Every dollar raised directly funds one of these important projects. Tending the Garden’s Campaign initiatives are:
- Endowment
- Exhibits
- Education
- Research
The Goal
The Garden seeks your support in meeting the $10 million permanent endowment goal. This financial stability is essential to furthering the Garden’s mission, sustaining both collections, programs and research efforts for generations to come.
At the start of Tending the Garden, the endowment……After allowing for Campaign expenses and funding the Plant Physiologist position from unrestricted Campaign support, the Board designated the remaining unrestricted Campaign support to be added to the endowment fund. Once this transfer is made and planned gift pledges are realized, the endowment fund balance will exceed $10 million.
Overview
The living collections are the Garden’s greatest treasure and the very heart of the on-site experience. The Garden is a rare combination of priceless plant collections that are artfully exhibited, maintained by horticultural specialists, and interpreted by professional educators for a very broad audience. The plant displays provide models and inspiration for Valley homeowners, gardeners, and landscape professionals.
• Cactus and Succulent House Renovations
The Sybil B. Harrington Cactus and Succulent Galleries opened April 2008
• New Entry/Exit Galleries
Ottosen Entry Gallery opened November 2008
• Garden Orientation Signage for Visitors
New signage installation completed May 2009
• Agave Yucca Forest
The Berlin Agave Yucca Forest will open to the public November, 2009
• Center for Desert Living Trail Renovations
Completion projected for November, 2010.
Overview
Already, the Garden’s education programs deliver innovative and engaging experiences to thousands of students each year. In fact nearly 40,000 children, teachers and parent chaperones participated in our field trip program last year. During that same period, 2,300 adults enrolled in formal classes and workshops and nearly 600 volunteers acted as docents, classroom aides and guides. The Garden also operates the Desert Landscaper School, a popular training center for professional landscapers and valley homeowners.
• Sonoran Desert Adventure Digital Curriculum Unit for Teachers
Distribution of the Sonoran Desert Adventure Digital Curriculum will be available to schools statewide in fall 2009.
• Audio Tours System
To address the need for additional docent-led tours, the Garden developed a technologically advanced audio tour program that permits rapid editing, updating and choices in five languages (English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese).
• Scholarship Fund for Title 1 Students
The fully funded educational scholarship program for Title 1 school children was launched in October 2008. To date, it has provided free Sonoran Desert Adventure Field Trips to over 27,000 school children statewide.
Overview
Garden scientists monitor rare and threatened plants, especially those impacted by rapid urbanization and drought. Diverse community and government agencies call on Garden scientists to assess environmental systems and to advise governmental agencies on environmental priorities. Garden staff and volunteers participate in a range of collaborations with other gardens, government agencies and universities. Chief among these are seed collecting for the Millennium Seed Bank (a project of the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew), staff training for the Bureau of Land Management, joint teaching appointments with Arizona State University, and a sister-garden relationship with Hidalgo, Mexico.
• Conservation Biologist/5 years
Dr. Shannon Fehlberg, The Dorrance Family Foundation Conservation Biologist joined the staff in September, 2008.
• Plan Physiologist and Anatomist/ 5 years
Projected hiring in October, 2010 pending creation of a new research laboratory.
• International Desert Research Fellowship/5 years
The Garden seeks future funding for this project
The Endowment Fund
Exhibits
Education
Research
