My Public Lands

Verna Pratt, Campbell Creek Science Center, Alaska 

There is no stronger advocate for Alaska native plants on the BLM’s Campbell Tract than volunteer Verna Pratt. Situated in Anchorage, the Campbell Tract’s 730 acres are crisscrossed by some of the most heavily used recreation trails in the state. For more than 20 years, Verna—the author of several field guides to Alaska’s native plants and an expert on Alaska’s wildflowers—has helped to identify and inventory both native and non-native species on the tract. She has advised BLM staff on which native species to use for revegetation projects, mentored volunteers in plant-related service projects, and helped educate countless people about the importance of native plants.

In 1996, after construction of the Science Center was complete, the building stood surrounded by construction-grade soil and fields of weeds, with no funding available to make landscaping improvements. Over the years, to the delight of the 40,000 visitors who come to the Science Center annually, Verna helped turn that construction site into a showcase for Alaska’s native wildflowers. She weeds the Science Center’s gardens every other week during summer, spruces them up each June on National Trails Day, and puts them to rest each September on National Public Lands Day. Year after year, she has put together lists of plants needed for the Center and helped BLM staff obtain native plant seedlings from a local wildflower garden club. She has also donated countless plants grown in her own greenhouse and gardens.

Verna continues to volunteer to this day, surrounded by the fruits of her labor: healthy woods, stable creek banks, and the riot of colorful native flowers that surrounds the Center each year.

Read more about the Annual Making a Difference Volunteer Awards.