Regarding the July 30 Page 1 story titled “Endangered species: Botanist”: Nowhere in the world do field botanists have a more direct involvement with a broad, publicly supported movement than right here in the Chicago area. Our unique natural-area restoration effort is a result of the concern and guidance of a trove of dedicated field botanists such as Floyd Swink and Robert Betz.
Maintaining biodiversity and our Midwest ecosystems depends upon a steady flow of new information. As we proceeded with larger and more complex restoration efforts such as the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie at the old Joliet Arsenal, we are finding we need to know much more about our native plant species, both individually and as part of ecosystems. Field entomologists and other specialists in the entire range of biological sciences are equally important.
Our area field botanists are fortunate to have had the support of our colleges and universities, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Chicago Botanic Garden, forest preserve and park districts, the Illinois and federal governments, the nature conservancy and a long list of other public and private institutions.
Recent cutbacks in the field botany staff at the Morton Arboretum, however, have caused great concern. Those in charge at the Arboretum and all biologically involved Chicago-area institutions need to evaluate this need for more, not fewer, field biology specialists.
Big things are at stake, such as understanding how the stability of our ecosystems relates to our own survival.
