A MESSAGE
from the Curator of the Donald E. Davis Arboretum
Dee Smith
With the close of the fiscal year, we begin looking
forward to the projects and events that are coming
up in 2016. We received a Concessions Grant
from the university this past spring to establish a
Pollinator Meadow near the bog. The project is
well under way with pathways installed and some
initial plantings in the ground (see the full story
following this letter). We are currently adding the
final plants and watching for the pollinators to
come. Informative signage is being designed by an
Environmental Interpretation class in the School
of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, which will let
people know how critical pollinators are and the
perils they face. There will be a particular focus on
the plight of monarchs. Last year the class designed
an interpretive sign for the Smitherman azalea
collection and the expanded Sandhill exhibit, and
we are grateful for the hard work of these students.
Another grant we recently received was the
National Fish and Wildlife 5 Star Grant for
Urban Stream Restoration. We’ll be collaborating
with Auburn University Facilities, the Student
Government Association, Landscape Architecture,
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, and
Auburn University Extension as work is done on
the renovation of the Garden of Memory and the
stream that flows from there into the arboretum,
through our floodplain, and then on to Chewacla.
Planning is well under way, and the work should
begin this winter. This project, along with other
projects already under way in the arboretum, will
significantly add to our stormwater management
practices. The stormwater management techniques
incorporated into the arboretum landscape provide
firsthand examples for university classes of best
management practices that can be used to control
erosion and runoff.
We continue to provide classes for Auburn
University, as well as area public schools,
and promote education on the value of
our native species and the critical role they
play in maintaining diverse ecosystems.
Our collaboration with the Alabama Plant
Conservation Alliance and the Georgia
Plant Conservation continues as we take
some time to monitor wild populations and
selectively propagate those species in need of
safeguarding.
As we move forward, we are excited about the
progress that has been made and our plans for
the future. The contributions and support we
receive from donors is so valuable to our goals
and our morale. It’s encouraging to know there
are people who value the arboretum.
We hear rumors that the city has plans to put
a sidewalk all the way from downtown along
College Street to the arboretum. What an
amazing connection that will be.
Dee Smith
Curator
A semester-long, iPad-supported project in
Biology 1030 required student groups to generate
short films docum