Awards and Honors
Botanic Gardens Conservation International Garden Rankings
Quarryhill ranks among the top ten botanic gardens worldwide in both the magnolia and maple surveys of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). BGCI has collected data from over 200 gardens worldwide, ranking each of their collections by diversity, rarity, and quantity. Among the gardens surveyed were Kew, Edinburgh, Missouri, Arnold, and many other major international institutions. As number 9 on the survey of magnolia collections, Quarryhill is also recognized as one of the two most important collections in this country, and as number 3 in the survey of ex situ maple collections, the garden is surpassed in the world only by Arnold Arboretum at Harvard, and the University of British Columbia.The North American Plant Conservation Consortium
Quarryhill is a participating site in the NAPCC Multisite Magnolia Collection. The North American Plant Conservation Consortium, or NAPCC, is a network of botanical gardens and arboreta working to coordinate a continent-wide approach to plant conservation. They tackle that huge task one genus at a time, assessing collections according to their holdings of endangered plants within that genus. The process of identifying, auditing, and finally inviting a garden to participate is a long and thorough one, and Quarryhill is recognized as one of only a handful of participating sites in the NAPCC Multisite Magnolia Collection.
In its site evaluation report, the NAPCC auditor remarked that Quarryhill has the “most unique species with an IUCN status,” referring to the International Union for Conservation of Nature which identifies and protects endangered species around the globe; that “the standards of Quarryhill accessions are phenomenal” and further that the “existing collection and staff expertise on the genus are superlative”.
Rose Garden Hall of Fame
Quarryhill has been inducted into the Rose Hall of Fame by Great Rosarians of the World in recognition of the garden's outstanding dedication to the preservation of Asian species roses and cultivars. Eloise Payne Luquer Medal
In 2009 Executive Director Bill McNamara received the Eloise Payne Luquer Medal from the Garden Club of America. This award recognizes “special achievement in the field of botany".Scott Medal and Award
In 2010 Executive Director Bill McNamara received the prestigious Scott Medal and Award, presented by the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. This award is given for outstanding national contribution to the science and the art of gardening. The stated purpose of the award is "to promote a greater love of nature, make the nation more conscious of the beauty of the outdoors, develop a greater knowledge and love of plants and flowers, spread the gospel of better planting and designing, and arouse a wider interest in better planting and more beautiful gardens among all citizens." California Horticultural Society Annual Award
In 2012 Executive Director Bill McNamara received the Annual Award from the California Horticultural Society, the oldest garden association in California.
Appointments & Advisory Positions
Executive Director Bill McNamara holds many appointments and advisory positions with botanic gardens, science academies and horticultural societies:
Field Associate of the Department of Botany, California Academy of Sciences Associate Member of the joint Chinese-American Committee for the Flora of China San Francisco Botanical Garden Horticulture Advisory Committee, San Francisco, California Vice President of the Western USA for the International Dendrology Society Director of the Magnolia Society International International Advisor for Curtis’s Botanical Magazine Honorary Researcher of the Scientific Information Center of Resources and Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Honorary Consultant of National Plateau Research Center of China |
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