LSPA Summer Institute
Debra Coltharp happily embraces the long hours, sore sunburns and broken fingernails that accompany her job. She is the horticulturist at Louisiana State University. These challenging working conditions are her ideal office environment.
“I like being outside, and I don’t mind the bugs,” Coltharp laughed.
Coltharp attributes her passion and talent for horticulture to her grandfather, who pushed her to take care of plants throughout her childhood.
“He made me work everyday when I got off the bus,” said Coltharp, who grew up with a love of nature that still drives her to do great work today.
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But Coltharp’s work may be in jeopardy. The honey bee population's dramatic decline presents a major problem for the plants she maintains.
Neonicotinoids, a common type of insecticide, are frequently used to alter the bloom of flowers.
“They’re very easy to use,” she said, “but they’re not used correctly.”
Though harmless to humans, the chemical is toxic when ingested by bees collecting pollen from plants. Coltharp recognizes the use of many chemicals on vegetation as necessary, but refuses to utilize neonicotinoids.
The maintenance and landscaping staff is often called by concerned students and faculty of the university to exterminate a colony of bees in high-traffic areas on campus.
“We refuse,” Coltharp said.
The essential role pollinators fulfill in the environment easily outweighs the mild inconvenience of a beehive near a classroom.
In order to combat the struggling honey bee numbers, Coltharp is implementing several revival plans on LSU’s campus. The staff is setting up boxes on campus to attract and collect honey bees, and several members of the department are becoming beekeepers.
In addition to her efforts to revive the honey bee population, Coltharp is also tackling another project before her quickly-approaching retirement. She is helping to create a new landscaping design for Mike the Tiger’s habitat. Coltharp is determined to create the perfect environment for the notoriously picky mascot’s environment.
For Coltharp, retirement feels anything but overdue. The horticulturist’s genuine love of her work is clearly evident in her passionate expression and enthusiastic words. Coltharp is currently grooming LSU’s next head horticulturist and guarantees she will be stopping by to check on the campus’s landscaping long after her job is done.