<div dir="ltr">At Elizabeth's suggestion, I've written a couple paragraphs that can be used in a letter of support. Please feel free to modify these as you see fit.<div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"times new roman",serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Ongoing herbarium
work is essential to our understanding of the natural world, especially in
these days of rapid change. </span><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"times new roman",serif">The Norton Brown Herbarium was started
to support the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station in 1901 and now has a
collection of more than 87,000 specimens with a focus on the flora of Maryland and
mid-Atlantic, several plant families, and several special collections including
those of the University’s College Park Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. The herbarium serves as a repository for
state endangered and rare plant collections and serves to document changes in
plant distributions across the state. It
is used by state agencies including the Department of Natural Resources and
Department of Agriculture as well as by researchers from around the world. Students use the herbarium to learn about
plant taxonomy and to conduct research projects. Herbarium specimens can be used to study everything
from plant genetics, crop diseases, and medical uses to climate change. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"times new roman",serif"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"times new roman",serif">For this sort of research to continue, it is vital
that the University maintain support for the Norton Brown Herbarium. It should be considered a valuable asset to
the University in attracting world class researchers and funding, but instead
it seems to be viewed as a financial burden. The Herbarium needs to be able to
maintain and update its collections and make that information available to researchers
and to the public. It is an
irreplaceable resource.<span></span></span></p></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Oct 24, 2016 at 11:44 AM, Becky Erickson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:beckyerick711@centurylink.net" target="_blank">beckyerick711@centurylink.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Also try Crowd Funding or Kickstarter; open a new page on Facebook - explain<br>
the history, issue and ask for money.<br>
<span class="im HOEnZb"><br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Steve Erickson<br>
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2016 8:39 PM<br>
To: Sylvan Kaufman<br>
Cc: <a href="mailto:native-plants@lists.plantconservation.org">native-plants@lists.<wbr>plantconservation.org</a><br>
Subject: Re: [PCA] Norton Brown Herbarium may close<br>
<br>
</span><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5">Public pressure is your best bet, along with the press.<br>
<br>
And reach out not just to the obvious (i.e. conservation groups,<br>
including those that are not necessarily focused on veg). Make a<br>
list of the obvious allies, from Natural Heritage to Audubon.<br>
Pick up the phone. Ask friendlies if they know who are good<br>
politicians and reporters to go to. Then expand the circle. Also<br>
go for scientists that are not botanists and ecologists. Get<br>
some cancer researchers to do a sign on letter and make sure it<br>
goes to the press and friendly legislators.<br>
<br>
Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease and the most<br>
obnoxious annoying loudest wheel gets the most lubrication. This<br>
isn’t science, its straight out politics. And don’t spare<br>
the hyperbole. An herbarium is a library of nature. Surely they<br>
wouldn’t burn a library or fail to repair a leaking library<br>
roof? Finding other funding is not your goal. Your goal should<br>
be to generate enough political heat so the university<br>
administration does its job and finds the funding.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-Steve<br>
<br>
==============================<wbr>=====<br>
<br>
On 10/22/16 at 9:37 AM, <a href="mailto:sylvan.kaufman@gmail.com">sylvan.kaufman@gmail.com</a> (Sylvan<br>
Kaufman) wrote:<br>
<br>
>I learned this week from the Director of the Norton Brown Herbarium at<br>
>University of Maryland that it will close unless the Director can find<br>
>$100,000 in operating expenses each year starting in 2017. This herbarium<br>
>is the state herbarium for Maryland .<br>
><br>
>Does anyone have advice about how to either find outside funding or<br>
>convince the University that they should fund the operating budget? I have<br>
>put the message out to several Maryland conservation-related listserves in<br>
>the hopes that people will write letters of support to the Chair of the<br>
>Plant Sciences department and Dean of the College of Agriculture and<br>
>Natural Resources that house the herbarium.<br>
><br>
>Thanks,<br>
>Sylvan<br>
><br>
------------------------------<wbr>---------------<br>
Frosty Hollow Ecological Restoration<br>
Helping Nature Heal<br>
Box 53<br>
Langley, WA 98260<br>
<a href="tel:%28360%29%20579-2332" value="+13605792332">(360) 579-2332</a> FH@Whidbey.com<br>
==============================<wbr>=========<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Sylvan Kaufman<br>phone: 410-310-0160<br><a href="http://www.SylvanGreenEarth.com" target="_blank">www.SylvanGreenEarth.com</a><div><a href="http://www.InvasivePlantGuide.com" target="_blank">www.InvasivePlantGuide.com</a></div><div><br></div></div></div>
</div>