Scot Pipkin has been tapped as the new director of education and engagement at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Pipkin brings a background in landscape architecture and ethnobotany.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from UCLA and a master’s in landscape architecture from the University of Arizona.
Pipkin said his passion for conservation and education began while taking a course in California plant ecology and biogeography as an undergraduate at UCLA.
He said he is particularly interested in understanding ways to support biodiverse communities through the use of California native plants.
“The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden helps people forge intellectual and emotional connections to native plants,” said Pipkin.
“My hope is to build a connection between people of all ages to the native plants of California and enable everyone to participate in their conservation,” he said.
“I hope to encourage a lifelong interest in plant science and ecology by fostering an appreciation and understanding of the natural world,” he said.
Before joining the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Pipkin served as director of community education at Audubon New Mexico in Santa Fe, and as a public access manager at the Tejon Ranch Conservancy in Lebec, Calif.
In his new postition, Pipkin will oversee the Botanic Garden’s education programs.
From volunteer-guided tours for school children, gardeners sharing expertise on native plants, opportunities for university students to work with garden researchers, field trips to the Channel Islands, and citizen science projects, the garden’s education program provides opportunities for lifelong learning.
For upcoming classes and events, and more information about the Botanic Garden, visit sbbg.org.
— Flannery Hill for Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.