March, 2025

Overall

• Wild Things, a biennial Chicago-region “celebration of nature, wildlife, ecosystem restoration, birding, botanizing, networking, and discovery,” by and for the region’s nature researchers, advocates, caretakers and protectors, was well-represented by Morton staff this year. From our lab, Emma (with Gavin and Sean as coauthors) presented “Conserving and restoring the threatened butternut tree (Juglans cinerea, aka white walnut).” 
• The International Oak Society, as a part of their Oak Conservation and Research program, awarded Ash and our collaborator Daniel Pérez Morales a grant! The grant will contribute nearly $10,000 to perform invasive species removal of the problematic rubber vine at one of the largest and healthiest populations of the endangered arroyo oak, Quercus brandegeei, in Baja California Sur, Mexico. You can read more about this project here. This project is a part of the ongoing conservation efforts spearheaded by the Global Trees Conservation Program team to “salvemos el encinco arroyero” (save the arroyo oak). Congrats to Ash on their hard work!
• Last month Sean attended a meeting of the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation at Missouri Botanical Garden, and gave two separate presentations on the genetic indicators.