You may be aware that our longtime newsletter editor, Laurie Burk, recently resigned. Her resignation statement was shared, but it did not include details, which raised questions among chapter members. To address those questions, the Board is providing some additional context.
The issue central to her resignation arose when State CNPS contacted her to correct a conservation news article published in March 2026, after having received a complaint from the party mentioned in the article.
Two factual errors were identified and immediately corrected. Shortly thereafter, additional citations and documentation were added at State CNPS’ request. However, State CNPS was not satisfied with those changes and requested that the article either be removed altogether, or replaced with a rewrite. The editor was willing to make as many corrections as needed, but noted that any further changes to this article must follow the time-honored practices for the ethical handling of published text. Throughout her career, the editor adhered to these practices. The following statement from National Public Radio (NPR) summarizes the principles she was concerned about, below:
We are guided by a newsroom policy that says it is inappropriate to remove content from our Website. If a report is inaccurate, we will correct it and state why it has been altered. If relevant new information emerges, we will update or do a follow-up story.
But our content is a matter of public record and is part of our contract with our audience. To simply remove it from the archive diminishes transparency and trust and, in effect, erases history. This is not a practice engaged in by credible news organizations or in line with ethical journalism.
However, she felt her concerns regarding ethics were not addressed or acknowledged, and that she was not given an explanation of what was wrong with the corrected article. Instead, pressure to change the article increased to the point where she began to feel bullied, threatened, and intimidated. As her health began to flounder, she concluded that further discussion was a lost cause, made the changes against her better judgement, and resigned.
The editor’s resignation statement (published on August 6, 2026, but removed a few days later, following a request from State CNPS) appears below in full.
Editor Resigns
Well, this is not how I envisioned going out. Best laid plans.
I was recently involved in a very disturbing incident with State CNPS that opened my eyes as to the quality of its “leadership.” It made me lose all faith in CNPS; I no longer trust State CNPS staff to make ethical, informed decisions. I cannot work with or for an organization whose ethical and moral standards do not align with my own; therefore, I am resigning from the Shasta Chapter Board and revoking my membership in CNPS.
The silver lining for me, personally, is that I am ready to begin a new chapter in my life. I have a new granddaughter to get to know, and myriad back-burner projects smoldering away. For those of you soldiering on, I wish you all the best. You have your work cut out for you: keep State CNPS leadership accountable. Remember that they are there to support you, not the other way around.
See you on the trail! ~Laurie Burk
The Board recognizes that this conflict involved more than differing perspectives. Our editor ultimately reached a conclusion about what she believed was right and wrong in the treatment of previously published material, and that conclusion was central to her decision to resign.
The circumstances surrounding the resignations of both Laurie Burk and David Ledger, who served as our conservation chair, also raised broader questions for the chapter about personal liability and protections for volunteers, editorial authority, communication and decision-making between State and chapter leadership, and the processes CNPS follows when legal or editorial concerns arise. These questions affect not only the individuals involved in this situation, but also how chapter volunteers understand their responsibilities and protections going forward.
To address concerns that have arisen in the wake of this situation, the Board has sent a 14-page letter to CNPS leadership requesting more detailed information, so that we might better understand what happened, clarify expectations and responsibilities, and help establish clearer processes for the future. (Please see the article, Looking Forward: After Our Editor Resigned and Conservation Chair Stepped Down.)
~Board of the Shasta Chapter of the California Native Plant Society