Areas of Expertise:

• Utah and Regional Plant Identification
• Botany Collection Care and Procedures
• Environmental Education
• Controlling Invasive Weeds
• Ornamental Horticulture Using Native Plants

Background

Ann Kelsey is the collections manager for the Garrett Herbarium, a department of the Utah Museum of Natural History, and cares for 135,000 botany specimens, mostly from the Intermountain West. Kelsey joined the Museum in 1990 and helps to manage the daily and research operations of the department.

Before the building construction began, Kelsey, along with Museum staff and volunteers, harvested seeds and bulbs of many native plants from the new site of the Museum building, located just south of Red Butte Garden. She is currently caring for these plants at the University of Utah. Once landscaping  is complete in late 2011, Kelsey will reintroduce the plants to the site to be once again a part of the natural landscape. In addition, Kelsey served as a plant consultant on the landscape of the new building and a scientific consultant to the team of exhibit designers who are developing the content for the 10 new galleries.

Kelsey is a life-time member of the Utah Native Plant Society and a member of both the Botanical Society of America and the American Society of Plant Taxonimists, both professional organizations. She has been a member of the Society for Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) since 1995, with a focus on herbaria. She enjoys sharing her expertise through Museum education classes with children and adults on a variety of botany subjects, including landscaping with native plants.

Kelsey received a B.A. in Russian in 1970 and a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Utah. She also holds a certificate in ornamental horticulture from Utah State University.