News
At the Nevin Welcome Center: Ironwork by Durand Van Doren
This exhibit features wrought iron botanical pieces by artist blacksmith Durand Van Doren that he designed for gates, railings, archways, lanterns and 14 interpretive sign bases found throughout the Botanical Garden, Arboretum, in Cascadilla Gorge and on the Cornell Campus.
This exhibit extends beyond Durand's work displayed in the Welcome Center lobby. We encourage you to take a winter stroll to view Durand’s work by:
Picking up a list of locations in the Nevin Welcome Center or download the list here.
or
Using your smart phone to take a tour by downloading the free “Pocketsights Tour Guide” app from the App Store or Google Play Store. The app offers three tours that begin at the Nevin Welcome Center:
- Ironwork in the F. R. Newman Arboretum
- Ironwork in the Botanical Garden
- Ironwork on the Cornell Campus and Cascadilla Gorge
(image: Cascadilla Gorge gate in Treman Triangle park in downtown Ithaca, by University Photography)
Cornell recognized as a "Tree Campus USA" school by the Arbor Day Foundation
Click here to view the list of colleges recognized as a "Tree Campus USA."
(photo: Grossman Pond in Cornell Plantations F. R. Newman Arboretum; Lindsay France, University Photography)
Still a few spots left for "Coffee, Cloves and Chocolate" on March 6
Date/time: Sunday, March 6; 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $55; $50 for Plantations members
Instructor: Donald Rakow; Professor, Cornell Department of Horticulture
Location: Taylor/Rowe Room, Taverna Banfi in the Statler Hotel
Click here to learn more and register.
Backyard Nature Walk this Saturday
Date/time: Saturday, January 30; 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Cost: Free, no registration required. Click here to learn more.
Instructor: Kevin Moss, staff educator
Location: Meet at the Nevin Welcome Center
Click here for our full calendar of events.
Land protection expands the Fischer Old-Growth Forest preserve
Read more on our Tumblr blog.
Image: Plantations director Christopher Dunn (left) with David Bandler.
Sculpture Garden a legacy to the late Jack Squier
I, along with my colleagues at Cornell Plantations would like to share our condolences with the family of Professor Jack Squier, who passed away earlier this week. In the early part of the 1960s Professor Squier guided a group of undergraduates to create the Sculpture Garden in what is now the F. R. Newman Arboretum. We are privileged to host a lasting legacy of his influence and students' creativity.
--Dr. Christopher Dunn, the E. N. Wilds Director of Cornell Plantations
Photo: Jack Squier with his wife in the Sculpture Garden in 2011, photo by University Photography
A new model for our Graduate Program in Public Garden Leadership
The program co-directors work with each student to develop a course of study and to identify an action project topic and approach. Students enroll in Cornell coursework during the fall and spring semesters and conduct the majority of the work on the action project between the end of the spring semester and the completion of the program.
The PGL group travels each spring break for an in-depth study at a number of public gardens. Opportunities also exist for each PGL student to work one-on-one with a Cornell Plantations staff member on a one semester project. Each student is also matched to a leader in the public garden field who serves as that student’s mentor, counseling him or her on action project, public garden issues, and career development.
Individuals accepted into the PGL program are responsible for paying the required tuition and fees. Partial scholarships are available on request.
Applications are being accepted and are due by February 1, 2016.
Click here for more information about the Cornell Graduate Program in Public Garden Leadership.
F. R. Newman Arboretum is now closed to vehicles
The F. R. Newman Arboretum is now closed to vehicle traffic. Please
don't let that stop you from enjoying the arboretum this winter. Parking
is available at the Mundy Wildflower Garden parking lot off of Caldwell
Road at the intersection with Forest Home Drive, which is directly
across from the arboretum.
Pedestrians are welcome to explore the arboretum every day from dawn
to dusk. Vehicle access will begin again in the spring. Happy winter!
Watercolor art on display at the Nevin Welcome Center
Willie was a long-time volunteer at Cornell Plantations, gardener, and artist. Her work, a series of delicate watercolors of blossoms and fruits, will be on display in the Nevin Welcome Center until February 29. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, January 9th from 2pm – 4pm light refreshments will be served, and the event is free and open to the public.
In her prime, Willie was an avid gardener and for decades she enjoyed visiting Cornell Plantations, where she was a long-time volunteer and active member and past president of the Auraca Herbarists. Confronting serious ailments, her prolific gardening activities changed from shovel and wheelbarrow to container plantings. Then, in time, her focus shifted to creating these beautiful watercolors of blossoms and fruits which are on display. These delicate paintings were found in a drawer after her passing.
They came as a surprise even to her family and close friends. As her beloved husband of over 60 years said, “Perhaps Willie saw the paintings as metaphor for life: blossoming, then fading and dying, as we all do, with youth, maturity, and finally, passing on. It is our good fortune that Willie’s last flower creations, the paintings, her Celebration of Life, are ours to enjoy, forever.”
The Nevin Welcome Center, located in the botanical garden of Cornell Plantations, is open Tuesday – Saturday, from 10am – 4pm.
F. R. Newman Arboretum remains open to vehicles
With the weather forecast calling for unseasonably warm temperatures, we decided to keep the arboretum open. Cornell Plantations' Botanical Garden and Arboretum are open from dawn to dusk every day, and we invite you to visit and enjoy the fresh air over the holiday break.
Cascadilla Gorge is closed for the winter
Although the gorge is closed, you can tour it virtually using Google's Street View feature. Click here for a 360 degree view in front of one of the gorge's waterfalls. To view more points in the gorge, click on the yellow “pegman” in the bottom right corner and drag it to a point on the trail.
Cornell staff honor volunteers at "thank you" luncheon
On December 4, Plantations staff honored the volunteers during a luncheon, where we recognized volunteers for their dedicated service. Read more on our Tumblr blog
Tom Reimers (shown left) was givien special recognition for 30 years of service PLUS over 1000 lifetime hours of service.
Holiday Gift Shop Sale on Monday, November 30
Winter Solstice Garden Walk, December 19
Date/time: Saturday, December 19; 2:00 -3:00 p.m.
Cost:$5 (free for Plantations members and Cornell students) Pre-registration is not required.
Instructor: Professor Peter Davies
Location: Meet in front of the Nevin Welcome Center
Cornell ranked 3rd of 10 best colleges for outdoor enthusiasts
College Magazine recognized Cornell University for its beautiful scenery including Ithaca's 150 waterfalls and Beebe Lake on campus along with the breadth of outdoor offerings through P.E. and Cornell Outdoor Education. Click here to view the full article.
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F. R. Newman Arboretum named best college arboretum
Bestcollegereviews.org ranked the arboretum as #1 of 50 most beautiful college arboretums for its rolling hills, panoramic views and beautiful gardens that make Cornell one of the nation's most beautiful campuses. Click here to see who made the list.
Students help repair amphibian crossing at Ringwood Natural Area
Read more about their project in the November 3 Cornell Daily Sun article "Cornell Team Looks at Automotive Dangers Faced by Local Amphibians."