Texas oak and rare plant conservation | April Coffee Chat 2026

At the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Michael Eason is advancing conservation through science, stewardship, and regional collaboration. As Vice President of Conservation & Collections, he leads initiatives in seed banking, tissue culture, and native plant propagation—strengthening efforts to protect rare flora across Texas, the Southwest US, and northern Mexico.

In this Coffee Chat, Michael shared insights from more than two decades as a conservation botanist. Learn how in six years the Conservation Program at the San Antonio Botanic Garden was revived and enriched. He shared how the garden purged unprovenanced plants, hired staff, focused their Policies, Procedures, and Protocols, and are achieving meaningful conservation outcomes for native plant diversity.
 

The map below shows the gardens and arboreta represented by those who registered for the Coffee Chat - home offices not taken into consideration.  

Q&A

Q: What initiated the culture change to focus the garden's energy on conservation?

A: The culture shift went from non-documentation to documentation. It didn't happen overnight and we don't document everything. Things that are permenant and woody are accessioned. The annuals and temporary gardens are not accessioned.

Q: Does your organization require you to integrate with the Education Department?

A: Yes if the docents, education department, or committees need material for presentations and workshops we work it into our schedules. 

Q: What different types of restrictions do you use in IrisBG?

A: Rare endangered species from private land, the locations are not shared except for the county location.