This is my last issue as editor of The Great Lakes Botanist. I have served as editor for 12 volumes, volumes 52 through 63. During that time I have been privileged to read and edit scores of articles on many topics from many contributors from throughout the area served by the journal and beyond and have learned much from all of them. It has been an enjoyable journey, and through it I have met many colleagues I would not otherwise have had to opportunity to be in contact with.
The journal has gone through a number of changes during the past twelve years. The most significant is the change in name from The Michigan Botanist, the original name of the journal when it began publishing in 1962, to The Great Lakes Botanist. The change reflects what has always been the focus of the journal, which, from the beginning, has published articles on botanical matters from all of the states and provinces in the western Great Lakes region. It is the hope, however, that we will also be able to attract articles concerning botanical matters throughout North America north of Mexico. There have been smaller changes in format—for example, of the table of contents and of the Noteworthy Collections articles. Finally, the look and feel of the online version of the journal has been modernized.
I want to thank the many people who contribute to the success of The Great Lakes Botanist. First are the members of the Editorial Board, most recently, Tony Reznicek, Dan Kashian, Dan Skean, Mike Penskar, and Mike Rotter. Earlier members who are no longer on the board are Alan Prather, Anna Monfils, Tim Evans, and Catherine Yansa. All have served as a valuable sounding board as well as acting as external reviewers. Our typesetter, Susan Kenyon, has provided outstanding service in turning the raw material of the articles, including illustrations and tables, into a publishable format and has been our liaison with the printing company, Cushing-Malloy in Ann Arbor. The many external reviewers have provided invaluable commentary on articles within their expertise. The board of the Michigan Botanical Society, which is the owner and publisher of the journal, has consistently provided support, as have the chapters and members of the Society. I also thank our online host, Michigan Publishing, a division of the University of Michigan Library, which makes the journal’s content available online, as well as the Hanes Fund, a nonprofit granting entity that funds our online presence. Most important, however, it is the many contributors, who by submitting excellent and varied articles, noteworthy collection notes, and book reviews, have made this journal the excellent publication that it is.
I am very happy now to turn the editorial tasks over to the new editor, Anton A. (“Tony”) Reznicek, who I am confident will continue to insure the excellence of this journal. Tony is highly qualified, having been a member of The Michigan Botanical Society since the 1960s and having served as the journal’s business manager for twelve years under its first editor, Edward G. Voss. Over the years he has generously provided advice and counsel to the editors, has been the source of valuable historical perspective, and has contributed articles, reviews, and other items to the journal. He has spent his entire professional career at the University of Michigan, where he is now emeritus curator of the University Herbarium and where he continues his research in the Cyperaceae, especially the giant genus Carex, and in the floristics of Michigan and the greater western Great Lakes region, of which he is a pre-eminent authority.
Historically, the business end of The Great Lakes Botanist has been in the hands of a separate business manager who handles the finances, the subscription matters, and related items for the journal. However, during my tenure as editor, I have also filled the role of business manager. Now, I am pleased to pass those duties on to the very capable hands of Abigail (“Abbie”) Bristol, a member of the Southwest Chapter of The Michigan Botanical Society who also serves as the Invasive Species Management Coordinator for the Conservation District of Van Buren County, Michigan.
I look forward with confidence to the continued success of The Great Lakes Botanist and offer my very best wishes and congratulations to the new team.
——Michael Huft