The Botanists at Crater Lake National Park by Elizabeth L. Horn

Terrestrial ecologist Michael Murray oversees the current botany program at Crater Lake. Having studied fire-dependent ecosystems in diverse locales such as Redwood National Park, Alaska, and the northern Rocky Mountains, Murray monitors fire effects at CLNP, as well as coordinates programs for revegetation, exotic species, and whitebark pine restoration. The fire monitoring program involves inventorying “preburn” vegetation in anticipation of natural fires to provide a baseline for comparison after a fire occurs. Murray also coordinates the cooperative fire regime studies with researchers at the University of Washington, Oregon State University, and Portland State University. For a description of his whitebark pine ecosystem studies, see Murray’s article on page 25.