When: Nov. 11, 7:30pm Where: NC Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC *Chapel Hill:* In honor of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Center for Plant Conservation, the North Carolina Botanical Garden will host a public lecture by the center’s director, Kathryn Kennedy, on *November 11 at 7:30 p.m.* The lecture takes place in the Reeves Auditorium of the Botanical Garden’s new Education Center, located off Fordham Boulevard at Old Mason Farm Road (ncbg.unc.edu). In 1984, two graduate students, Don Falk and Frank Thibideau, organized a small group of botanical gardens to take a more active role in plant conservation. These botanical gardens would protect germ plasm samples representing the genetic diversity of imperiled species and hold these in perpetuity, as a last resort against extinction in the wild and to furnish material for reintroduction and restoration of wild populations. UNC’s North Carolina Botanical Garden was one of those first gardens in the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) network, which today comprises 36 institutions. The garden now holds germ plasm for over 30 species in its National Collection of Endangered Plants, and continues to be a leading institution for plant conservation. In her lecture, Kennedy will describe the approach and accomplishments of the CPC, which so far stands at over 700 species protected, some 100 reintroduction projects, nearly 2,000 field projects to monitor rare plants, and over 100 publications. The 36 institutions of the network—staff and volunteers—have accomplished work valued at $10 million for plant conservation projects. The evening will also include a panel discussion about endangered plants in North Carolina, an overview of the Plant Conservation Program in the N.C. Department of Agriculture, and a brief introduction to the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s conservation programs. The Botanical Garden will also announce a new endowment, through the CPC network, for conservation of a particular endangered species. |
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Public Lecture - Center for Plant Conservationposted Nov 10, 2009 5:05 AM by Scott Anderson |