Dear ASPT members,

As many of you have by now heard, Duke University has made the decision to close The Duke Herbarium. The Duke Herbarium is the 17th largest in the U.S. and is the largest herbarium in the biodiverse southeastern U.S. The herbarium has played a key role in training generations of plant biologists and building the strong legacy of the biodiversity science program there. We find this decision to be short sighted and deeply concerning. It will negatively impact the plant sciences across the United States and beyond, and will have rippling impacts throughout our community for many years to come.

As a society, we are standing with The Duke Herbarium and will be requesting that Duke University reconsider this decision. We ask that you also consider adding your support by signing this petition (https://www.change.org/p/urge-duke-university-to-reconsider-closing-their-herbarium) organized by AIBS, iDigBio, NSCA, and SPNHC with the support of ASPT, ABLS, BSA, and SHC.

Sincerely,

Jun Wen, ASPT President