The San Gabriel Mountains chapter offers grants for research conducted by students or others who can demonstrate that their project will advance efforts to conserve our native Southern California flora.
Award recipients are asked to acknowledge CNPS-SGM support in any publications that result from the research. Additionally, recipients are asked to contribute an article to the CNPS-SGM chapter newsletter, give a presentation on their research at a CNPS-SGM chapter meeting, or lead a fieldtrip in the research study site.
The deadline for applications is December 8, 2025.*
*2026 Grants have been awarded. Please check back for 2027!
View Applications:
Undergrad RFP 2026
Graduate RFP 2026
2026 Grant Recipients:
These projects all seek to provide basic knowledge essential for conservation efforts of their respective species in the face of a changing climate. They do so by trying, among other things, to understand environmeental drivers of speciation, how chromosome number variations contribute to species diversification, and the genetic diversity, gene flow, morphological differences and climatic niches between species’ populations.
Ava Joseph, Ph.D. Student
California Botanical Garden
“Alpine Origins and Evolution in a Mega-Genus: A Systematic and Biogeographical Study of Western North American Astragalus” (Milkvetch)
Erica Fontanez, M.S. Student
California BotanicGarden
Phylogenetic and Biogeographic Analysis of Chloropyron (Salty Bird’s Beak, Orobanchaceae), a genus of Salt Marsh Dependent Species
Marife Auccapoma, Ph.D. Student
California Botanic Garden
Diversication and Endemism in Zeltnera (Gentinaceae): Phylogenomic and Morphological Perspective on a Cryptic Pan-American Lineage
Mia Manfredi, M.S. Student
California Botanic Garden
An integrative study examining the disjunct distribution of Salvia funereal M.E. Jones (Death Valley Sage, Lamiaceae)
2025 Grant Recipients:
Samantha Ingram, PhD
Botany Candidate: California Botanical Garden/ Claremont Graduate University
Samantha Ingram is studying the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of Ericameria parryi (Parry’s rabbitbrush) in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). She intends to use her research to help unravel the taxonomic complexity of the 12 known varieties. She intends to lead field trips and publish her findings at regional conferences.
Emily Montes, M.S.
Biological Science Candidate, California Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Emily Montes is researching the relationship between vegetation structure, thermal properties, and insect diversity in agricultural and riparian landscapes. She will be using drone aircraft with special sensors to determine surface temperature and structure of vegetation. In her work, structure includes height, density and cover of vegetation. Her work is focused on the Santa Clara (Utom) River Valley in Ventura County (also known as the Ventura River Watershed). By studying avocado orchards, lemon orchards, and the river (riparian) habitat, she will compare the microhabitats of each location for humidity, and temperature. Her goal is to understand how all these factors influence insect distribution, diversity and abundance.
Kyle Osornia, M.S.
Biological Science Candidate, California Polytechnic University, Pomona
Kyle Osornia’s research is also in Santa Clara (Utom) River valley. His focus is on hedgerows, thin pieces of vegetation along the perimeter of existing avocado and lemon groves. Utilizing native plants in these thin pieces of vegetation between fields, Kyle intends to study how the native flora can provide habitat and food for insects beneficial to the commercial groves. The research will also investigate how plant water status affects the efficacy of hedgerows.