Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes is a national nonprofit with a constantly growing list of local chapters to join. To see the current count please check out this map but as of the creation of this page, Wild Ones has 76 Chapters and 27 Seedlings in 29 states! This means our chapters get the benefit of not reinventing the wheel and gaining support from a large group of people from all walks of life. At the national level, there is a team to help with running a nonprofit and running a chapter. This allows a chapter to quickly set up and start spreading specific information within their community.
When joining as a member a single person gets to have an impact on a national level and local level. This means membership dues are split between the two locations. Giving one donation but having a large spread for promoting the use of native plants in every garden. Our gardens don’t live in a bubble what we do on a local level has a larger impact and so does our membership dues.
“If suburbia were landscaped with meadows, prairies, thickets, or forests…then the water would sparkle, fish would be good to eat again, birds would sing and human spirits would soar.”
Lorrie Otto Wild Ones lifetime Honorary Director & the founding inspiration for Wild Ones
National Benefits
Access to the current issues of the award-winning Wild Ones Journal which is published quarterly through the members-only website. Past issues are available to the general public on the wildones.org website. The website also has recordings and information on any upcoming webinars and a master calendar of upcoming chapter events. They have also secured grants in order to launch the Native Garden Designs website dedicated to help people learn the broad concepts of Climate Resilient Landscaping, their ecoregions & local nurseries, and even give example landscape designs highlighting native plants. There is also a Facebook group where people can ask their questions to a community with one goal. National also manages the Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education grant process too! This is just a short overview because there is no way to truly capture all the national provides!
Chapter Benefits
While national helps set a chapter up for success each chapter is as unique as the ecoregion they are in! Just as national empowers their chapters the chapters empower their members to continue growing the mission. Chapters provide some type of event each month through volunteer opportunities, plant sales, seed swaps, educational webinars, outreach, and so much more. Check out events in the Capital Region of NY by clicking here. If you are looking for ways to identify plants, confirm native status to the state of NY, and find local nurseries check out our resources tab. We also maintain several social media sites to continue spreading the mission!
Member Benefits
As a member both national and your chapter will empower you to make not only your financial donation but also yourself to go out and walk the walk. This means committing to only planting native plants from now on and removing invasive species from your property. Then take some time to also share this vital mission with others. This could be coming up with and completing a project or event, volunteering at an outreach display table, and signing up for a leadership role within the chapter. There is a pay-it-forward aspect expected of the member but there is plenty of support on this journey.
Membership Levels
Household is the most popular level of membership within Wild Ones and is a great way to demonstrate your financial commitment to this mission. There is also an option for students and those on a limited income. For those individuals who want to make a statement, there is a lifetime level to make a large impact. There is also a Business and Affiliate that comes with some additional advertising benefits. Each of these also comes with a Wild, Wilder, and Wildest distinction for those who want to give generously. Use the following button to read a bit more about each level and join today!