Pacific Northwest CP club 1984 - 2003

Flytrap

Carnivore
Hi everyone

Back in the early 1980s, before the CP internet community, a number of us from Oregon, Washington, & B.C. got together for a meet and greet once every summer. We were the Pacific Northwest Carnivorous Plant club. It was founded by myself, Randy Lamb & Lorne Dennison (B.C.); Tom Kahl, Kevin Snively & Andrew Marshall (Washington) ; Don Graham (Oregon). At its peak, we had over 30 members. We organized field trips, visited members’ collections, nurseries, and shared photos, plants, seeds, and videos of visits to fellow CP growers we visited from around the world.

To this day, we still keep in touch, and some of the small Nepenthes I took photos of, are now massive plants in my friend’s’ collections. In particular, the wonderful slow growing highland species— N edwardsiana, villosa, macrophylla, lowii, rajah, etc.

Attached are a few scanned photos From the 80s & 90s. Great memories. I’ve contacted a few growers, and we’re thinking of organizing a get together later this summer... Covid socially distanced, of course

I’ll later share some photos of my Nepenthes expeditions through Borneo & Malaysia

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ellsie

Plant
Wow, I remember this club! Seeing that logo on the t-shirts brought back great memories. Thanks for posting this Flytrap!
 

lane

Sprout
Wow such special photos, thanks for sharing. I'd imagine it would be so rewarding back then to acquire rare new plants without the ease that it is today with the internet.
Also looking forward to seeing photos from your Nepenthes expeditions too!
 

jackie quan

Carnivore
There a still some flower / plant clubs out there ( cactus-succulents, fushia-begonia, etc) due to it larger base yet mostly more older aged people but carnivourous plants is a very very niche plant category. Before the internet, guess that was the only way to meet up phyiscally but would be nice if there were local clubs still. Even with my other hobby, reef-corals, it has greatly waned and such swap meets/bbqs don't exist anymore. Also, a younger generation have opted to localized facebook or mewe groups for their content over forums like this.
 

Flytrap

Carnivore
I wish the club still exists.If it does that would be amazing!
A few of us had mentioned we'd like to organize a (COVID socially respectful) CP get together later this summer. Hopefully, one of our younger westcoast growers can take the lead on it. I'll forward the contact info to the organizer. :)
 

Flytrap

Carnivore
What about the VCPC?
Hi Lloyd! Thanks for sharing the newsletter! Yes, the VCPC was basically the PNWCP club after some infighting from some of the members in Oregon and Washington.

PNWCP quietly dissolved around 2003; the Vancouver chapter was founded by Chris Teichrib and Lorne Dennison in 2001. We didn't want to take sides... sort of like the what's happening down south now with all that mudslinging for their November election.

I still have all the newsletters from both clubs, and also the CPN from ICPS, including ICPS's very first newsletter in stapled black and white sheets!
 

Attachments

Dean

Sprout
Wow, Lorne Dennison and Chris Teichrib names that I have not heard in a long time. My wife and I belonged to the Vancouver chapter for a couple of years before we moved back east for work. I remember going to the Richmond Nature Park for the meetups. a lot of great memories.
 

cpgeek

Carnivore
Those old newsletters brought back memories too. Seeing Boreal Environments jogged my memory of Randy Lamb, from whom I received many nice plants back in the day when there were just a handful of us across the country. Once I received a remarkably large D. anglica from Fort Nelson that he dubbed "Northern Giant". Also, P. vulgaris that he found growing inches from the Alaska Pipeline in the Yukon and some from the warm springs of Atlin, BC. I still vividly remember opening one of Randy's packages to find only a small nondescript block of live red sphagnum. Puzzled, I started probing in between the moss strands and found tiny pings, which in a later letter he casually mentioned was P. villosa! I think he was one of the first to have successfully cultivated this extremely rare taxon and had even published an article in the CPN. Too bad I lost everything when I started university but I still have his D. anglica from Jeneau. Cheers mate, wherever you are!
 
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A few of us had mentioned we'd like to organize a (COVID socially respectful) CP get together later this summer. Hopefully, one of our younger westcoast growers can take the lead on it. I'll forward the contact info to the organizer. :)
Hi! I stumbled upon this thread after talking with Lori Graham on the Washington CP Group on FB. I'd be happy to coordinate a meet-up later this summer! I started the San Diego Carnivorous Plant Society in 2013, created the website, planned bi-monthly meetings, community outreach events for schools, museums, and plant nurseries, and an annual sale & show event. I moved to Washington in January 2020 and have been looking for a way to bring folks up here together. It just took a little while to meet people (virtually) and get a feel for the scene. Ideally.. some way to get field trips going and informational meetings with guest speakers and hand's on activities so that all levels in the hobby feel invited would be my jam. If there is still interest in revitalizing this group I'm happy to try :D Cheers! Allyson
 

Flytrap

Carnivore
Hi! I stumbled upon this thread after talking with Lori Graham on the Washington CP Group on FB. I'd be happy to coordinate a meet-up later this summer! I started the San Diego Carnivorous Plant Society in 2013, created the website, planned bi-monthly meetings, community outreach events for schools, museums, and plant nurseries, and an annual sale & show event. I moved to Washington in January 2020 and have been looking for a way to bring folks up here together. It just took a little while to meet people (virtually) and get a feel for the scene. Ideally.. some way to get field trips going and informational meetings with guest speakers and hand's on activities so that all levels in the hobby feel invited would be my jam. If there is still interest in revitalizing this group I'm happy to try :D Cheers! Allyson
Hi Allyson, I had an old CP pal who was from Oregon... we'd always catch up for our PNWCP club meet ups. I'm wondering if your friend Lori Graham is related to him. His name's Don Graham, and would love to catch up with him if he's still around. Thanks! David
 
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