CBA/ABC Bulletin 7(3)

I SSN 0008-3046 THE CANADIAN BOTANICAL ASSOCIATION BULLETIN LASSOCIATION BOTANIQUE DU CANADA July 1974 Volume 7 Number 3 Waterloo THE ANNUAL MEETING - TEMPE, ARIZONA Activities during his or her term of office. This year for the first time our annual Since it is 10 years from the date of the meeting was held outside Canada on the attractive organizational meeting of this Association a campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, slightly more intensive internal assessment might Arizona between June 16th and 21st. About 50 of seem appropriate this year. I must emphasize our members gathered in the "Valley of the Sun" that the opinions expressed and any suggestions for our own sessions and those of 12 American are entirely my own and do not necessarily Societies, including the Botanical Society of represent the views of your Executive Committee. America, and the Mexican Botanical Society. All meetings were held under the direction of the POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE C.B.A./A.B.C. ACTIVITIES American Institute of Biological Sciences on the A most important part of our organization has occasion of its 25th Annual Meeting. In all been the annual meeting. Each of these has been about 2000 biologists were surprised by the a critical success with many excellent papers, record- breaking heat wave (110°F daily minimum). thought-provoking discussions, and above all the The Association was directly responsible for bringing together of Canadian botanists who have three well attended and well received symposia on begun to know one another far better than was the Evolution of Plant Parasites and Symbionts, possible before the C.B.A./A.B.C. came into on Plant Population Dynamics, and on Wide-ranging existence. Species - Variation and Adaptation. It is Another positive outcome of the annual intended that abstracts of the symposia will be meetings is that we have made contact with other published in a future issue of the Bulletin. In biologists through joint meetings, shared addition, several concurrent sessions were symposia, etc. We will be expanding these organized by the sections, in conjunction with contacts in the coming years. For example, next the Botanical Society of America. Much was year we should have a very exciting series of accomplished at the annual business meetings of symposia when we have a joint conference with the the Association and its sections and will be Entomological Society of Canada and the Canadian reported in the Bulletin. Some members took part Phytopathological Society. We also plan to meet in the AIBS workshop on the ecology of desert with the Geneticists in 1977. It should be a organisms. Many botanists were introduced to the matter of pride to C.B.A/A.B.C. members that local flora, including the magnificant Saguaro, these meetings and most of the ones we have had by participating in field trips to the San in past years have come about through the efforts Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff and to Mt. Lemmon of our members. near Tucson. The phycologists desported A second plus for the C.B.A./A.B.C. has been themselves on an excursion to the Gulf of the Bulletin. It is an invaluable means by which California at Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. Old and Canadian botanists become informed about new members mingled during a thoroughly enjoyable national, international and society events which "mixer" evening. A banquet of all Botanists was can have some bearing on their professional held in the Maricopa Room of the University and activities. It is also a way in which books, was the occasion for the presentation of the reports and other items of botanical interest can Lawson medals, a report on which appears in this be brought to the attention of our members. We issue of the Bulletin. owe a great deal to the selfless people who have Wayne Hawthorn edited the Bulletin since its inception (Drs. Janet Stein, Roy Taylor, Jack Alex and John Morton). THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS TO THE JOINT ANNUAL A third positive aspect of our operation is MEETING the fact that C.B.A/A.B.C. representatives have AN EVALUATION OF THE CANADIAN BOTANICAL become active in such national organizations as ASSOCIATION the Biological Council of Canada and SCITEC. At each annual meeting over the past few years Through their efforts Canadian Botany has the outgoing president of the C.B.A./A.B.C. has received consideration in much national decision given some form of resumé of the Associations making. It is because of such hard-working 1 people as Dr. Roy Taylor, the immediate remains unknown to their fellow-scientists. This past-president of the Biological Council of year the N.R.C.s Grant Selection Committee on Canada that we have been involved in science Population Biology (of which I am a member) policy planning for the country. As you have drafted a brief report which expressed concern heard recently through various government reports with the inactivity and generally poor quality of we will need to be involved with governments, Canadian research in Systematics (including Plant Research Councils, I.U.B.S., etc. as never Systematics). It was pointed out that biologists before. The B.C.C. has indicated that it plans in other disciplines depend on sound information to accept its full share of the new about the species they work with if they them- responsibilities and our Association must selves are to produce acceptable work. When it continue to play its full role in the B.C.C. comes to actual publication few of us have taken A real triumph for our Association has been any interest in the policies, problems, short- the Lawson Medal program. Outstanding botanists comings, etc., of "our" publication, the Canadian in Canada have finally received some much Journal of Botany. Few even know what the deserved recognition. editorial policies of this journal are: One further criticism that can be made of most PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE TO SOLVE C.B.A./A.B.C. members is that they are unwilling In my opinion our chief deficiency is that we to nominate their fellow members for positions in make do not represent a large enough proportion of the the Association and especially to botanical fraternity in Canada. Our membership nominations for Lawson Medal Awards. These of about 400 should be at least doubled and there latter nominations take a considerable amount of work on behalf of the nominator but they are most are probably sufficient numbers of scientists who have resigned from our organization to make up worthwhile. I know that there are many Canadian Botanists whose work is well-known nationally and this total. Your executive committee feels that a membership drive is essential in the near internationally and I have heard many names future and has planned one. suggested as Lawson Medal candidates, yet very However if we are to attract large numbers of few nominations are forthcoming. new members we must have something positive and SOLUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE exciting to offer them. At present our main The main solution that I can offer is to urge all members of the Canadian Botanical Association talking points are the annual meeting, the C.B.A. to contribute to your society. /A.B.C. Bulletin and something much more nebulous to get involved; which we often term "representing Botany in A very simple way to start would be to send information about yourself, or people at your Canada". institution to the Editor of the Bulletin. Our One current problem lies with the sections. bulletin should be full of news about Canadian All of our sections are now more or less moribund botanists; their research activities, their even though several of them made encouraging starts. At present the sections rarely become teaching and their many public duties. If you active except possibly at the time of the annual would like to become further involved you could write articles for the Bulletin. meetings, there is little co mmunication between We should take the awards that we give very the committee members in a section, and when they do communicate there is little for the individual seriously. There are many worthy botanists in Canada whose work should be recognized by the committee members to do. Many C.B.A. members feel that the sections should be wholly or C.B.A./A.B.C. by the awarding of Lawson medals. is needed to mount a largely disposed of and that a small organization Considerable effort nomination but I hope that more of you will take such as the C.B.A./A.B.C. should always think and Also; do consider act as a unified group. Still other members feel this trouble next year. nominating people for positions on the that we dont have enough sections; they suggest C.B.A./A.B.C. executive committee. Alternatively that Bryology Lichenology, Physiology, you could volunteer to serve on the committee or Biometrics, Ethno-botany and other sections subcommittees of one of our sections. Just should be formed: contact the section chairman and express your Another serious problem lies with our communications. The C.B.A./A.B.C. has been interest. accused of being just an "in-group" who talk to You may have heard about the plans for each other at annual meetings and through the Biological Surveys of Canada which is planned by Bulletin but do not work meaningfully with other the B.C.C.; if not, details will be announced in botanists and other scientists in Canada. It the Bulletin in the near future. We need an must be admitted that we do not take the time, as enthusiastic response to these plans from our a Society, to work with amateur botanists who members; in the same way that the entomologists could use our collective expertise; nor do we and the mycologists have already begun to work on have any plan for interesting school children in this project.

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