From the website of the NPS: Exotic Plant Management Teams and the
Integrated Pest Management Program, posted by Kristy Burnett
Rita Beard, a luminary in the federal and private sector of
the invasive species world, passed away in October at her home in Fort Collins,
CO. Throughout her career, Rita advanced her vision of coordinating invasive
species management on a national scope. By encouraging collaboration from the
field to congressional levels, she effectively changed the way invasive species
are managed in this country. In addition, she worked to make
sure that all invasive species management decisions were based on the latest
and best available research and technology, thus ensuring that management
decisions were supported by science. Towards that end, Rita spearheaded the
development of the original mapping standards for the North American Invasive
Species Management Association (NAISMA), which unified management practices to
help ensure consistent data collection.
Rita’s academic background served her well: she received her bachelor’s degree
in Ecology and Biosystematics from the University of California at Berkeley,
followed by two Master of Science degrees; in Range and Wildlife Science from
Montana State University, and in Forest and Public Policy from Oregon State
University. She began her career in the late 1970s as the Range Conservationist
and Invasive Plant Specialist, with the U.S. Forest Service on the Townsend
Ranger District in western Montana. During this time, Rita made history by
preparing the first Environmental Impact Statement on invasive plants in the
United States, pioneering the use of herbicides to control invasive plants in
wilderness areas.
In April 2005, she joined the National Park Service (NPS)
as the National Invasive Plant Management Program Coordinator. At NPS she
supervised 18 Exotic Plant Management Teams (EPMTs) and guided the development
of policies related to invasive plant management and prevention. She
professionalized this program by raising the level of technical expertise
through training for her staff, communicating the importance of invasive plant
management to NPS leadership, and increased the amount of funding available for
weed management. She guided each EPMT team in working with their partner parks
to develop proposed invasive plant management strategies for the protection of
park resources in accordance with federal laws. Rita was a constant advocate
for the EPMT program, its staff, and its mission to assist the parks with
invasive plant management.
Rita’s depth of knowledge and experience made her an
invaluable partner of the NPS Integrated Pest Management Program. She provided
toxicological guidance on the selection and toxicology of herbicides as part of
the IPM approach and helped train IPM practitioners in site evaluation, the
proper selection and consequences of herbicides and related NEPA concerns, of
which she was an expert. Rita also provided assistance to the NPS
Cultural Landscape and the Facilities Management Programs in invasive plant
management and restoration planning.
On the national level, Rita was an effective liaison for
local weed management partners, federal and nonfederal agencies, Congress, and
others in Washington, D.C., ensuring that management decisions were based on
science and core natural resource values. She served on several
Departmental committees, including the National Invasive Species Council and
the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic
Weeds promoting the practical application of weed science principles and
practices for invasive plant management.
Rita retired from the NPS in 2013 and continued to provide
training and technical expertise to her partners. In 2014, Rita received
the Western Society of Weed Science’s Distinguished Achievement Award in the
category of “Weed Manager” for her tireless efforts in advancing the cause of
invasive plant management across the entire country.
Throughout her career Rita never lost sight of the
challenges that on-the- ground managers face in controlling invasive
plants. She understood the constraints of working in the federal system,
and her goal was always to garner as much support as possible for on-ground
managers, hence she worked to ensure that leadership understood and supported
this cause. We honor Rita Beard, who exemplified the qualities of a rare
colleague and complete person: grace, kindness, composure, intelligence,
fearlessness, poise, and to be deliberate, unassuming, truthful, and loving.