Mary DeDecker Botanical Grant Program
In 2001, the Bristlecone Chapter established a grants program as a fitting tribute to Mary DeDecker, a renowned local botanist and founding member of our chapter. Our goal is to facilitate research and projects that increase the understanding and appreciation of native plants and ecosystems in the Eastern Sierra.
Grants are for research and projects that increase the understanding and appreciation of native plants and ecosystems in the Eastern Sierra and are primarily targeted to graduate students, college students, and primary and secondary students (K-12) and their teachers. Research projects need not be academic or scholarly but must be relevant to the native plants of the northern Mojave Desert, Sierra Nevada, and Great Basin portions of eastern California. Projects should be conducted at least in part within Inyo or Mono Counties. Applications from students must include written support from a major advisor or teacher.
Grant recipients receive up to $1,000 each for expenses and are asked to present their results to the Bristlecone Chapter either at a regular meeting or in the chapter newsletter. Recipients must submit a progress report at the end of the year. The request for proposals is sent to universities and schools with the deadline for submissions in January. Applicants will be notified by the end of March.
We have awarded grants to graduate students for research on various ecological, taxonomic and physiological aspects of our native flora. We have also helped to fund an education program on native plants for local schools, a mural project which included native plants, native plant gardens and invasive weed eradication projects.
These grants are supported by the annual native plant sale.
Apply for a Grant
Mary DeDecker Botanical Grant Application (pdf)
- New request for proposals will usually be posted and sent out annually at the end of the year (late fall, early winter)
- 2024 Grant Deadline is January 19, 2024
- Applicants will be notified of award by early March 2024
- For more information, contact the DeDecker Botanical Grants Coordinator at grants@bristleconecnps.org
Previous Grant Awards
2023 DeDecker Botanical Grant Recipients
- Rachel Friesen - Climate change and alpine plant community turnover in Yosemite National Parksee progress report also see a report on Rachel's work on Mount Dana here From the White Mountains to Yosemite: New Vegetation Monitoring Transects Established on Mt. Dana
- Mahima Dixit - Phylogeny and taxonomy of the Eriogonum deflexum complexsee progress report
- Peri Lee Pipkin - A floristic inventory of the Silver Peak Range See video of Peri Lee's presentation on March 23, 2023 at White Mountain Research Center hereand see end of year progress report here
- Kimberly Schaefer - A vascular flora of the Sacatar Trail Wildernesssee progress report
- Rachel Tageant - A floristic inventory of the Owens River Headwater Wildernesssee progress report
- Zoe Wood - From museum to field and backsee progress report
2022 DeDecker Botanical Grant Recipients
- Tamsen Dunn - Unusual Robustness of a Novel Boechera of the Eastern Sierra - see progress report
- Eastern Sierra Land Trust - Appreciating Native Plants Through Art - see progress report
- Kaleb Goff - Applying functional trait measurements to better understand climate change impacts to alpine plant communities over a 17-year study period in the White Mountains, Inyo Co., CA - see progress report; also see presentation by Kaleb from February 2023 at White Mountain Research Center here
- Peri Lee Pipkin - Black Holes, White Gold: A Floristic Inventory of the Silver Peak Range, Esmeralda County, NV - see progress report
- Kyle Rosenblad - Climate change and evolutionary potential in a montane meadow-dependent species - see progress report
- Kimberly Schaefer - A Vascular Flora of the Sacatar Trail Wilderness - see progress report
2021 DeDecker Botanical Grant Recipients
- Tamsen Dunn - Unusual Robustness of a Novel Boechera of the Eastern Sierra - see progress report
- Ashley Grupenhoff - The effects of thinning and prescribed fire on floral diversity at Valentine Reserve
- Elijah Hall - Flowering phenology and community composition determine plant reproductive success through the lens of pollination services - see progress report
2020 DeDecker Botanical Grant Recipients
The Bristlecone Chapter is very pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s DeDecker Botanical Grant. We had many competitive applications. It is through the success of our annual native plant sale and the generous donations of plant enthusiasts that we are able to support these excellent projects:
- Martin Purdy - Flora of Coyote Ridge and Coyote Flat, Inyo County, California - see progress report
- Elijah Hall - The importance of floral community patterns for plant reproductive success and pollination services in the White Mountains, CA
- Maria Jesus - A Vascular Flora of Conglomerate Mesa and Malpais Mesa, Inyo County, California - see progress report
- Carolyn Mills - A Vascular Flora of the Nopah Range, Inyo County, CA
Past Recipients
2019 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2018 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2017 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2016 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2015 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2014 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2013 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2012 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2011 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2010 DeDecker Grant Recipients
2009 DeDecker Grant Recipients
Projects Previously Funded (2004 or earlier):
- Flora of the Glass Mountain Region, Mono County, CA
- Ruth Timme, San Francisco State University - Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Polemonium (polemoniaceae) using both molecular sequence data and morphological characters
- Eve Laeger - Survey and Collection of Bryoflora in the deserts and mountains
- Linah Ababneh, University of Arizona - The response of high altitude subalpine pine forests to elevated CO2 and nitrogen dispositions
- Hester Bell, Ranch Santa Ana Botanic Garden - Swallenia alexandrae and its relationship to Distichlis (Saltgrass)
- Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve's Outdoor Education Program - The Native Plant Project
- Aaron Bagge, University of California, Santa Cruz - Why do hummingbird-pollinated plants produce dilute nectar? Plant fitness tradeoffs between nectar concentration and pollination in Ipomopsis aggregata
Other Grants
The State California Native Plant Society has four different types of Educational Grants available. Proposals are due on September 30. Please see details at http://www.cnps.org/cnps/education/grants.php There is a new online application system. Non-student researchers may also apply.
