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The Nature Conservancy in Ohio bid farewell to its resident botanist of seven years, Rick Gardner, in 2004. While Gardner is no longer part of our staff, he still works with the Ohio Chapter on a regular basis as the Heritage Botanist in Ohio’s Natural Heritage Program, within ODNR’s Division of Natural Areas and Preserves.
“The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves has a very similar mission as the Conservancy,” Gardner explained. “Our work overlaps on a regular basis.”
Conservancy members will remember Rick for the rare plants he frequently turned up on the chapter’s properties or on other lands across Ohio, and some may have had the good fortune to participate in one of the chapter field trips he led over the years.
Gardner’s position with Natural Areas and Preserves exists in part due to Conservancy work from three decades ago. The Conservancy set up Ohio’s Natural Heritage Database in 1976 before turning it over to the state agency. “The Heritage Program manages this database, which is a comprehensive list of all the rare plants, animals, and natural communities in the state,” said Gardner. Nancy Strayer, Assistant Chief of the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, is happy to have Gardner on board. “Having Rick join the division full-time has been a great boost for our botanical staff,” Strayer said. “Rick consistently finds new locations for Ohio’s rare plants – he often locates plants that have not been seen for years, and has even discovered plants never before found in the state."
For Gardner, tracking plants is nothing new. In fact, his self-proclaimed greatest accomplishment at the Conservancy was completing the Flora at the Edge of Appalachia Preserve (a reference manual for scientists). “The Flora, which I co-authored with Dave Minney (the Conservancy’s Southern Ohio Land Steward), took several years to finish and involved writing pages of field notes and collecting hundreds of specimens,” said Gardner. “I hope it will be a useful reference for both staff and researchers for many years.”
Whether working for The Nature Conservancy or Ohio’s Natural Heritage Program, Gardner’s work will prove to be invaluable for generations to come.
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