News
Photo-humor workshop with Flash Rosenberg at Plantations during the Light in Winter Festival
Calling anyone who has taken a picture, had their picture taken, or ever seen a picture! New York City's acclaimed cartoonist/photographer/performer Flash Rosenberg will share her secret strategies for capturing the funny things we see each day and transforming them into a heightened form of wit. Bring paper and pencil (or whatever electronic note-making system you prefer).
When: Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 from 10am to 12noon
Where: Nevin Welcome Center in the Botanical Gardens
Cost: $15. Tickets can be purchased online via the Light In Winter Festival website (www.lightinwinter.com).
Cornell Natural Area part of successful research on the control of the harmful insect hemlock woolly adelgid
The United States Forest Service recently released the article, "Glimmer of hope for northeast hemlocks," documenting how research on the release of a predatory beetle, Laricobius nigrinus, has a good chance of helping to control the spread of the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. Eastern hemlock trees infested with the hemlock wooly adelgid often die, and since many plants and animals rely on the habitat created by eastern hemlock, it is critical to protect hemlock populations.
The Edwards Lake Cliffs Natural Area at Cornell Plantations is one site where this research has taken place.
Read more about Cornell Plantations efforts to control the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid.
Parking at the Botanical Garden
Beginning January 3, 2011, the new parking area at the Nevin Welcome Center (in the Botanical Garden) is now a “Pay and Display” metered lot. The lot will be monitored from 7:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Monday through Friday. Parking is available for up to three hours at $1.50 per hour, and the meter will accept both cash and credit/debit cards. Parking at the Nevin Center is free after 5:00 and on weekends, and there is always free parking in the F. R. Newman Arboretum and at the entrance to the Wildflower Garden.
Nevin Welcome Center architects receive Award of Excellence for the building's design
THE WINNER IS…CORNELL PLANTATIONS NEVIN WELCOME CENTER!
December 17th, 2010: Baird Sampson Neuert Architects, the designers of the Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center, is one of six recipients of the 2010 Awards of Excellence from Canadian Architect magazine and online journal for their work on the Nevin Welcome Center.
Awards of Excellence are given each year to architects and architectural graduates for buildings in the design stage. One of only two Canadian award programs devoted exclusively to architecture, the Awards of Excellence have recognized significant building projects in Canada or by Canadian architects on an annual basis since 1968.
“We are delighted that Canadian Architect magazine has chosen to recognize the Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center with this prestigious award,” states the E. N. Wilds Director of Cornell Plantations, Donald A. Rakow. “The building brilliantly blends indoor spaces with views to the gardens outdoors, resulting in a harmonious, immersive experience for the visitor.”
Awards are given for architectural design excellence. Jurors considered response to the program, site, geographical and social context, and evaluated physical organization, structure, materials and environmental features.
The Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center was dedicated on October 28, 2010 and will be open to visitors in late January 2011. A grand opening celebration for the Ithaca community will be held May 22, 2011. Designed to achieve Gold LEED certification, the Nevin Welcome Center is also a significant step forward in Plantations’ and Cornell’s commitment to sustainability.
Click here to read the online article published by Canadian Architect.
Cascadilla Gorge Trail closed for the winter
December 13th, 2010: Please take notice that the Cascadilla Gorge Trail from Linn Street
downtown to College Avenue is closed for the winter season. This section of the gorge trail will remain closed until all snow and ice have cleared in spring.
Listen to radio show "In the Garden" with Andre Viette which aired from Cornell Plantations.
On Saturday November 6th, the radio show "In The Garden" with Andre Viette aired from Cornell Plantations. Andre hosted this weekly call-in show from the Lewis Building in the Botanical Gardens and interviewed Plantations staff Irene Lekstutis (Landscape Designer), Todd Bittner (Director of Natural Areas), and Sonja Skelly (Director of Education).
Click here to download a copy of the show (as a podcast). Please note, there is a different file for each hour. The subject for Saturday's files should read: ANDRE BROADCASTS FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY.
Partial section of the lower Cascadilla Gorge Trail reopened!
On October 18th, Cornell Plantations completed repairs to the lower section of the gorge trail between Linn Street and Stewart Avenue, and has reopened it to the public. The partially open trail is accessible from the renovated entrance at Treman Triangle in downtown Ithaca. The section of trail between Stewart Avenue and College Avenue remains closed and under construction in order to address safety hazards on and around the gorge trail identified in a 2008 trail assessment. Through funding provided by Cornell University, work continues to restore and open this section. A project completion date has not been set. During construction, visitors are reminded that portions of the trail are extremely dangerous, and are strongly urged to observe the "Posted Trail Closed" signs.
Cornell Plantations dedicates new ultra green welcome center
With its light-filled atrium and lobby surrounded by walls of windows and skylights, the Cornell Plantations' Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center was dedicated Oct. 28, culminating a decade of building and renovation projects at the Plantations.
Read more of this Cornell Chronicle online article on October 29, 2010.
Judd Falls Road closure may affect your route to Cornell Plantations from September 22nd through October 1st
Alternate Route: In leiu of accessing Plantations Road to the Botanical Garden via Judd Falls Road, we suggest accessing Plantations Road from Caldwell Road, just east of Judd Falls Road, or from Forest Home Drive, at the west end of Plantations Road.
Detour signs will be posted to assist with traffic around the road closure.
New Fall Programs and Classes are now Online
Watercolors, garlic, trees and more await your discovery at Cornell Plantations this fall! Our schedule of classes, programs and lectures for Fall 2010 is now online. You may peruse the schedule and learn more about these programs by visiting our calendar page. Once on the calendar, you may click on the name of a program for a full description. If there is a charge for the program, you may begin the registration process by clicking the "Add To Cart" button on the right side of the page.
For more information about our adult education programs and tours, please contact Kevin Moss at [email protected], or call (607) 254-7430
Restoration work continues on Cascadilla Gorge trails
Cascadilla Gorge -- breathtaking, dynamic, ever-changing. All the adjectives used to describe this natural area are exactly all the reasons that the lower half of the gorge, from College Avenue to Linn Street, has been officially closed since September 2009 for a restoration project scheduled for completion in 2011. The bottom section of the trail, from Stewart Avenue to Treman Triangle, will likely be completed first and may open earlier.
Read more of this Cornell Chronicle story.
To view a photo gallery of gorge restoration work from the Ithaca Journal, click here.
Plantations' Fall Lecture Series Kicks Off September 1!
Cornell Plantations kicks off it's annual Fall Lecture Series on Wednesday September 1, with renowned Cornell English professor, Harry Shaw. Professor Shaw will be giving the Harder Lecture entitled "Is Nature Natural? A View from Britain". The lecture will begin at 5:30 in Warren Hall Auditorium and will be followed by Plantations' annual garden party.
Every other Wednesday from September 15 to November 10 Plantations will offer lectures at 7:30 in Statler Auditorium topics range from Wicked Plants to Earthworms to Wild Plants and more! For details, speaker information, and lecture descriptions go here.
The lecture series may be taken for Cornell course credit as Hort 4800.
Cornell Bridge Fencing Information
In the wake of several suicides this past year, expert consultants wrote a report with recommendations on suicide prevention and bridge safety. Learn about the results of this report and more in the July 8 Cornell Chronicle article "CU addresses questions about temporary bridge barriers."
New! Play a game using SCVNGR at Cornell Plantations!
Cornell Plantations is pleased to announce the launch of SCVNGR!
SCVNGR (pronounced "scavenger") is a location-based game about going places, doing challenges and earning points - using your cell phone. At Cornell Plantations, we use SCVNGR to lead you through some of our collections and have you do fun activities while browsing our gardens. You may be asked to choose a favorite plant, mimic a sculpture, or do something totally different! SCVNGR can be played using any phone with text messaging (standard rates apply) or by downloading the free SCVNGR app for iPhone or Android.
Visitors can pick up an instruction card in brochure boxes near the Lewis Education Center or at the Arboretum parking lot near Houston Pond (first lot on the right when coming from the Caldwell Road entrance). Have fun and enjoy playing SCVNGR at Cornell Plantations!
View an interview with wildflower gardener Krissy Faust on Cornell Cast.
Spring is a busy time for gardeners at Cornell Plantations! For Krissy Boys Faust, it is a time to weed out the invasive plants that crowd our rich collection of early wildflowers.
View this 13 minute Cornell Cast to get to know Krissy and what it's like to work at Cornell Plantations.
Here for Reunion Weekend? Here's what you can do at Plantations!
From guided tours through Cascadilla Gorge and the Mundy Wildflower Garden, to listening to an a capella performance in the F.R. Newman Arboretum, we want to be part of your reunion weekend fun!
View a full schedule of Cornell Plantations events here.
Rhododendrons blooming NOW!
Come visit Plantations today to enjoy the beautiful blooms of our Rhododendron Collection, featuring blooms in pink, purple, and white. The rhododendrons are located atop Comstock Knoll, in our botanical garden. While you're here, also enjoy the blooms of magnolia trees, spring bulbs, and much more. Spring has arrived and there is no more beautiful place than Plantations to fully experience it!
Join us to view the award-winning documentary "Where do the Children Play?"
Ithaca Children’s Garden and Cornell Plantations Presents: ‘Where Do the Children Play?’ Documentary Film on Modern Childhood
“The video is superb and should be mandatory viewing and discussing for all educators and parents throughout the United States.” Jack Zipes, University of Minnesota
The award-winning documentary Where Do the Children Play? examines an issue of growing concern among pediatricians, mental health experts, educators, and environmentalists: more and more children are growing up today with little or no opportunity for unstructured play, especially outdoors.
The Ithaca Children’s Garden in partnership with the Cornell Plantations will sponsor a free public screening at Tompkins County Public Library on June 2nd at 6:00 pm. Donations are welcome and will benefit the Ithaca Children’s Garden's education programs and site development.
Film Originator and Outreach Director Elizabeth Goodenough, Co-founders of the Ithaca Children’s Garden Harriet Becker and Monika Roth, Cornell Professor of Design and Environmental Analysis Nancy Wells, Plantations Education Director Sonja Skelly and Where Do the Children Play? outreach coordinator Ashley Miller will be on hand to answer questions along with local exhibitors of nature programs for children.
For more information about event call Ashley Miller at (607) 664-6333.
Produced by Michigan Television, Where Do the Children Play? grew from Dr. Goodenough’s work on Secret Spaces of Childhood (University of Michigan Press 2004). “Children need free time every day to discover their own abilities, desires, and limitations,” says Goodenough. For more information, visit here.
We're looking for volunteer gardeners.
Like to work outdoors and get your hands dirty? Cornell Plantations is seeking volunteers to assist with the care of two of its most prized and well-known collections: the Robison York State Herb Garden and the Martha Howell Young Flower Garden. 
These volunteer opportunities are available to anyone who loves plants and gardening and is able to meet the minimum requirements.
Applicants should be willing to make a weekly, long-term commitment through the growing season (April through October), and must be available Wednesday mornings for 1 to 4 hours, between 8:00 am and 12 noon.
The work can be moderately strenuous at times, and will include weeding, dividing perennials, planting annuals, mulching, deadheading spent flowers, etc. Fall cleanup includes removing frosted annuals and cutting back perennials. Prior gardening experience is helpful but not necessary. Applicants should be physically fit and able to perform repetitive tasks typical of garden and yard work, including lifting, bending, kneeling, etc. Applicants must enjoy learning, be willing to follow instructions and able to pay careful attention to fine details.
For more information, including additional volunteer opportunities, please contact Kevin Moss, Community Outreach Coordinator, at (607) 254-7430, or email [email protected]. You may also fill out an online volunteer application.
Plantations displays "gorge garbage" during Earth Day celebration
As part of Cornell's Earth Day Celebration on Ho Plaza, Plantations staff felt it was the ideal place to "show off" garbage that was removed from campus gorges. With the help of the student group "Friends of the Gorges," we coordinated clean-up events during the week leading up to Earth Day and seven student groups participated. Two large truckloads of trash were removed including grills, a leather couch, and countless glass bottles, most of which was displayed on Ho Plaza.
Stunned expressions and comments like, "I can't believe that all came from the gorges" from people who passed by the truckload of trash proved our mission was accomplished. We hope it leads to less garbage ending up in the gorges each year.
If the truckload of garbage was not enough to attract people, a life-size cardboard cutout of Stephen Colbert and the Big Red Bear was! In Stephen Colbert style, several groups were put "On Notice" including People Who Trash the Gorges, Bears (except Big Red), and Harvard Hockey.
Learn more about the Friends of the Gorges and how you can get involved here.