Dedicated Volunteers Fill the Gaps for Hoyt Arboretum
The Challenge
Since its inception in 1928, Hoyt Arboretum has had insufficient funding to pay the full complement of staff needed for its garden of over 8,000 trees, many of them rare and most not native to the region. With only two and a half full-time gardening staff members for 185 acres, the Arboretum is extremely understaffed. Like neighboring Oregon Zoo or downtown’s Portland Art Museum, Hoyt Arboretum is a place to encounter the world as it exists in other corners of the globe, to be drawn into curiosity and learn about the fantastic variety of the plant kingdom, and establish the foundation for environmental stewardship and cultural pride. Hoyt Arboretum is Portland’s museum of trees. Public funding has not been sufficient to sustain such a facility.
The Solution
Twenty years ago, a small group of retired skilled volunteers decided to help the strained staff at the Arboretum. Today, the small group, 13 volunteers strong and dubbed "The Tuesday Crew," continues to volunteer every Tuesday doing everything from mulching to trail maintenance to gardening to leading other volunteer crews. Although the Arboretum is still understaffed, the Tuesday Crew adds support where it is needed most - in the Arboretum to the trees.
The Outcome
The Tuesday Crew has been a critical addition to the Arboretum's paid staff. Today, due in significant part to the Crew's steady work, most of the Arboretum's trees are mulched every two to three years, the competitive and descructive grasses and ivy are kept to a minimum and the trails are nicely groomed for visitors. In April 2006, Portland Parks and Recreation's Urban Forestry awarded the prestigious Bill Naito Community Trees Award to the Tuesday Crew for their tireless dedication to Hoyt Arboretum. Because of the Tuesday Crew, the Arboretum's trees are here for the entire community to enjoy and learn.
The Organization
Hoyt Arboretum Friends is a private non-profit that runs Hoyt Arboretum in partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation. Hoyt Arboretum is a 185-acre oasis of serenity featuring a world-class collection of over 8,000 specimen trees representing 900 plant species from all seven continents. Our mission is to grow and exhibit trees and plants from around the world, while educating the community and helping to conserve vitally important plant-biodiversity. Over a quarter million people visit the Arboretum each year to explore the 12 miles of trails weaving through the diverse, rare collection.
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