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April 18, 2011

This Edition:

National Public Gardens Day

Heritage Tree Talk


Volunteers


Donation Supports Curator Position


Making a Donation


Workshops


Facebook


What to See Currently at The Arboretum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blooming Leatherwood
Blooming Leatherwood
Photo by Chris Earley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wood Duck in tree
Wood Duck in Tree
Photo by Chris Earley

National Public Gardens Day- May 6, 2011

As a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) The Arboretum will be celebrating Public Gardens Day along with over 500 other gardens worldwide. Scheduled for May 6th, 2011, the Friday preceding Mother’s Day weekend, National Public Gardens Day is a day of awareness in which communities nationwide are invited to visit and learn about the important role their public gardens play in promoting environmental stewardship and awareness, plant and water conservation, and education.

"National Public Gardens Day is not only a great time for families and enthusiasts to enjoy the gardens, but the public also witnesses the achievements and expertise provided by public gardens, especially in the area of environmental stewardship,” said Dan Stark, executive director of the APGA. “Regardless of their size, all public gardens share a common commitment to providing outreach programs aimed at engaging their communities and educating future generations on the irreplaceable value of plants.”

It is a time for the public to recognize that gardens are not just beautiful places and great sources of inspiration, but they are demonstrations of how green spaces can entertain, educate and inspire us all while positively contributing to the surrounding eco-system.

In celebration of botanical gardens, arboreta, conservatories, educational gardens and historical landscapes, many of the APGA’s 500 member institutions will mark the day with special events and activities for schools, families and thousands of visitors. While many of the gardens in warmer climes will have activities continuing through Mother’s Day weekend, our staff will still be fully engaged in spring clean-up activities as we enter another season of offering visitors a place to enjoy the beauty of the arboretum while learning about our commitment to education, research and environmental stewardship.

ABOUT APGA
Founded in 1940, Pennsylvania-based American Public Gardens Association is an organization devoted to strengthening the public gardens throughout North America. With over 70 years of work increasing cooperation and awareness among the gardens, APGA has built a membership of more than 500 public gardens located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and seven other countries. Their members include public gardens as well as arboreta and zoos. APGA has also built up an international network of individual members in the U.S., Canada and 24 other countries. The APGA is committed to increasing public awareness for public gardens and supplying resources to the industry. Through their leadership and advocacy, public gardens have become vital to public appreciation and understanding of the irreplaceable value of plants. http://www.publicgardens.org

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Heritage Tree Talk

The Arboretum, in collaboration with GUFF, OPIRG and Healthy Landscapes, City of Guelph is pleased to host the following talk titled Heritage Trees: Preserving Our Natural Roots on May 11, 2011 at 7 p.m. at The OAC Centennial Arboretum Centre.  This talk is by Edith George, Advisor to the Ontario Urban Forest Council and past Director of the Western Historical Society.

For a poster with more information please click here.

The same group is also presenting a Movie and Speaker Night as part of this series. This will take place April 20, 2011, 7 p.m. at 10 Carden Street. The Speaker is Doug Eiche and he is speaking on Growing Nut Trees and the movie is Dirt the Movie.

Please click here to view the poster.

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Volunteers

Volunteer Week was last week, April 10 – 16, 2011.  The Arboretum staff extends a huge “Thank you” to all our fabulous and invaluable volunteers that have helped to make The Arboretum what it is today.  New volunteers are always welcome and we have something for everyone.  Volunteers assist us on the grounds and in the gardens, with our plant sale, children’s theatre, on our front desk, fund-raising endeavors, administrative duties such as faxing and stuffing envelopes for mailings and so much more.  Further information can be found on our website or by contacting our Volunteer Co-ordinator, Barbara Parke at 519-824-4120 ext. 53615.

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Donation Supports Curator Position

The Arboretum has received an anonymous donation to support a Curator position. The Curator will play an important role in the development of our collections and strengthen The Arboretum’s place in the international community of research-based Arboreta and Botanical Gardens.

The part-time Curator position has been accepted by Dr. Aron Fazekas, Botanical Curator, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG), Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO) Herbarium, University of Guelph. Aron has been responsible for the organization and curation of the OAC Herbarium Barcode of Life Plant collection. In addition to local DNA barcoding initiatives he also carries out ongoing barcoding collaborations with several international partners in various parts of the world.

Aron is also a research associate with Dr. Steven Newmaster, Integrative Biology, and is presently engaged in other projects involving conservation genetics of rare species, and the application of DNA barcoding methods to ecological questions. These include recent projects in forest biodiversity genomics, barcoding tree roots in order to understand forest community structure, barcoding forest seed banks in order to understand community assemblage, woodlot biodiversity studies in the Arboretum and Dairy bush on campus and tropical tree systematics (Nutmeg and Acacia.
Aron officially began as Arboretum Curator on April 8 and has an office at the RJ Hilton Centre where he will be working closely with Arboretum Assistant Manager Sean Fox. 

Please join us as we welcome Aron Fazekas to this important Arboretum position and as we send out a sincere heat-felt thanks to the anonymous donors who have made this possible.

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Making a Donation

Be a part of the The BetterPlanet Project by donating on-line:
Your donation can be directed to The Arboretum online through the secure University of Guelph The BetterPlanet Project site! Follow these easy steps:
o       Follow this link http://www.thebetterplanetproject.ca/bpp_donate_2.html
o       Choose your type of gift “-One-time gift-“, -“Sustaining gift”- or “-Tribute Giving-“
o       On the drop down menu “-Choose an Area-” select “University Wide”
o       On the drop down menu “-Choose a Program-“ select “Arboretum” and fill in the amount of your donation
o       Click Calculate
o       Fill in your personal information

It’s that easy!
If you prefer not to make an online donation, there are several other ways to provide your financial support. You can choose to donate by telephone, mail, fax or in person:
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
Attention Alumni Affairs
50 Stone Road East
Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
Tel: 1-888-266-3108 ext. 56934
Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56934
Fax: 519-822-2670
Email: alumni@uoguelph.ca

Please identify The Arboretum as the focus of your donation.

If you would like information on bequests and planned giving to The Arboretum please contact:
Ross Butler
Director, Gift Planning
at (519) 824-4120 ext.56196 or by e-mail at rbutler@uoguelph.ca.

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Workshops

Below is a list of upcoming workshops at The Arboretum.  A detailed description of each course is available on our website.  Help us promote our programs … please forward this e-mail on to your friends and colleagues who may be interested.  The more participants we have, the more programs we can offer.


Saturday, April 30

Tried and True Garden Plants for Our Area

April 22

Friday, May 6 or Saturday, May 7

Spring Wildflowers: Beyond the Field Guide

April 29

Saturday, May 14

Garden & Wildflower Photography

May 6

Sunday, May 22

Small Ponds: Design, Construction & Maintenance

May 13

Friday, May 27

Sparrows

May 20

Saturday, May 28

Beginner’s Green Thumb

May 20

Wednesday, June 1

Look, See, Paint

May 25

Saturday, June 4

Nature and Wildlife Photography

May 27

Tuesday, June 7

About Trees

May 31

Wednesday, June 8

Sketching Nature

June 1

For further information and / or to register please call Bev Healy at 519-824-4120 ext. 52358.

Please note that a decision is made on the registration deadline as to whether the workshop will run or not, based on the minimum number of required registrants.  You may still register after the deadline as long as the workshop is running and there is space.

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Facebook

The Arboretum is on Facebook.  Check us out at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Arboretum-University-of-Guelph/226671253176?ref=ts  Click on the "Like" icon on our page and let all your friends know about it.

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What to See Currently at The Arboretum

Spring has FINALLY arrived and with it some new wildlife sightings including Groundhogs and Eastern Chipmunks.  The sounds are changing, too, with singing Song Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Red-winged
Blackbirds, White-throated Sparrows and Spring Peepers.  The gardens are waking up too with early spring iris, crocus and snowdrops blooming.

On a recent hike through Victoria Woods, the Leatherwoods were sporting their tiny yellow flowers, Northern Flickers were calling to ensure their territorial rights, Wood Ducks were sitting high in the tree branches looking for nest sites and a migrant Winter Wren was singing its incredibly long song near the pond.

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Our entrance is on the south side of College Avenue; 150 metres west of Victoria Road.  The Arboretum Promenade (formerly Arboretum Road) is not open to vehicular traffic.    Please visit our website for a map and directions.

We hope that you will find this monthly newsletter informative and helpful.  Should you wish to stop receiving the newsletter please send an e-mail to arbor@uoguelph.ca which includes your first and last name with your e-mail address and “unsubscribe” in subject line.

Please forward this newsletter on to anyone who may be interested.  You can be added to our e-mailing list by forwarding your e-mail, first name and last name to arbor@uoguelph.ca with “subscribe e-mail newsletter” as the subject.


U of G logo 

The ARBORETUM
Ontario Agricultural College
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON
N1G 2W1
Phone: 519-824-4120 ext. 52113
Fax: 519-763-9598
e-mail: arbor@uoguelph.ca
www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum

        

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