by Kristen Goodhue

This is the first of two In Memoriam tributes, honoring two long-time staff members who passed away while still employed at our center over the last decade. As the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center enters its 60th year, we recognize that many of our achievements would not have been possible without their hard work and passion.

The invisible handprints of Bob Gallagher cover more than half the buildings at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. They’re also present in the center’s most popular volunteer program, and some buildings that have yet to be constructed. From 2004 until his death in 2020, Gallagher served as the center’s executive officer. And the campus as it is today would not exist without his efforts.

by Erin Minor

Forests play a vital role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Worldwide, roughly 10 million hectares of forest are lost to deforestation each year. Forest restorations—efforts to regrow forests—offset around half of that. But how do we make sure that these efforts are as efficient as possible? One answer is in planting a wide variety of tree species.

A new study from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) has found that forests planted with multiple tree species are more efficient than those with just one.

by Cole Johnson

Coastal wetlands are vital to our planet’s health. They store carbon, filter nitrogen and protect our shorelines. But they also can emit large pulses of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, in sudden events known as “hot moments.” These fleeting events are challenging to predict. However, understanding them is crucial in humanity’s fight against climate change.

Genevieve Noyce, a senior scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), is leading an innovative project to better understand these hot moments in coastal wetlands.

by Kristen Goodhue

What does it take to grow an endangered orchid and bring it back to the wild? This past school year, the Smithsonian decided to ask hundreds of middle and high school students. It’s part of a participatory science project called “Classroom Cultivation,” run by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and Smithsonian Gardens. Its goal: Turn students into scientists and classrooms into botany labs.

Orchids are some of the trickiest plants to grow—either in a lab or in the wild. This is largely because they are so frustratingly picky about their habitats. And every species has a different wish list.

“Orchids can be a bit of a drama queen, a diva,” said Shatiyana Dunn, who runs Classroom Cultivation for SERC. “They have very specific elements that they like to grow in.”

by Kristen Goodhue

Your local wetland could be sending over 500 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere every year, per square mile. Or virtually none. It’s a bit of a mystery—one that’s been troubling climate scientists for decades. But a new report published this week is helping nail down which wetlands are more likely to be methane bombs.

by Kristen Goodhue

As a young student drawn to the intuitive side of things, Denim Fisher never felt completely at home in the science world. But she always had a deep love for nature, as a place to center and ground herself. That love, she acknowledged, comes mixed with trauma.

“The act of engaging with nature can be a daunting, frightening experience for most Black people,“ she said. “This fear response stems from historical racism and the awful things that we endured in these forests.”

Fisher was a graduating senior this year at Pikesville High School in Baltimore. Last winter and spring, she joined a high school internship program run on Saturdays by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and Temple X. One particular Saturday stands out, walking through Gwynns Falls Park with her mentor, Alfie Chambers.

“We saw a poplar tree,” Fisher said. “Alfie taught me that Black bodies were lynched on this tree. This tree has gigantic branches, and mobs intentionally used these trees because of the increased likelihood of someone’s death.”

For Fisher, the internship offered a chance to explore new ways to reconnect her community with nature, and to create spaces for healing.

by Mona Patterson

Our predictions of how well wetlands can withstand climate change may not be as accurate as once believed. Research has often overlooked one critical factor: plant evolution. This spring, a research team with two Smithsonian biologists received the Ecological Society of America’s George Mercer Award for their findings on the century-long evolution of a wetland plant and its potential impact on wetland survival.

“There has been this long-standing idea that evolution is really slow and happens at magnitudes that are not impactful at the ecosystem level,” said Megan Vahsen, lead author of the study. “And I think what this paper shows is that’s not necessarily true.”

by Mona Patterson

Oxygen is a vital element for virtually all animals on Earth and many microbes. But oxygen concentrations are falling in some of the most valuable ecosystems on the planet. According to a recent paper, the number of freshwater and coastal water bodies with little to no oxygen has increased in coastal areas, with hundreds of regions affected worldwide. Meanwhile, in the open ocean, oxygen-deficient waters have increased fourfold since 1960.

In the new paper, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers around the globe are urging leaders to acknowledge the ocean’s oxygen loss as a new “planetary boundary.” Planetary boundaries are global thresholds for major Earth systems, beyond which humanity cannot safely operate. The nine existing boundaries include climate change and freshwater. In this Q&A, we spoke with co-author Denise Breitburg, a scientist emerita at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, on why ocean oxygen should become the 10th planetary boundary. Edited for brevity and clarity.

Lady’s slippers and rattlesnake plantains silent ambassadors for endangered orchids

by Melissa McCormick and Kristen Goodhue

Maryland’s native orchids will enjoy a rare moment in the spotlight at the Chelsea Flower Show in London this week, one of the most famous flower shows in the world. The show’s “Orchids in the Wild – The Beauty of Nature” exhibit, running May 20-25, includes 27 native orchids from North America, as part of a display co-hosted by the Smithsonian highlighting the plight of orchids.