The Cochise County Herbarium

Cecile Lumer, a native New Yorker, has a Ph.D. in Botany with a specialization in pollination and plant-animal interactions. She has lived and conducted research in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, and New Mexico. She now lives in Bisbee where she continues to indulge her passion for plants. She is currently Curator of the Cochise County Herbarium, which she initiated in 2002.

Mimi Kamp has been involved in botany and native plant medicine in southern Arizona and northern Mexico for over 30 years. Her extensive career includes illustrating several botanical books, monitoring endangered species and conducting botanical inventories. Today, she teaches classes, leads plant walks and workshops with a focus on plant identification, habitat awareness, local plant medicine, and the uses of plant/flower essences. Mimi prepares herbal extracts, has a consultation practice and continues doing botanical inventories. Her association with the Cochise County Herbarium brings a particularly joyful focus to her life-long work with plants.

Dave Bly was born near Spring Valley, Minnesota. He joined the US Navy at 17 and bought his first 35mm camera. His travels and photography took him to islands through out the Pacific. During the remainder of his working career as an Electronic Technical Representative and Federal Employee, Dave lived and photographed in the Middle East, Europe, Far East and North America. His specialties are landscapes, scenics and close-up (Macro) photography. Dave volunteers his camera and time to Coronado National Memorial, Friends of the San Pedro River, The Nature Conservancy and Cochise County Herbarium. Dave and wife Cathy live in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Cindy Sprecher has lived in the Sierra Vista area for four years. She moved here from Seattle after retiring from a 27 year career as a research scientist. She originally chose this area because it is one of the top bird watching locations in the country, but has since discovered the wonderful plants and natural history of the area. Cindy also volunteers for the Nature Conservancy at Ramsey Canyon Preserve, and she and her partner spent 15 months as the on-the-site hosts for the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve in Patagonia. Their passion for bird watching has taken them to many exotic locations including Mexico, Central and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Virginia Bealer is retired after teaching health, biology and ecology for 32 years for Sierra Vista Public Schools. Now that she has time to indulge her interest in the natural world, she is volunteering at the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, as well as the Cochise County Herbarium where she is becoming more familiar with local flora with the help of Cecile, Cindy and Mimi. She has enjoyed observing ecosystems in Europe, Central and South America, Africa and Australia.