Horticulturist of the Year

Charles worked his way up from being a gardener at the Wild Animal Park to director of horticulture at the San Diego Zoo, and was deeply involved in creating many zoo exhibits such as the Tiger River Rainforest and Gorilla Tropics.

Starting in 1974 Chuck Kline created the beautiful gardens at SeaWorld from a daunting swamp of salt-drenched soil. He was a friend and mentor to many in the horticultural community, and many rare plants remain as his legacy at SeaWorld.