Welcome to our newest member

We are happy to announce that Lawrence (“Larry”) Leitner joined our Board of Directors in July and is busy serving his first three-year term. Larry received his B.A. in Biological Sciences from Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, and his M.A. in Life Sciences from Indiana State University.  He then continued his education, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee concentrating in plant ecology under the direction of Professor Forest Stearns. For 22 years he served as Principal Biologist at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission where his duties included inventorying, identifying, and evaluating the best remaining areas of the natural landscape in the southeastern Wisconsin region.

Dr. Leitner has collected over 7,000 plant specimens, deposited in various herbaria throughout Wisconsin.  SEWISC has beneffitted from Larry’s botanical expertise and extensive knowledge of our regional biogeography over the past decade through his assistance with multiple projects including an inventory of reed manna grass (Glyceria maxima) and his recent investigation and update on past invasive species reports stored in a statewide database.