The Natalie Hopkins Conservation Internship

CNPS is an organization made up of people paying it forward. Natalie Hopkins is one such example.

The late native plant botanist Natalie Hopkins, earned her advanced science degrees later in life and became a passionate mentor of women in plant sciences. Hopkins left a portion of her estate to fund the CNPS Natalie Hopkins education grants for women in native plant science. Now, her son Tom Hopkins has furthered his Mom’s legacy by providing additional funds to launch the new position.

Funds raised for the internship will provide a hands-on opportunity for an individual interested in pursuing the study of native plants. Please consider making a generous donation in Natalie’s memory today. Thank you!

About Natalie Hopkins

Anyone who has ever wanted to go back to school and launch a new life chapter, can appreciate Natalie Hopkins’ story of embarking on her botany degree in her late 40s. Hopkins, a former CNPS Santa Clara Valley Chapter President, earned her Bachelor’s and then Master’s at midlife. She went on to lead the effort to digitally catalogue 15,000 plant specimen sheets under her mentor, CNPS Fellow Carl W. Sharsmith at San Jose State. Following the death of Dr. Sharsmith, Natalie became curator of the Sharsmith Herbarium, where she served until 2000. Yet Hopkins’ path-and ultimately her generosity likely resonate most deeply for women in the field today. Not only did she contribute largely to the native plant community, she also paved the way for other women to do the same through an endowment from plant research.