Beatrice Willard

Beatrice "Bettie" Willard was an American botanist who specialized in studies on the ecology and botany of high alpine tundra, as well as arctic tundra. Willard's studies influenced public policy with her studies, which centered on plant life at high altitudes. Willard was responsible for the establishment of the Beatrice Willard Alpine Tundra Research Plots above the treeline in Rocky Mountain National Park, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In later years she was an adviser to U.S. presidents Nixon and Ford as the first woman on the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Along with her research, Willard also established the Colorado School of Mines environmental sciences program.