 |
| Robert Walker Photos |
Friday, 06 September 2002
Susan McGinley
The University of Arizona in Tucson offers more than the stately brick buildings, modern stadium, and grassy mall. The school's entire landscape of beautiful trees and shrubs has been designated an arboretum by the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.
In fact, the UA campus is the oldest continually maintained green space in Arizona. For more than 100 years, UA students, faculty, staff and visitors have enjoyed the beautifully landscaped grounds in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Many specimens have been planted by faculty and students, or donated by graduating classes.
The UA Campus Arboretum will celebrate with a grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 28. The event will begin at 9 a.m. in front of the fountain on the west lawn of Old Main and will feature a short program, followed by a ceremonial “vine cutting,” a tree planting, guided tours of the campus landscape, boojum tree sales and refreshments.
UA President Peter Likins will handle the introduction and David Yetman, a research social scientist at the UA Southwest Center, local author and current host of KUAT’s “The Desert Speaks,” will deliver the keynote address.
The event is open to the UA campus community and alumni, to members of various gardening, nursery, landscaping, state and federal organizations, and to the general public.
UA President Peter Likins (left) helps out with the tree-planting ceremony. |
This unique collection of trees and shrubs provides educational and research opportunities for students and faculty, historical examples of plants from arid and semi-arid climates around the world, and restful shady places for study or retreat.
Inclusion in the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta gives the UA Campus Arboretum the same status accorded the Tucson Desert Botanical Gardens, the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and the Arizona State University Campus Arboretum.
Free parking will be available at the Tyndall Garage, located just south of University Avenue. Visitors can enter either from Euclid or from Tyndall. Walk through the UA main gate at Park and University Avenue and follow the signs. For those needing extra assistance, a shuttle will be available near the main gate to transport guests to the Old Main fountain area.
- Updated: September 06, 2002
