Compiled by Thea Gavin, this OCCNPS member profile shines a light on Sarah Jayne, former OCCNPS president, whose decades-long work on behalf of native plants has touched the lives of so many people.

In the mid-1980s, Sarah began volunteering with OCCNPS and was instrumental in reviving the chapter (which was dwindling in membership and enthusiasm) via her work as a member of both the board as well as many (most?!) chapter subcommittees: field trips, newsletters, hospitality, garden tour, and more.

Sarah was also a productive member of the CNPS State Board of Directors (and several state-level committees) for many years. She was recognized for all her efforts by being named a “CNPS Fellow” in 2015—the highest honor the California Native Plant Society can bestow, a title originally created in 1973 to give “special recognition to those who have made significant contributions to the knowledge, appreciation, and preservation of our native flora.”

Here is a link to the article, published in Fremontia, that details Sarah’s CNPS award for her tireless work on behalf of California native plants.

Highlights of Sarah’s 40 years of service to The Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) include:

OCCNPS

• Two terms as chapter president (2004–2008)
• Multiple years as chapter secretary (1996– 1999 and 2002–2005)
• Field trip chair (1991–2005)
• Plant sales chair and co-chair (1988–2002)
• Chapter Council delegate (2004–2008)
• Chapter webmaster (1999–2012)
• Outreach chair (2000–2009)
• Awarded Native Perennial Award by OCCNPS (2007)

Highlights of Sarah’s 30 years of service to the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) state organization (from the mid 1980’s to 2015, the year she received the Fellow honor) include the following:

CNPS

• Chapter Council secretary (2006–2008)
• CNPS Executive Board Member and CNPS Board of Directors Secretary (2010–2011)
• CNPS Statewide Reorganization Committee (2010–2011)
• CNPS Planning and Evaluation Committee (2011– 2012)
• CNPS Education Program Committee (2009–2012)
• CNPS Membership Committee (2011– 2012)
• CNPS Board of Directors publicly recognize Sara for her exemplary work as Secretary of the Board and member of the Executive Committee. (2011)
• CNPS Fellow Award (2014)

Fremontia Article about Sarah

The Fremontia article (by former OCCNPS president Dan Songster) goes on to describe Sarah as a “selfless leader and mentor. She does everything that needs doing regardless of its perceived level of importance, whether organizing an event, editing the chapter newsletter, or baking cookies for a chapter meeting. Her engagement is contagious, and with her quiet but generous nature she encourages others, especially new members, to increase their involvement in CNPS at all levels.”

“Whether leading discussions regarding new chapter projects and goals or doing all the little things that keep the chapter running smoothly, Sarah has always been there to lead the way. She is supportive, friendly, caring, quietly determined, and has had a significant, lasting influence on every aspect of the Orange County Chapter. Sarah’s goals have been, and continue to be, relatively clear-cut: She wants CNPS and its Orange County Chapter to promote native plants, encourage their conservation, and help people see the many ways these plants are essential to so many facets of our lives and our environment.”

“Sarah’s example of advocating for native plants over a lifetime, in all kinds of roles, sends a much-needed message that persistence and dedication can make a difference.”

Sarah’s early life and path to becoming a native plant superhero is described below:

Early Years Surrounded by Nature

Born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1930, Sarah grew up in the country, surrounded by nature, for her first eleven years. “There were fields, apple trees to climb, streams, woods, forests, valleys—we were free to roam. I remember Girl Scout Camp Anne Bailey, located in the Allegheny Mountains along the Greenbriar River, full of forests, deep valleys, stars, campfires, night sounds, hikes, camp songs. Our family took road trips around the whole state, and in the summer of 1941—a road trip ‘Out West.’ We got as far as the major parks in Arizona.”

“Then we moved to Wilmington, Delaware, full of beautiful rolling hills and wooded valleys. We went canoeing on the Brandywine River. During those years of World War II, gasoline rationing kept us from traveling too far.”

Sarah attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she majored in art. She remembers bicycle trips to Lake George, and, in later years, exploring the countrysides of Paris and Greece during study abroad trips and summer vacations. 

From 1954 to 1966 Sarah lived in Pennsylvania, married, started a family, and then moved to Orange County, California in 1966. 

Arriving in Orange County

“The first time I drove out Ortega Highway, I thought I was back in Greece! That’s when I got interested in learning about this kind of landscape. I began taking Natural History classes at Irvine Valley College—after completing classes for a library credential so I could be paid for some of the time I was volunteering. The back country at Crystal Cove State Park provided a primer for learning our local plants, so I spent a lot of time there as well as on field trips, and I finally connected with the California Native Plant Society in 1985.”

First OCCNPS Meeting

“When I attended my first OCCNPS meeting, the board (which included Celia Kutcher, Bob Allen, and Fred Roberts) was considering disbanding the chapter because of the lack of members. They put me on the board. Charlie O’Neil pulled it out of the doldrums by sheer enthusiasm, and the chapter persisted.”

Planting a Home Garden with Native Plants

“In 1991, I got a backyard: three palm trees, a coral tree, some small bushes, and a rectangle of grass . . . ready to go native. Planting a sycamore in the middle of the 30×30 space was not a good idea, and it eventually had to go, but now it’s an ever-evolving collection of native plants, my forever native plant project.”

“Of the all the OCCNPS projects dear to my heart, the newsletter is definitely one. It gave me a good excuse to get my first personal computer as well as the opportunity to explore the many different ways of telling about the native plant world, from scientific and informative articles, to the unique perceptions of artists of word or image.”

Starting the OCCNPS Garden Tour: California in My Garden

“I did various other jobs for the chapter, organizational and otherwise. Brad Jenkins and I, after a conversation on a mountain hike, put together the first garden tour in 2002. Preparing the garden tour brochure became my favorite part of it.”

“I organized field trips for a while and never missed one if possible. We all helped with the plant sales when they were held at the UCI Arboretum. I was on the CNPS State Board for a while and was on the committee that dared to try to change the CNPS logo—an interesting ordeal. Dan Songster and I shared the chapter presidency for a year. My dining room table served the chapter board meetings for many years (and still bears the scars…).”

“Along the way, my knowledge of and about native plants, starting from zero, grew, as if by osmosis. Participation is the key.”

Helping Grow an Organization

All these decades of involvement with CNPS have given Sarah a unique perspective on the changes that have taken place: “CNPS has gone from a small organization managed by enthusiastic volunteers pretty much dedicated to the subject of native plants—knowing them, growing them, visiting them where they live, preserving them—to a large organization with professional staff engaged in many activities related in a variety of ways to native plants. All for the good of native plants, to be sure!”

Becoming President of OCCNPS

When Sarah first took on the mantle of OCCNPS president in early 2004, the current president, Dan Songster, had this to say in the chapter newsletter: 

“Congratulations (and a huge thank you) to Sarah Jayne for accepting the nomination for chapter president. She is organized, curious, focused, farsighted, and energetic. Her knowledge of native plants and her many other talents will go far in helping the chapter move ahead. Sarah has been among our busiest and most productive board members, doing the newsletters, handling the field trips, helping with the plant sale, etc. Sarah is always in the background, doing so much—without her efforts it is impossible to imagine where the chapter would be today!”

Sarah’s reply still resonates, 21 years later:

“As Dan passes the torch into my faltering hands, I know that I will gather the strength to carry it only with the support of all of you. Please help me fulfill the goal of education, appreciation, and preservation that is the mission of the California Native Plant Society. Our native plants need us!”

Current OCCNPS president Elizabeth Wallace adds: As I enter my third year as president, I see Sarah’s fingerprints on everything I encounter. Even today, Sarah continues to help the chapter, volunteering to serve as a docent for the April 12, 2025 California in My Garden tour.

With your help, native plants can return to the place they call home and do their work supporting wildlife and healthy habitats. I am grateful to Sarah for her organization, wisdom, and determination to help native plants thrive.