Issue Date: 5/8/06
Arboretum clean-up boasts 80 volunteers
- Page 1 of 1
| |
|
Eighty faculty, staff, students and community members volunteered at the Fifth Annual Arboretum Beautification Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 29. They raked, weeded and trimmed to spruce up Palomar's nature preserve.
A group of workers gathered around Russ Filbeck, event organizer and woodworking instructor, for their assignments. He sent pairs to clear weeds away from benches and to rake dead leaves into large rings around trees, which he said created a moisture barrier so water would not run off.
Palomar College President Robert Deegan rolled up his sleeves, bared his legs and donned work gloves to join in the effort. He paused between raking piles of leaves to thank participants. Gesturing around the grounds, Deegan expressed his hopes for the future of the arboretum.
"You can see how much potential this beautiful place has," he said. "It's a long-term project."
Mark Evilsizer, vice president of Palomar's governing board, tied up leaves in burlap nearby. He and Deegan joked that they planned their close proximity to the barbecue in order to be first in the lunch line. Evilsizer was more serious when discussing the need to maintain the arboretum.
"This is our small contribution to a terrific natural resource," he said, "so we can enjoy the dividends."
Biology instructor Beth Lowe, hacking at bamboo stalks with a machete, said she offered extra credit to her students for participating in the clean-up. She added that she wished students would come back to explore and enjoy the arboretum.
"I hope students feel some pride of ownership here," Lowe said. "If people get involved and sweat a little, they care a little more."
One of Lowe's students, Charity Kelly, helped pull bamboo out by the roots. They discussed the invasiveness of bamboo as well as Harry Potter books. Kelly said she was glad her instructor encouraged her to help out.
Past president and current senior adviser of Friends of Palomar College Arboretum, Richard Borevitz, said he had often hoped that the college would take notice of the arboretum. He said he was encouraged to see the college community show interest in preserving the area.
"This whole area of campus has been neglected," Borevitz said. "The college departments are stakeholders in the arboretum, and I hope they will use it for art, science and other subjects."
Retired faculty member Pat Archer, also a member of the FPCA, described a cascading waterfall planned to run from the top of the arboretum's hill to the bottom near the brick archway.
He said they also wanted more handicapped accessibility, replacement of broken plant identification signs and better irrigation.
Plants and trees take a lot of water and a long time to mature, said Palomar instructor Wayne Armstrong, a distinguished botanist. He compared the arboretum to Balboa Park in San Diego, which he said took a century to fill in.
"In 35 years this could be a beautiful botanical garden," he said of Palomar's arboretum. "It's just starting to develop some character."
Armstrong created a Web site called Wayne's Word at www.waynesword.palomar.edu, which includes the history of the arboretum as well as an extensive list of arboretum plants. Armstrong said he has been contacted through his Web site by researchers from around the country who wanted to examine the arboretum's rare plants. With nearly 1,000 different plant species, Armstrong called the arboretum a gold mine that everyone should preserve.
As the event ended, workers trudged slowly down the freshly raked paths, sweaty, dirt-smudged and smiling. Filbeck said he was pleased with how clean and neat the arboretum looked, as well as how people seemed to enjoy participating.
"People worked together, visiting and having wonderful friendly conversations," he said. "It was a very tranquil day."
Be the first to comment on this story