From the Editor

Many contributing authors and readers of Native Plants Journal are involved in restoration and reclamation of public lands. This activity, of a certainty, involves research on and utilization of native plants. But many additional endeavors involve native plants in one aspect or another.

Take for example my employment with the University of Idaho. I manage a project designed to domesticate plants for utilization in home and commercial landscapes. I regularly have direct communication with people who are interested in gardening with native plants. This work gives me a unique perspective on public perception of native plants. By watching public interest change over the past few years, I can say definitively that people are becoming more aware of nature in general and of native plants (especially their impact on pollinator populations). I believe that as a result of this changing perception, people are becoming more interested in and supportive of the native plant reclamation efforts that are a critical part of managing our public lands.

Logically, one result of this positive change in awareness is a shift in the political climate toward support of native plant conservation and habitat reclamation. I am not sure if this potential support for conservation efforts is yet showing up in dollar support for the work we do, but in the long run, this political atmosphere can’t help but move forward the conservation and restoration work that we all know is critical to supporting a healthy biosphere.

I find it very rewarding to be involved in a movement that will restore our natural world and make it easier to complete development and research in support of improvements in native plant habitats. Given the dedicated personnel I commonly find within the native plant disciplines, I suspect I am not alone in this sentiment.

Keep up the good work everyone. And don’t forget to send articles to the Native Plants Journal describing your work in the native plant arena. There is room for good quality writing on virtually all aspects of native plant production, utilization, and restoration. Please share your efforts and successes.