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Louisiana quillwort found at Camp Shelby, Mississippi © Melinda Lyman/TNC

Melinda's extensive knowledge of the Louisiana quillwort is an invaluable resource to the Conservancy.

Meet Melinda Lyman, a Mississippi girl through and through. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of the blues. She can slog through mud and greenbriars to count quillworts or fix a pineapple cream cheese sandwich that will knock your socks off.

When asked what inspires her, she stated, “Nature of course!”

Melinda came to work for the Conservancy in 2007. She is the project coordinator and botanist for the Chapter’s Camp Shelby program. Through her leadership, the Conservancy has seen this program become well known for high quality and innovative research among conservation peers. Melinda says, “The thing I’m most proud of is the program I manage and working with a talented team to achieve conservation goals.”

In addition to her Camp Shelby duties, Melinda’s botanical knowledge has proven invaluable for vegetation monitoring at the Conservancy’s mitigation banks and at bioquest events. Her extensive research of the Louisiana quillwort has made her a popular source on the subject. She has shared her knowledge about the Louisiana quillwort with other scientists and land managers.

What is the strangest thing you’ve seen while working for the Conservancy?
"I found a plywood cut out of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause kissing in the middle of a Longleaf pine forest....in March."

Before Melinda came to work for the Conservancy, she was curator at the Crosby Arboretum. She not only managed over 1,000 acres of Arboretum owned natural areas, but tour groups, festivals and volunteers.

Melinda holds a Master of Science in Environmental Biology with a Botanical emphasis from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Her hobbies include learning to play mandolin, landscaping/gardening, birding by ear and interior design. 

Favorite Quotes

• “Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.”~Hal Borland
• "A conclusion is a place where you get tired of thinking." ~Stephen Wright
• "Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." ~Wernher Von Braun
• "Science commits suicide when it adopts a creed." Thomas Henry Huxley
• "The essence of life is a statistical improbability on a colossal scale." ~Richard Dawkins