If you read the blogblog (hi!), you know that we have been obsessively following the plight of our state’s Venus Flytrap license plate, which got caught up in a weird statehouse snafoo and was rescued by our own Rep. Allen Buansi (District 56).
Yesterday the license plate started making its way into the hands of people – myself included! – who have waited five long agonizing years for it to appear. Like many specialty plates, these are numbered, starting with 1 and incrementally going up as people obtain them. (You can also choose to personalize your plate for an additional $60.)
We are proud to report that the recipient of Venus Flytrap license plate #0001 is Johnny Randall, who recently retired as the Director of Conservation at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. (A portion of the proceeds of the Venus Flytrap license plate goes to the North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation, Inc, which will use the funds to support native plant conservation and the restoration of healthy landscapes across North Carolina.)
We reached out to Randall amidst the hubbub to learn more about how it all feels.
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How does it feel to be 1?
Being #1 feels great, but also a bit embarrassing. I and others worked very hard over many years to get the plate over the finish line, so I’ll take it! (And I now really understand the process and frustrations of getting a bill written, circulated through various committees, and then signed into law.)
How can other people get their hands on these plates?
The DMV is now taking applications! You must currently print out the form and mail it in with a check, but the on line versions will soon be live. See: https://ncbg.unc.edu/support/venus-flytrap-license-plate/
You recently retired from the Botanical Garden. How are you spending your time these days?
I’m still working on some unfinished projects, one of which is a Venus Flytrap DNA genetic architecture study that compares genetic variation within and between populations across its range in the Carolinas. I’m still on a few boards and advisory committees. Traveling. And catching up on 25 years of neglected domestic chores!
I actually have plate #105. If I see you on the road, do I have to bow or otherwise note your lower number?
If you see me on the road with my conspicuous 0001, you can flash your brights twice and buy me a beer!
Anything else to add?
I want to thank Rep. Allen Buansi, and former Rep. Verla Insko before him, for sponsoring and supporting the Venus Flytrap bill, and NCBG Director, Dr. Damon Waitt, for putting up with my Venus Flytrap plate obsession. I also want folks to know that this is the only special registration plate in the state that directly supports plant conservation. And lastly, and perhaps most important to me, is the plate’s educational message that North Carolina is indeed Home of the Venus Flytrap and not some faraway exotic land.