Save Plants

Each year, The Garden Club of America (GCA) and the CPC together award the Catherine H. Beattie Fellowship to graduate students in biology, horticulture, or a related field. The purpose of the award is “to promote conservation of rare and endangered flora in the United States, with preference given to students whose projects focus on the endangered flora of the Carolinas and southeastern United States.” The fellowship was established to honor Catherine H. Beattie. who served as a director and board member of the GCA and served as president from 1981 to 1983. The first fellowship was given by the Fullerton Foundation in 1983.

Dede Neal Petri is the 42nd president of The Garden Club of America. In her “former lives,” she has been a First Amendment lawyer, CEO of a higher education nonprofit and general counsel of the National Endowment for the Humanities. She previously served as Garden Committee chair and president of All Hallows Guild of the Washington National Cathedral, as well as a board member of the National Association of Olmsted Parks; the National Wildlife Refuge Association; Paine Art Center and Gardens, and Friends of the National Arboretum. Dede is currently on the advisory board of Seed Your Future, a national movement focused on the value and importance of plants and the people who work in the art, science, technology, and business of horticulture. “Conserving rare and endangered flora is key to biodiversity and biodiversity is key to a healthy plant,” Dede said. “That is why we are so honored to be working with the Center for Plant Conservation to support Beattie Fellows who can lead the way when it comes to conservation horticulture.”

Highlights of Three of Our Past Recipients

Pedro used the award to work on his PhD, which focused on an assessment of the effects of habitat spatial structure and disturbance on the persistence of an endemic and rare plant, Hypericum cumulicola. Pedro notes that he has “continued working on this for the rest of my academic career.”

“My research concentrates on the interactive role of human induced changes in disturbance and spatial structure on species persistence and community integrity. I am interested in understanding how variation in disturbance frequency, intensity and heterogeneity alter species life history and community dynamics. I consider fundamental assessing the effect of habitat destruction and fragmentation on species colonization and extinction dynamics, and species interactions. My research evaluates, through hypothesis testing, the combined effect of alterations in disturbance and habitat spatial structure due to the pervasive consequences of human activity. I visualize regional landscapes as dynamic mosaics of communities shaped by the interaction of natural and anthropogenic influences. My research agenda contributes to the scrutiny of biological concepts, the evaluation and recommendation of management strategies, and the development of restoration plans. To reach these goals, I combine long-term data collection, short-term studies, field experiments, and modeling. My studies merge analysis at different spatial scales. I rely on collaborations with colleagues to expand and complement my research efforts.”

More Past Beattie Fellowship/Scholarship Recipients

2013 Caitlin Lawrence. Oregon State University, Corvallis. Title: Restoring the Endangered Golden Paintbrush (Castelleja levisecta {sic}): Effects of Biodiversity and Nutrient Availability on Reintroduction Success.

2013 Phillip Moore, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Title: Primary Pollinators and other Visitors to Pityopteris ruthii in Natural Populations.

2014 Renee Fortner. East Carolina University, Greeneville, NC. Title: The Reproductive Ecology of the Federally Endangered Cooley’s Meadowrue (Thalictrum cooleyi Ahles) in Eastern North Carolina.

2016 Lynnaun Johnson, PhD candidate at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is researching the carbon nutrition and mycorrhizal fungi relationships of the Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii), an endangered, leafless, epiphytic orchid native to Florida. His research will provide much needed data about the nutrient needs and fungal relationships of this rare and charismatic orchid species found in Florida’s swamps. This study will provide knowledge for future conservation initiatives of epiphytic orchids.

2016 Tracy Cook is a first-year master’s candidate in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Alabama A & M University and assistant curator at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Her research involves the identification of topographical, edaphic, and ecological variables that limit where the endangered Huntsville Vase Vine (Clematis morefieldii) grows naturally. Quantitative evaluation and spatial analysis will be used to predict the locations of unknown populations, clarify habitat requirements, and provide a baseline from which the effects of land management may be assessed.