Many of the trees and shrubs that are growing in Arboretum of Eden have been planted by Craig Greene (1949 – 2003). Craig William Greene, who earned a B.S. from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, majoring in Forest Botany, received an M. Sc. in Plant Taxonomy from the University of Alberta, where he worked on the taxonomy of Smelowskia calycina (Brassicaceae) in North America under the guidance of John G. Packer. His Ph.D. was in Biology from Harvard University, his major advisor was Reed C. Rollins, and his dissertation was “The Systematics of Calamagrostis (Gramineae) in eastern North America.”
After completing his Ph.D. in 1980, Craig became a professor at College of the Atlantic (COA). His passion and broad understanding of the natural world were his strong gifts. At COA he taught a variety of courses in Botany, Biology, Natural History, and Ecology. He enjoyed taking his students into the field to study different sites on Mount Desert Island (MDI).
His work was focused on the coastal flora, mainly on MDI and in Acadia National Park. He was an ecological consultant for Acadia National Park since 1985 and a member of the Maine Endangered Plant Technical Advisory Committee (later called the Botanical Advisory Group) since 1987.
The appreciation for Craig’s work resulted in the dedication of the Botany Lab at COA to him on 21 May 2003. The words on the bronze plaque outside the Botany Lab summarize his stature: “His knowledge, excellence in teaching, and enthusiasm for the role of plants in human affairs have inspired two decades of students and beautified the landscape of our campus.”
Source: Botanical Society of America. “Craig William Greene. 1949 – 2003.” Plant Science Bulletin 49.3, 2003. Web. 18/4/2013.
For more information about the college’s botanical resources, click here to read about the Amos Eno Greenhouse.
Arboretum of Eden 