From the Editor
Glen Jamieson, Ph.D.
Parksville, British Columbia
Canada

        It is with great pleasure that I take over JARS editorial responsibilities from Sonja Nelson, who has performed this job admirably since 1991. She is not totally leaving the ARS though, as she will be working with me for the foreseeable future, with continuing responsibilities for issue lay-out and dealings with advertisements. She is also giving me great advice and assistance in the "passing over of the reins" transition period, as the start-up is proving challenging as I become familiar with both MAC computer operations for the first time (all my earlier experience was PC based!) and the myriad details the editorial job entails. The success of JARS is only partially dependent on the editorial process though, as much of its merit is the direct result of the fantastic support ARS members give through their submission of feature articles, many of which are unsolicited; chapter newsletters; and all the society news, etc., that comprises the material that is published in each issue. I hope that you all will support me as enthusiastically as you have supported Sonja in the past, and over time, I look forward to getting to know more and more of you through such interactions. All members are invited to contact me anytime at ars.editor@gmail.com with potential feature articles, feedback, Letters to the Editor, and suggestions on how to improve our journal.
        As a little background about myself, I am a member and past-President of the Mount Arrowsmith ARS Chapter, which is based in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach area on the south-east side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. My wife Dorothy and I are keen gardeners, with a one-acre garden near the ocean with many rhodos, and I have been championing vireya culture in ARS District 1 for the past decade. I have a substantial vireya collection, and strongly encourage others to become more familiar with this still relatively less cultured rhododendron group. I have explored for plants in Yunnan, China, with other ARS members, in Borneo and in South America, and enjoy traveling. Professionally, I have a B.Sc. in Agriculture and my doctorate in Zoology (entomology), and am now a partially retired fisheries research scientist, having worked with Fisheries and Oceans Canada for over 30 years on both Canada's Atlantic and Pacific coasts. My current research is focusing on both conservation biology and alien invasive species.