CHADRON – What began as a regional collection of pressed plants in western Nebraska has blossomed into a global resource. More than 58,000 specimens from Chadron State College’s High Plains Herbarium are now available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), a Denmark-based platform that provides open access to biodiversity data from around the world, according to Herbarium Director Steve Rolfsmeier.

GBIF hosts global biodiversity records, including museum specimens and photographs. Placing the CSC collection on the GBIF significantly expands its visibility and potential for international collaboration, Rolfsmeier said. Data for more than 2,300 mosses and liverworts has also been uploaded to GBIF. Previously, the collection was available only through Symbiota, a North American plant data portal.

Digitization work began in 2018 with a National Science Foundation grant that funded a Nikon photo station and student worker wages to capture images and input georeferenced data, including latitude and longitude coordinates where each specimen was collected. By 2022, the digital footprint had reached 52,000 specimens. Rolfsmeier and recent CSC graduate Colton Rosane are digitizing the lichen collection, with plans to begin fungi next.

Rosane, from Martin, South Dakota, has made significant contributions to the project. Rolfsmeier said Rosane worked for three semesters to digitize specimens and conducted fieldwork. He has helped establish the lichen database and added high-quality field photos to the system.

Rosane graduated in May with a bachelor’s in organismal biology, and plans to pursue a master’s in science education at CSC. Rolfsmeier hopes to continue working with him on a long-term project examining plant communities in Bennett County, South Dakota. Rosane hopes to work in government research or education after completing his graduate degree.

The project spanned major transitions, including the temporary relocation during the renovation and addition to the Math Science Center of Innovative Learning (COIL). The new herbarium space features 20 additional cases, accommodating a more organized and expandable collection.

CSC data available on GBIF has become more widely accessible to researchers, artists, and citizen scientists.

“I’ve received several requests for leaf material from Canadian institutions conducting genetic analysis,” Rolfsmeier said. “Since many specimens are pictured online, researchers can review them before making a request.”

Closer to home, artist Adam Kuby, who is designing an outdoor sculpture to be installed near COIL, is drawing inspiration from plant images for his work. Additionally, Nebraska naturalist Drew Granville consults the collection frequently while compiling his photographic guide to the plants of eastern Nebraska.

Rolfsmeier receives inquiries from the public regarding the identification of plants as well, and he is interested in increasing public engagement. During Nebraska Wildflower Week in June 2024, he presented at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center near Scottsbluff. Rolfsmeier encouraged attendees to participate in citizen science efforts by collecting plant specimens or submitting photographs.

Community members interested in touring the herbarium or contributing photos are encouraged to contact Rolfsmeier. He and his wife, Susan, also a botanist, are leading a biodiversity summer program in partnership with the Chadron Public Library.

The herbarium was founded by the late Dr. Ron Weedon, a longtime biology professor at CSC, who collected hundreds of items that still need to be cataloged.

“This is going to be an ongoing process,” Rolfsmeier said. “But the bulk of the collection is up and running, and good things are happening.”