The Dale A. Zimmerman
Herbarium is located in Harlan Hall on the campus of Western New Mexico University. The recently enlarged and redesigned herbarium consists of a large workroom and library for the study and mounting of specimens, as well as a spacious attached room housing thousands of pressed specimens.
Students, faculty, research associates, and visitors are welcome and find the resources necessary to pursue their botanical studies. Recent projects have included studies of the flora of the Gila River, the Burro Mountains, and the Gila Wilderness.
The herbarium is dedicated to Dr. Dale A. Zimmerman, who is now an Emeritus Professor at WNMU, and who still mentors a large number of botanists and students of botany. Dr. Zimmerman and his wife and fellow researcher Marion Zimmerman continue to travel the world researching the flora of Africa and South America. Dr. Zimmerman is an accomplished wildlife photographer and artist as well as a respected teacher and friend.
The herbarium is expertly supervised and managed by Dr. William R. Norris, under whose caring touch the herbarium has continued to grow. In addition to being curator for the herbarium collections, Dr. Norris has active research projects in Iowa as well as New Mexico and teaches botany at WNMU. Dr. Norris has been very involved with the Gila Native Plant Society, and is enthusiastic about promoting community interest in the flora of the area.
Dr. Jack Carter is a research associate with extensive knowledge of the flora of the Gila. Dr. Carter is author of "Trees and Shrubs of New Mexico," a book which is most useful in identifying woody plants in the area. Dr. Carter, who came to New Mexico from Colorado, also leads popular seminars for the Native Plant Society.
The Gila Native Plant Society is an active group of local botany enthusiasts that meets monthly off-season and sponsors guided field trips during the spring and summer months. Botany workshops are taught by local experts and a quarterly newsletter keeps the membership up-to-date on all events and activities. Members of the GNPS can also purchase books of botanical interest at discount prices. The GNPS can be contacted at:
Gila Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 457
Silver City, NM 88062
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