and myself. I have been keeping track of the issues from the beginning of my term as President and even before. Both legislators I spoke with seemed keenly interested in my appeals and appreciative of my being there as well.
I have also begun to realize that we—as a Native Plant Society and as individuals—have an important voice in the laws of our state.
Therefore, I have asked Frank Holleman to head an advocacy campaign for SCNPS. Frank is Vice President of the state board and former senior lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law Center, the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental legal advocacy organization rooted in and focused on the South.
Frank will be focusing on the hotlist from Conservation Voters of South Carolina (CVSC) and relaying important issues to us via newsletter articles shared with our chapters. He’ll let us know how we can help shape the laws that impact native plants and healthy ecosystems in our state.
I trust Frank’s opinion on conservation issues—and you can review the issues for yourself. But the goal of this campaign is simple: for all of us to speak up for what we want and what we believe is best for South Carolina.
Please be on the lookout for more information soon. We want sound decisions to shape our laws, not just deep pockets.
—Dan Whitten
President, South Carolina Native Plant Society
