The San Juan Basin is home to several rare and endemic plant species that occur nowhere else on Earth. Because of outstanding biodiversity and unique geology, this region is considered a priority area for conservation and study.
Bansbach will explore ecological stories of four plant species endemic to the badlands and rimrock of the San Juan Basin: Aztec gilia, Brack’s hardwall cactus, Mesa Verde cactus and Mancos milkvetch. Topics to be explored include long-term demographic trend monitoring, plant relationships with insects and soils, and conservation opportunities.
Bansbach is a rare plant botanist with the Bureau of Land Management in Santa Fe. She has a master’s degree in biology from the University of New Mexico where she studied ponderosa pine seedling physiology after severe wildfire.