Save Plants

As the only botanical garden situated along the entire length of the Missouri River, our efforts are focused on the Central Grassland of North America, specifically the tallgrass, mixed-grass, and shortgrass prairies of the Midwest and Great Plains. This work has five key components:

• Conduct conservation assessments for plant species at risk of extinction
• Support ecosystem-scale conservation in Nebraska and the Great Plains
• Establish seed banks and gene banks for at-risk plant species
• Practice ecological stewardship of the one hundred-acre Lauritzen Gardens property
• Inspire a conservation ethic

Seed banking is part of our integrated conservation strategy for imperiled plants. A seed bank serves as a safeguard against extinction in the wild and as a supply of seed for restoration efforts. We have established conservation seed banks for eight imperiled plants to date, including three that are ranked as critically imperiled (G1) by NatureServe: Ozark leatherwood (Dirca decipiens), blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii), and Capulin goldenrod (Solidago capulinensis).

The survival of imperiled plants ultimately depends on the health of the habitat in which they occur.  Lauritzen Gardens has taken on an unanticipated role as authority and advocate for an at-risk but overlooked ecological system in our region—sandsage prairie. This shrub-steppe community occupies five million hectares (twelve million acres) of dune habitat in the western Great Plains and is dominated by sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia). Our relationship began with a rare plant survey in the sandsage region of Nebraska, followed by a range-wide (seven state) reconnaissance of sandsage prairie which resulted in the first comprehensive account of vegetation structure and dynamics. This year, a decade after first getting to know this “Cinderella” ecological system, we published a paper demonstrating that sandsage prairie is a biodiversity hotspot for the Great Plains and worthy of landscape-scale conservation efforts.

While much of our conservation effort focuses on grasslands and grassland species, we also work with the trees of our region. Lauritzen Gardens is part of a collaboration led by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to conserve butternut (Juglans cinerea), one of the most imperiled trees in the United States.  We are a partner in the Global Conservation Consortium for Oak and the lead institution for the Great Plains Bur Oak Project, which aims to safeguard the unique genetic diversity and drought-tolerance found in Great Plains bur oak trees (Quercus macrocarpa) by collecting seed from these trees and establishing living conservation collections at a network of collaborating public gardens.

As a botanical garden that engages over 250,000 visitors each year, we are uniquely positioned to educate the public on the importance of plants and to advocate for conservation. Since many of our rare plant conservation projects happen in remote places far removed from the garden, having an on-site component to our conservation program helps make this aspect of our mission more evident and relevant to our visitors and members.

To this end, we are working to gain understanding of the biological diversity supported by our one hundred-acre property, with the aim of practicing the best possible ecological stewardship. This involves ongoing surveys of birds, butterflies, bees, and moths that not only document the species observed, but how these species utilize the garden. Armed with an enhanced understanding of the ecological context of the garden, we are implementing practices that achieve horticultural goals while at the same time protect and enhance biological diversity. This on-site component to our conservation program has fostered a strong working relationship between our conservation and horticulture programs.

To accomplish the conservation goals of our mission, Lauritzen Gardens collaborates with an array of organizations, agencies, and institutions. In addition to the Center for Plant Conservation, these include Creighton University (Omaha), The Nature Conservancy, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, U.S.D.A. Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A. National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. National Park Service.

This institutional dedication to conservation owes its origins to the vision of Spencer Crews, Director Emeritus of Lauritzen Gardens and current member of the CPC Board of Trustees. We continue to pursue this vision here at the garden and throughout the Great Plains.

Seed banking is the most efficient method for ex situ conservation when seeds can be stored using conventional seed banking methods, keeping them dry and cool. Seeds take up much less space than living collections and require much less maintenance once they are processed and stored properly. Although Hawaiʻi is the endangered species capital of the world, the fact that seeds of many of these threatened and endangered species can be stored under conventional seed banking methods really helps us buy time to rescue many disappearing species.

Because Hawaiʻi is so remote from the rest of the world, many species either had to arrive here after a long trip by air or water, or evolve here. This placed a strong selective pressure on seed physiology in native Hawaiian flora. When I first learned about it, I became quite intrigued and hopeful. Having a background in tropical ecology in the Neotropics, where many seeds do not possess dormancy (a prerequisite for seed banking), it was always a race against time before seeds I collected would go bad or germinate. Seed banking was not something I could take for granted with tropical plant species.

At the Lyon Seed Conservation Lab, we have learned to work through challenging times. Following a staffing change in 2019, we now rely on just one full-time technician and me as the half-time manager, with my joint appointment as an assistant professor at the School of Life Sciences at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Soon after we started as the new team, the global pandemic hit. Because Hawaiʻi relies a lot on tourism for state’s revenue, there have been various budget cuts and a hiring freeze — definitely not helpful when many species continue to require ex situ conservation efforts. Nevertheless, thanks to many dedicated volunteers, student workers, and interns, we have been able to maintain our operation, processing more than 450 accessions or 200 species with 1.7 million seeds from our dedicated collectors. We have also continued biweekly germination tests. These provide the core of Lyon Seed Conservation Lab’s ongoing seed research, which includes collaborative studies with CPC and Hawaiʻi Seed Bank Partnership group on seed longevity.

Many of our seeds are of highly endangered and rare species and would typically be seen only by designated collectors or those holding a special handling permit. Last year we launched a new project, led by our technician Nate Kingsley, to digitalize microscope photos of our banked seeds. Nate’s expertise, developed at the University of Tennessee Herbarium using a microscope with z-stacking capability, enables us to create more three-dimensional images that are better at capturing fine seed details than our past photos. Lacking an expensive microscope that automatically z-stacks images, we have trained people who work in the lab to manually create these improved images using image-processing software. Ultimately, we hope to make digital images of our seeds available to the public, so that people can appreciate the diversity of rare seeds in Hawaiʻi, learn about their morphology and functions, and use them for research. And all this will be possible without opening up our stored seed packets and compromising their longevity.

This year, I received funding from the O’ahu Army Natural Resources Program (OANRP) to support a new Ph.D. student, Sunyoung Park, in a research project studying causes of low seed viability in the endangered species, na’ena’e (Dubautia herbstobatae), a member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae) or the silversword alliance. Many species in Asteraceae show self-incompatibility (they cannot pollinate themselves), and previous hand-pollination attempts using intra- and inter-population pollen by OANRP staff has resulted in low seed viability. Na’ena’e plants occur on steep cliffs and their seeds are quite difficult to collect. Developing a reliable ex situ conservation method is therefore critical. Thankfully, when viable seeds are available, they store well in conventional seed bank conditions. In the coming year, we will conduct hand-pollination treatments using different founders, assessing pollen germination and pollen tube development.

We would like to be able to identify populations that are not closely related to avoid self-incompatibility issues and maintain genetic diversity. However, considering the small remnant populations of na’ena’e left in the wild, we may not have that option. If inter-population crosses are not successful, we will conduct treatments that have successfully overcome self-incompatibility in various crops. Our intent is to establish a reliable ex situ conservation method for na’ena’e, but many related species face similar reproductive challenges in small remnant populations without sufficient genetic diversity and may benefit from our efforts. Dubautia is endemic to Hawai’i, and nine of the 26 species in this genus are endangered. We hope that insights gained from this project will also help improve ex situ conservation and propagation of many other endangered species in Hawai’i.

When did you first fall in love with plants?

“Plant awe” has been a continual thread in my life. I think the most significant impactful experience came as a young teenager when I found solace, pleasure, beauty, and comfort working in the backyard of my family home. Tucked away behind a high wall covered in grapevine was my own “secret garden” with brick pathways, shady spaces, and a fish pond. My father’s sculptures were artfully tucked amongst beds of ivy, walnut trees, yew, and planters full of flowers. No passerby could resist stopping to peer through the gate and marvel. I worked out many a problem as I clipped, shaped, and planted in that magical space.

What was your career path to becoming a botanist with the Fish and Wildlife Service?

My career path meandered across the field of botany. During college, I was a Biological Aid to a renowned tree geneticist at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service National Arboretum, where I helped measure natural defense mechanisms of trees. After college, I worked as a Lab Technician at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Foreign Disease-Weed Science Unit, learning to identify foreign pathogens, then as a research technician analyzing the effectiveness of plant extracts to protect human cells against HIV.

When my beau-turned-husband became a Foreign Service Officer, we moved to Nicaragua and I found a job with a non-governmental organization. I assessed botanical resources in a newly created protected area and collaborated with the Miskito Indians to document everyday plant usage in Miskito society. This formed the basis of my doctorate.

After returning to the United States, I attended a medicinal plant industry symposium where I learned about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s involvement in the sustainable use and conservation of plants and animals regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. A botanist job soon opened with the Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA) – the position that I am still in 20 years later. And all of my previous experience contributes to the work I do today.

After returning to the United States, I attended a medicinal plant industry symposium where I learned about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s involvement in the sustainable use and conservation of plants and animals regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. A botanist job soon opened with the Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA) – the position that I am still in 20 years later. And all of my previous experience contributes to the work I do today.

What advice do you have for newcomers to the field of plant conservation?

Connect! Explore! Be Brave!

Seek out groups focused on issues that interest you, but stay open to novel opportunities. Connect with your native plant society, student networks – even PCA discussion lists and meetings! Listen to webinars and participate in field trips. Join a professional society, attend annual meetings, and speak to as many people as you can. Don’t be shy — most people love telling you about themselves and are happy to give ideas and pointers. Forge your own path!

How did you first become involved with the Plant Conservation Alliance?

The symposium I mentioned above was sponsored in part by the Plant Conservation Alliance-Medicinal Plant Working Group. There I met a vivacious, energetic force named Peggy Olwell, the National Botanist for the Bureau of Land Management and then Chair of the Plant Conservation Alliance Federal Committee, who invited me to attend the Plant Conservation Alliance meetings. Jobless and fresh off earning my Ph.D., it was at a PCA meeting that I heard of the opening at Fish and Wildlife Service.

I was thrilled to land a job as a Botanist. As part of my responsibilities, I became Chair of the Medicinal Plant Working Group and the FWS Federal Liaison to the PCA. This enabled me to work professionally with Peggy Olwell and others I had met at the PCA meetings. It was an amazing alignment of the stars. And I would have never imagined that 20 years hence I would become the Chair of the Federal Committee!

How would you describe your role as chair of the PCA federal committee?

I network across agencies to address mutual needs. These include raising the visibility of native plants, drawing attention to the need for botanical skills and training to meet our nation’s botanical challenges, increasing national awareness to sustain and support native plant communities, and stimulating common messaging that will facilitate interagency efforts to address funding and staffing needs. I also work closely with the Chair of the Non-Federal Committee (who is a scientist at a CPC institution, by the way!) to engage in meaningful ways with that sector.

What PCA activities/initiatives are you currently working on?

A major project has been the continued implementation of the Plant Conservation Alliance’s National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration, which just completed its fifth year. Thanks to the leadership of our Liaison to the U.S. Geological Service, Molly McCormick, we recently finalized a federal progress report that demonstrates an impressive array of exciting progress.

To commemorate 25 years of the Plant Conservation Alliance, we are about to embark on an exciting national artwork challenge with the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. School-aged children will compete across the United States and its Territories, then regional champs will enter a runoff to select a native plant as our ‘American Icon’ on a commemorative coin. Our ‘American Icons’ National Challenge webpage should launch soon.

What emerging science (methods, approaches, discoveries) and/or trends in plant conservation excite you most?

I am always thrilled by technological innovations that emulate the plant world. Flying microchips with sails designed after seeds? Love it! As an ethnobotanist, I am heartened by efforts to honor indigenous knowledge and engage in conservation efforts with Native American tribes, Alaska Native villages, and the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands. I hope that the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will unite a global voice to underscore our true green infrastructure: the diverse native plant communities that form the backbone of our iconic habitats.

The PCA recently joined CPC as a network member. What does it mean to you to be connected to CPC?

The CPC and many CPC institutions have been Non-Federal Cooperators of the PCA for years, and it’s long overdue. The CPC was integral to the formation of the PCA, and we share a long history in the common goal to advance national plant conservation. The CPC and its network are a bastion of our Nation’s botanical expertise. There is no substitute for its vital role in maintaining the National Collection of Endangered Plants.