BOTANY WEEKEND ONLY - SPECIAL GUEST TRIP LEADER
Elizabeth Byers is an ecologist in love with mountains. She has spent her career working on biodiversity issues in the Himalayas, Rockies, Alps, Andes, East African Rift, and most importantly, the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. In addition to many scientific publications, Elizabeth has authored the popular mobile app “Wildflowers of Mount Everest,” co-authored a field guide to “Common Wetland Plants of West Virginia,” and created the “West Virginia Planting Tool” website which recommends site-specific native species for pollinator gardens, restoration projects, and erosion control. Elizabeth loves photographing flowers and has had her photographs and articles published in Wonderful West Virginia and West Virginia Wildlife. She is currently writing an illustrated guide to the flora of Mount Kanchenjunga and a book chapter on the bioclimatic zones of Nepal.
After spending the first half of her career overseas, Elizabeth returned to West Virginia and worked for a decade as a vegetation ecologist with the Natural Heritage Program at the West Virginia DNR, and another decade leading West Virginia’s wetland protection program. Her great joy is to explore the remnant ecosystems that still hold native assemblages of species amid our crowded and altered world. She and her mountain geographer husband Alton spend several months each year in roadless areas, and gauge their quality of life by number of nights in a tent per annum.
Elizabeth has been a leader for the WV Master Naturalists, WV Native Plant Society, VA Native Plant Society, Brooks Bird Club, Washington Botanical Society, Torrey Botanical Society, North Carolina Botanical Garden, and other groups. She has served as West Virginia’s representative to national working groups including the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index, and the NatureServe Ecological Integrity Assessment.
