Conservatorship
Working to promote, preserve, and develop plant collections for teaching, research, and outreach
About the Conservatorship
The Conservatorship Position is generously funded by an endowment from H. deShields Henley and Jane T. Henley with the goal to preserve the College landscape, including the College Woods, Wildflower Refuge, Crim Dell, and the campus cultivated collection of plants. These collections of plants do more than beautify our landscape; they are essential elements of the teaching, research, and outreach missions of the university. The College Woods, for example, has been under intense biological study for over 100 years with early plant collections made of rare species by former biology professor E. J. Grimes. Since then, the Woods and campus have been living laboratories for study and the acquisition of new knowledge for thousands of students (over 400 annually). Our landscape also provides an aesthetic and welcoming environment that supports the well-being of our William &Mary community and the planet.
As the Conservator and Director of the William and Mary Herbarium, I support student research projects as well as hire students in special applied opportunities involving biodiversity, conservation, herbarium management, and campus landscape projects. While some projects will train students on the job, others require some prerequisite hands-on botany skills. Plant Diversity and Identification (BIOL 413 and 413L) is an immersive course designed to give students marketable plant identification skills for conservation and conservator work. This course is an excellent way to get involved. Students trained in this course comprise a core group of students from which I hire or mentor in research. The course only requires BIOL 204 (or its equivalent) and a passion or curiosity for plants! See the Conservator's current projects and student grants below.
The William & Mary Arboretum
The campus is home to over 300 different kinds of plants among thousands of specimens planted by our academic ancestors to inspire, beautify, and teach. In a joint project between Biology and Facilities Management, we aim to identify, database, and share the rich history of our campus plantings by providing a searchable website, online and outside tours, and instructive text for all ages.
Documentation of the Virginia Flora
The William & Mary herbarium has a rich history and ongoing initiatives to curate and develop an unparalleled research collection of regional coastal plain vegetation. Herbarium personnel continue to pursue projects that aim to understand and document the changing flora of our region, preserve our native species, and give students unique opportunities to work alongside curators in day-to-day herbarium operations or study plants in nature.
Community Forest Management through Citizen Science in Milpa Alta, Mexico
In a joint collaboration with the Institute for Integrative Conservation (W&M), Dr. Fernando Galeana Rodriguez (Sociology), and Mexican scientists and conservation partners, I am helping to develop ecological tools that will enable the Indigenous People of Milpa Alta and other communities to monitor biodiversity in their ancestral lands. In Mexico, we work alongside the Biological Monitoring Group, a grassroots organization dedicated to mitigating the loss of natural plant communities and rare fauna. W&M students have been an integral part of this project and have participated in summer fieldwork in Mexico. Students can also work remotely from W&M on the development of a field guide that will be a companion to the ecological monitoring tools.
Student Awards and Grants
The Virginia Crouch Memorial Research Grant: The Virginia Crouch Memorial Scholarship is a tribute to the extraordinary life of Virginia Crouch ‘90, who died in a 1997 fire. This grant provides $1000 summer research funds on an alternating basis to a continuing Biology student studying field botany and a continuing History student studying Virginia history. Graduate as well as continuing undergraduate students are eligible. In Biology, eligible students are nominated by faculty and chosen by committee. In 2024, the award will go to a history student.
Shirley T. & Martin C. Mathes Botanical Award: This award recognizes an outstanding senior student who has demonstrated exceptional skills or commitment to the botanical sciences. For each recipient, a woody plant will be added to the campus grounds in the student’s honor to foster environmental awareness, increase botanical appreciation, and promote the diversity of campus plantings. Additionally, students receive a framed certificate and their names will be displayed on a plaque in the biology department. Students are nominated by faculty and chosen by committee. Please contact Dr. Martha Case for more information and nominations.
The Baldwin-Speese Plant Conservation Grant: This funding was endowed by Christine Kurtz Fuerhoff (class of 1980), in memory of biology professors J. T. Baldwin and Bernice M. Speese. It is awarded annually to one (or sometimes two) undergraduate students who are interested in botany and are particularly committed to the preservation of native plant species. Awards typically range from $1000-$3,000 although higher awards can be given if well justified and funds are available. The money can be used for project supplies and/or a summer stipend for living expenses that would facilitate significant (e.g., at least half time) work on the project. Students apply for this grant. For details, please visit the Baldwin-Speese application and instructions.