AUGUSTA — A state ecologist with the Maine Natural Areas Program, under the Maine Department of Conservation, has been honored by the New England Wild Flower Society, headquartered in Framingham, Mass.
Andrew Cutko, who has worked with the Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP) for 15 years, received the Maine State Award during a Nov. 7 ceremony, according to a press release from the Department of Conservation.
Cutko, co-author of the recently published “Natural Landscapes of Maine,” was recognized by the society for his “demonstrated creative vision and exceptional achievement,” according to the organization’s announcement.
“We knew that Andy Cutko and the Maine Natural Areas Program were exceptional,” Commissioner Eliza Townsend of the Maine Department of Conservation said. “It’s nice to have that recognized by the New England Wild Flower Society.”
Founded in 1900, the New England Wildflower Society is the nation’s oldest plant conservation organization and a recognized leader in native plant conservation, horticulture, and education. Its mission is to conserve and promote the region’s native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes.
The organization has 35 staff members and more than 1,000 volunteers throughout New England. Its headquarters, Garden in the Woods, is a renowned native plant botanic garden. It also operates a native plant nursery at Nasami Farm in western Massachusetts and has eight sanctuaries in the region, including one in Vassalboro, Maine, that are open to the public.
Cutko was honored with the society’s Maine State Award, particularly for his work on the Maine landscape book, as well as his work with foresters and landowners across the state. The society acknowledged Cutko’s efforts “to survey their lands for uncommon or exemplary natural communities and rare plants, thereby protecting many of the state’s outstanding botanical features,” according to its award statement. MNAP works collaboratively with landowners to develop voluntary conservation measures through a variety of mechanisms.
Cutko is not the first MNAP staff member to win the award. Botanist Donald Cameron won the award in 2005. Cutko’s co-author, Susan Gawler, who previously was a MNAP ecologist and now is regional vegetation ecologist with NatureServe, a non-profit conservation science organization, won the award in 1992.
Cutko’s specialty is forest ecology and working with public and private landowners on forest conservation issues. He currently is working with large landowners in Maine on forest certification issues, which seek to enhance the sustainability and marketability of Maine’s forest products.
A licensed forester in Maine, Cutko holds a Master of Forestry degree from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College.