From kathy at fred.net Wed Dec 6 11:21:31 2017 From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton) Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2017 12:21:31 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] Passing of Dr. Stanwyn Shetler, Curator Emeritus (fwd) Message-ID: Botany staff ?- ?very sad news about Stan Shetler. ? His son Stephen sent this note to pass to everyone: It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Stanwyn G. Shetler on the evening of December 4th at around 9:30 PM, age 84, due to complications from Parkinson?s disease. His daughter, Lara, was at his side. Dad was a man of many accomplishments who achieved a goal so few are able to claim; he left the world better than he found it. Rest peacefully, Dad. Stan was born on October 11, 1933, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He grew up in rural Hollsopple, PA and attended Johnstown Christian School, where his father was Principal and Stan therefore felt it prudent to graduate Valedictorian of his class. His interest in natural history began with bird watching in the sixth grade and was stimulated by his science teacher and fostered by his mother. Ornithology was a lifelong avocation. Stanwyn earned his Bachelor?s and Master?s degrees in 1955 and 1958 from Cornell University after first attending Eastern Mennonite College (now University), Harrisonburg, Virginia.? He came to the Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in 1962 directly from graduate studies at the University of Michigan, where he subsequently earned a PhD degree in systematic botany. He spent his whole professional career at the Smithsonian before retiring at the end of 1995. Beginning as an assistant curator, he rose to serve as associate director and then deputy director of the National Museum of Natural History. Stan?s naturalist interests were wide-ranging, but he was a recognized expert on the bellflowers (genus Campanula) and the flora of the Arctic. His publications number well over 100 scientific, technical, and popular titles, including three books and the Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area (2 volumes, 2002, 2002). The books are on Russian botanical history (1968), a monograph on the evolution of the New World harebells (Campanula rotundifolia complex) (1982), and the popular Portraits of Nature: Paintings by Robert Bateman (1986), which accompanied a Smithsonian exhibition by the same title organized by him in 1987.? He also edited the English translations of the last eight volumes of the 30-volume Flora of the USSR plus the general index volume. Dr. Shetler was program director of the international Flora North America Program, which pioneered in the use of computers for taxonomic information and set the stage for the subsequent effort to prepare a modern treatise of North American plants. The data produced from this project was among the first in the world to document the climatic phenomenon now known as global warming. His research travels took him across North America and to parts of South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Stan was a frequent lecturer, teacher, and consultant through the years. He served on the board of the Piedmont Environmental Council (1985-88) and several terms (latest, 2006) on the board of directors of the Audubon Naturalist Society, including three years (1974-77) as president. He was a charter member (1982) of the Virginia Native Plant Society and served on the state board of directors as Botany Chair (1996-2003) and director-at-large (2004-2006). He taught plant identification courses for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School off and on since 1963 and in the 1980s and 90s at Northern Virginia Community College. Honors include election as fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1994) for ?contributions to the formation of electronic data banks and the computer registry of botanical specimens,? and fellow of the Washington Academy of Sciences (2002). Upon retirement he was appointed botanist emeritus by the National Museum of Natural History. In 1995, he received the Paul Bartsch Medal, which is the Audubon Naturalist Society?s top award for contributions to natural history and conservation. In 1988, he was invited by the Chautauqua Institution to present the featured lecture at the celebration of the late Roger Tory Peterson?s 80th birthday. He received the Piedmont Environmental Council?s Individual Award for Contributions to Environmental Improvement in 1981 for his role in drafting a Vegetation Preservation Policy for Loudoun County, Virginia. Stan was elected to membership in the Washington Biologists? Field Club in 1970 and served as vice president from 1981 to 1984 and as president from 1984 to 1987. Dr. Shetler is survived by 2 sisters, a brother, a step-mother, his wife of 54 years Elaine, two children, and two grandchildren. His remains will be cremated and a memorial service will be announced at a later date. Any questions may be directed to me, Stephen Shetler, via this email address. Thank you, Stephen Shetler (Note: email address referred to was not included in the email I received.) From kathy at fred.net Wed Dec 6 14:56:51 2017 From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton) Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2017 15:56:51 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] =?iso-8859-7?q?Native_Plant_Conservation_Campaign_News=3A_T?= =?iso-8859-7?q?rump_administration=A2s_rejection_of_science_continues?= Message-ID: You can see the message below here: http://ymlp.com/zWoHtH where the links referred to below will be able to be followed. ____________________________ ? Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Trump administration?s rejection of science continues December 4, 2017 ? For ideas on some ways you can get involved and help defend science visit the NPCC Speak Out for Plants Page ? Recent examples of the Trump administration's ongoing resistance to scientists and science include: * National Science Foundation grants using the words climate change are down about 40% this year, according to a National Public Radio analysis. According to the November 29, 2017 report, the change in language may be the result of the Trump administration's open hostility to the topic of climate change ? ?Earlier this year, Mr. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, and the President's 2018 budget proposal singled out climate change research programs for elimination. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency has been systematically removing references to climate change from its official website. Both the EPA's leader, Scott Pruitt, and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry have said they do not accept the scientific consensus that humans are causing the planet to get warmer.? Further, in August, the Guardian UK reported on a series of e mails within the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service discouraging federal staff from using the phrase ?climate change? at al.? Read the new analysis at NPR * The Ecological Society of America reports that the Trump administration has prohibited agency scientists from making public presentations on impacts of climate change on coastal areas and western wildfires. ???Stifling ecologists who have valid research to inform management decisions ? is unconscionable and serves no one,? said Katherine McCarter, executive director, Ecological Society of America.? In a statement in response to one censorship incident. Read more at ?the Ecological Society of America Policy News Read the Ecological Society of America?s full Statement on recent science censorship * EPA Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) experts dismissed The Environmental Protection Agency?established the Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) in 1996 to provide high quality technical advice, information, and recommendations to the agency on clean air, toxics, and water science. Since January, the Trump administration has dismissed dozens of scientists - and appointed representatives from polluting industries in their stead. ? According to Ecological Society of America Policy News, the BOSC had 68 members early in the year, but by late June it was down to 11. Following the BOSC dismissals, the EPA cancelled all remaining meetings of the committee for 2017. Among the new appointments to the EPA advisory committees, announced on Nov. 3, are representatives of Phillips 66 Co., Southern Co., and the North Dakota Petroleum Council. For more details, see November 9 ESA Policy News * On November 7, Syria followed the lead of Nicaragua and signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This leaves the U.S. as the sole country that has rejected the global science-based climate pact. Read more in the New York Times For ideas on?how you can?help defend plants and science visit the NPCC Speak Out for Plants Page Remember to register yourself,?your friends and family to VOTE! See the NPCC Get Out The Vote page for help ? cid:D7EDE480-B7EC-4D02-ABC2-FCAE60DD0575 at Belkin Emily Brin Roberson, Ph.D. Director Native Plant Conservation Campaign emilyr at plantsocieties.org www.plantsocieties.org? Sign up for NPCC News!?????????????? ?cid:image006.png at 01D18F6E.0C8A9BC0 ?Like us on Facebook! ? ? ? From kathy at fred.net Fri Dec 8 10:51:18 2017 From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton) Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2017 11:51:18 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] Dec. 17 and 31 field trips + Google Doodle Message-ID: NOTE: The January meeting will be held on January 9 rather than on the normal first Tuesday date. Upcoming Field Trips: Sunday, December 17 10am - 4pm Winter Solstice Walk and Hooley Location: Mattawoman Wildlands in Chapman State Park, Leaders: Rod Simmons, Jim Long, Alan Ford, Robin Firth Registration not required. Joint sponsorship: BSW, MNPS, Mattawoman Watershed Society, VNPS https://mdflora.org/event-2747121 New Year's Eve (Sunday) 10am - 1pm Wild Washington: Fort Dupont Park No registration required for this event MNPS event https://mdflora.org/event-2754481 ------------------------------------- December 8 Google Doodle honors Jan Ingenhousz, a little-known Dutch scientist who is credited with discovering the process of photosynthesis. https://www.google.com/doodles/jan-ingenhouszs-287th-birthday https://www.google.com/search?site=&q=Jan+Ingenhousz&oi=ddle&ct=jan-ingenhouszs-287th-birthday-5733919419793408&hl=en&kgmid=/m/03mmqy&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0pZ3M7_rXAhWr7oMKHU7FAuMQPQgI&biw=1698&bih=931&dpr=1 From kathy at fred.net Fri Dec 8 15:28:39 2017 From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton) Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2017 16:28:39 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] Stan Shetler's son's email address Message-ID: Via Rod Simmons: Sylvia Orli kindly passed along Stephen Shetler's email address for those who had requested it: sgshetler at gmail.com.? We think the Shetler family would love to hear from those who knew and cared about Stan ------------------------------------------------------------ Link to earlier message with the note from Stan's son: http://botsoc.org/pipermail/bsw_botsoc.org/2017-December/000233.html From kathy at fred.net Tue Dec 19 15:43:55 2017 From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton) Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2017 16:43:55 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] Memorial Service for Stanwyn Shetler Message-ID: Via Jil: From: Orli, Sylvia Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2017 8:34 PM To: NMNH-Botany-Staff Subject: Memorial Service for Stanwun Shetler Hi all -? a memorial service will be held for Stanwyn Shetler at Leesburg Church of the Nazarene at 2PM on January 13th. The address is 17667 Roxbury Hall Road Leesburg, Virginia 20175 [maps.google.com].? Any questions can be directed to Stephen Shetler at sgshetler at gmail.com. Please forward this to any other staff, friends or colleagues of Stan who may want to attend. Thanks - Sylvia From kathy at fred.net Sat Dec 23 10:22:27 2017 From: kathy at fred.net (Kathy Bilton) Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2017 11:22:27 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] MNPS trip + next BSW meeting Message-ID: There's an MNPS field trip to Fort Dupont Park coming up on December 31. No registration is necessary for this trip. https://mdflora.org/event-2754481 -------------------------------------------------------------- The next BSW meeting will be at 7pm on January 9 because of the regular first Tuesday date's proximity to the holidays And, as the government is funded through the 19th, there should be no problem with the mmuseum being closed..... The speaker will be Vicki Funk. Her topic: Collections in an era of genomes: More important than ever Flier for the meeting: http://botsoc.org/jan18.pdf Location: VZ Conference Room (WG 33) Ground Floor of the West Wing, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th St. and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Please email Erika Gardner at the address gardnere at si.edu to arrange for a pass to get to the meeting room. Pre-meeting dinner: 5:30 P.M. at the Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant, 1201 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington. Phone 202-347-7707. The restaurant is diagonally across from the Old Post Office Pavilion at 12th and Pennsylvania, a few blocks from the Museum, with Federal Triangle the nearest Metro station, and Metro Center also nearby.