Archives

• The Volunteer Community March 30, 2021

  The Arboretum is a community, made up of many interconnected elements: forests, prairies, visitor center, wetlands – and volunteers everywhere, in Madison, Wisconsin, and across… Read more

• Connecting with the World Around Us March 15, 2021

  Growing out of a desire to maintain connections between volunteers and the Arboretum throughout the pandemic, I began writing a weekly newsletter. Initially, I shared… Read more

• Reimagining Volunteer Engagement During COVID-19 July 1, 2020

  A typical spring at the Arboretum brings many volunteer activities. This year, most volunteers have been on furlough since mid-March due to coronavirus. During this time, employees and volunteers are planning safe ways to resume appropriate volunteer activities and envisioning new ways to engage volunteers in conservation work. Read more

• Marian Farrior Receives Invader Crusader Award July 1, 2020

  The Wisconsin Invasive Species Council has recognized Marian Farrior as a 2020 Invader Crusader. The awards are presented to individuals and groups for outstanding… Read more

• Volunteer Reading Group: Community and Connection June 1, 2020

  What happens when eager, knowledgeable volunteers from different organizations are cooped up all winter and can’t work in the dirt? Book lovers coordinate a garden… Read more

• Get Involved in Citizen Science at Home April 15, 2020

  Spring’s renewal is all around us as longer days, warming temperatures, and the reappearance of many plants and animals help lift our collective spirits. The… Read more

• Volunteers Turn Dreams into Reality February 27, 2020

  Emily Dickinson wrote “To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, / One clover, and a bee. / And revery. / The… Read more

• Volunteer Steward Training January 30, 2020

  Volunteer stewards serve as goodwill ambassadors, sharing information about Arboretum programs and work, explaining rules, and helping visitors. Stewards also assist staff with monitoring trail… Read more

• Team Leader Training August 28, 2019

  Do you enjoy working with others while taking care of the Earth? If so, we encourage you to become a Restoration Team Leader. You will… Read more

• AmeriCorps NCCC Volunteers Bring Dedication and Good Spirits to Madison July 1, 2019

  Just as the arrival of spring migratory birds enlivens the landscape, the arrival of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) infuses enthusiasm and energy… Read more

• Director’s Note, July 2019 July 1, 2019

  This month’s newsletter celebrates volunteers. I interact with volunteers every day that I’m at work and am constantly reminded that we could not do what… Read more

• Nature as Muse: Volunteers Dig into Poetry Writing Workshop July 1, 2019

  The Arboretum recently organized a series of writing workshops for Arboretum volunteers. The series, Mary Oliver and the Fine Art of Mindfulness in Nature, was… Read more

• Listening to Leopold March 1, 2019

  “It’s one of my favorite mornings each year. On the first Saturday in March, Kathy Miner organizes Madison Reads Leopold. All day,… Read more

• Volunteers Choose to Make a Difference February 28, 2019

  Mary Oliver wrote in her poem “The Summer Day” some of her most quoted lines: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do /… Read more

• Horticultural Garden Notes: Collection Inventory, Fall Color and Hardy Larches, and Volunteers Power Through January 2, 2019

  Collection Inventory Field Check Over the course of the fall, garden staff conducted an inventory field check for the approximately 4,000 accessioned plants in… Read more

• On the Trails: Volunteers Blaze Through Trail Improvements October 31, 2018

  Water can cause major trail damage, and we had a lot of rain this summer, with more than 25 inches of total rainfall. Flooding inundated… Read more

• Volunteer Groups and Service Projects June 28, 2018

  With a 1,200-acre Madison property, 500 acres of outlying properties across the state, and a field and gardening staff of fewer than 10 people, volunteers… Read more

• Research Update: Bluebird Restoration May 31, 2018

  In the early 1900s, Eastern bluebird populations in North America were dwindling. Several factors contributed to their decline: ice storms in their wintering grounds, a… Read more

• Arboretum Volunteers: Dedicated to Service February 28, 2018

  Arboretum gardens, restoration areas, education programs, and research endeavors are thriving, thanks to volunteers who have answered the call to serve. The 2017 volunteer corps… Read more

• The Bountiful Work of Volunteers October 31, 2017

  The growing season is at an end, leaves have fallen, and there is no denying that summer is over. The shorter days of November can… Read more