Canyon Conversations: Flora of the Grand Canyon Region
Join us for Canyon Conversations with Wendy Hodgson, Senior Research Botanist at Desert Botanical Garden and Lonnie Pilkington, Vegetation Program Manager at Grand Canyon National Park.
- December 12, 2024
- 5:00PM–6:00PM MST
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Zoom Webinar
- Register
Did you know there are over 1,800 plant species found within Grand Canyon? This diversity is due to a number of factors, including the 8,000-foot elevation change from the Colorado River up to the highest point on the North Rim. Grand Canyon serves as an ecological refuge, with relatively undisturbed remnants of changing ecosystems, such as woodlands and desert riparian communities. The park is home to numerous rare, endemic (found only at Grand Canyon), and specially protected (threatened or endangered) plants. Join Wendy Hodgson, Senior Research Botanist at Desert Botanical Garden and Lonnie Pilkington, Vegetation Program Manager at Grand Canyon National Park to learn about the variety of plants found within Grand Canyon and the projects that the park’s vegetation team is working on in collaboration with the Desert Botanical Garden and others.
Wendy Hodgson
Wendy Hodgson holds a B.S. in wildlife biology and an M.S. in botany from Arizona State University. This year Wendy celebrated 50 years of working at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, having started in 1974 as an assistant to famed agave expert Dr. Howard S. Gentry. Today she is the Herbarium Curator Emerita and Senior Research Botanist. Her research focuses on Southwest floristics with a special emphasis on the Grand Canyon, where for 35 years she has searched for plants. She has authored or co-authored nine species new to science, including three from Grand Canyon.
Lonnie Pilkington
Lonnie Pilkington holds a BBA in Management from West Texas A&M University and an MS in Rangeland Ecosystem Science from Colorado State University. Lonnie began his National Park Service career at Rocky Mountain National Park and continued his journey at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, and Grand Canyon National Park. His work is focused on a variety of resource stewardship disciplines including ecological restoration, pollinator conservation, threatened and endangered species monitoring and recovery, and hazard tree management. Lonnie has facilitated numerous partnerships and programs to connect young adults and youth to their national parks.