Betsy Harrison Gagne

Betsy Clarke Harrison Gagne (or Gagné; 29 November 1947, Honolulu, Hawai‘i – 27 March 2020, Honolulu, Hawai‘i) was a botanist, conservation biologist and environmental activist.

Early life Betsy Clarke Harrison was born in November 1947 and raised on the island of Oahu, where she dedicated much of her career to conservation biology. While a student at Roosevelt High School in Honolulu, Gagne was employed at Bishop Museum as a curatorial assistant under Yoshio Kondo. The demonstration garden that they built was later recognized by the United Nations University which led to additional support for the program and the eventual integration of the methods into government supported operations. Fenced areas were installed in order to protect vulnerable habitats known to have high amounts of biodiversity from invasive grazing mammals and pests.

Gagne verified the discovery of the Astelia bug in Kīpahulu Valley in 1998, which led to the description of a new genus, Asteliamiris.

Later years Gagne continued her work and advocacy for conservation efforts throughout the Hawaiian islands until her death in March 2020 from cancer.

Select publications Loope, L. L., Medeiros, A. C., Gagne, B. H. (1991). Aspects of the history and biology of the Montane Bogs. Studies in the Montane Bogs of Haleakalā National Park (76), 1-43. Loope, L. L., Medeiros, A. C., Gagne, B. H. (1991). Recovery of vegetation of a Montane Bog following protection from feral pig rooting. Studies in the Montane Bogs of Haleakalā National Park (77), 1–23. Loope, L. L., Medeiros, A. C., Gagne, B. H. (1991). Degradation of vegetation in two Montane Bogs: 1982–1988. Studies in the Montane Bogs of Haleakalā National Park (78). 1–31. Young, L. C., Vanderwerf, E. A., Smith, D. G., Polhemus, J., Swenson, N. Swenson, C., Liesemeyer, B. R., Gagne, B. H., Conant, S., (2009). Demography and natural history of Laysan Albatross on Oahu, Hawaii. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 121(4), pp. 722–729. Haworth, F. G. & Gagne, B. H. (2012) Development of insect conservation in Hawaii. Insect Conservation: Past, Present and Prospects, pp. 359–376.