History of the Arboretum

AN OVERVIEW OF THE CEDAR VALLEY ARBORETUM AND BOTANIC GARDENS AT HAWKEYE COMMUNITY COLLEGE 1995-2012

A GREENSPACE DREAM
According to an interview with Jan Guthrie and Maurine Crisp in the late 1980’s local gardening enthusiast Dick Meyerhoff suggested starting various clubs throughout the Cedar Valley devoted to growing things. They would include organizations like the Men’s Garden Club, the African Violet Club, and the Herb Club. He was later joined by Fred Button and Tom Lawler and the three modified this idea to eventually funneling these activities into a green space and Arboretum.

By the early 1990’s various individuals and organizations began to discuss the possibility of developing an arboretum in Black Hawk County. This included; Waterloo and Cedar Falls Parks Departments, Cedar Valley Men’s Garden Club, UNI Preserve Alliance League, the Herb Club, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa State Extension, Harmony House Horticulture Program, and Green Scene.

According to an article in the Waterloo Courier published on October 13, 1996 as well as photo and other records contained in the Arboretum archive the following is a progressive picture of how the facility evolved over the years.

THE DREAM PICKS UP STEAM
1995
This is a year for laying the groundwork for the realization of the dream.

A task force is formed to further develop the idea of a public green space in the Cedar Valley. This task force included; Charles Lott, Kelly Conrad, Joy Swartz, Jolene Rosauer, Rosemary Beach, Jan Guthrie, Craig Gibleon, Wanda Sauerbrei, Leila George, and Maurine Crisp.
An agreement is reached with Green Scene to use their non-profit status to begin to fund raise and create public awareness of the desire to create the Arboretum. In exchange the Arboretum would provide space for Green Scene to keep plant material.
A town hall meeting is held March 27, 1995 to gain public interest. Approximately 100 people attend.
In April of the same year a newsletter is sent out via Green Scene introducing the concept of an Arboretum.
By May a site selection team is actively considering six sites that have been offered.
A 74 acre plot owned by Hawkeye Community College is selected. By the summer of 1995 Tom Lawler an attorney from Parkersburg has assisted in the signing of a 99 year lease with the College. The site is just to the east of the college campus on Orange Road.
In September the Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanical Gardens at Hawkeye Community College receives its own non-profit organization status.
October of 1995 the official ground breaking ceremony takes place.

The following photos are of the site as it looked then; the western boundary adjoined Hawkeye green space, the southern edge was Orange Road, Hess Road was the eastern boundary and what would become Arboretum Drive was the northern boundary. The land is being used for crop planting and is surrounded by a stock fence. There are a few trees scattered here and there and a 300 ft. radio tower with a service road as access.

FROM DREAM TO A REALITY
1996
This was a busy year for the Arboretum as work began in earnest.

In January a grant was obtained from the Hotel/Motel tax fund for $12,500.
This money and other fund raising efforts resulted in a total of $50,000 that was used to develop the Master Plan for the site.
A national search was made to select a design team to develop a master plan for the 74 acre site. Approximately 20 potential firms were contacted.
Five were then selected for further review; three of which visited the site to be interviewed.
Buettner and Associates from Fox Point Wisconsin teamed with Craig Ritland, a landscape architect from Waterloo and was the group selected.
An Ad Hoc Design Committee was formed and met in March, April, May, and June. Their task was to guide the development of the master plan.
They visited the site on numerous occasions and met with Jerry Bolton and Rod Swinton from Hawkeye to discuss the transition from agricultural land use to vegetation cover suitable for the Arboretum as it began to assume management of the property.
Craig Ritland met with a group consisting of Bob Lentz, Monica Smith, Robinson Engineering and other consulting engineers to discuss the impending connection of Hess Road with a new road going west to insure that the layout and design of that road was compatible with the Arboretum master plan. This new road would become Arboretum Drive.
The design team was given copies of the 1995 Prospectus and Financial Model that were prepared by the Arboretum committee. This team also received a conceptual sketch showing a “wish list” of theme gardens the committee would like to see included in the master plan.
Four additional town hall meetings are held this year with various community groups and valuable input is gathered.
A location is chosen for the first planting of new trees on site and Arnold Webster and Craig Gibleon plan the tree varieties based on soil type.
This group of trees is planted in April. They became known as the Sesquicentennial Forest to honor the celebration of Iowa’s 150 years of statehood. These trees are located east of the present day entrance gate and can be found by walking down the “gravel path” toward the creek. A sign to the south of the trail marks this group of trees.
Dr. Barry president of Hawkeye Community College holds a large luncheon to announce the creation of the Arboretum. Many community leaders attend and a tree donated by Bob Frost is symbolically planted.

Following is a photo of the first trees planted after the creation of the Arboretum The Sesquicentennial Forest

A “farm gate” leads in off Orange Road onto a service road that gives access to the tower and also turns to the west and travels down hill and then turns north to the far northwest corner of the grounds.

Following is the original Master Plan; each bullet point of that plan is in bold type; what follows is what has become the present day status
Phase One-A

Arrival Garden-this became a series of shrub gardens just to the east of the present day parking lot across from what is now the welcome center. A trail was built leading from the parking lot up the hill toward the east.
Demonstration Gardens-now called Display Gardens located north and east of the tower circle
Vegetable and Sensory Gardens-located inside the Children’s Garden
A Fruit Tree Orchard-not planted; this space contains Tim’s Garden and grassland
Wedding Garden-not planted but incorporated into the Rose Garden
Walled Garden-not planted
Herb Garden-just to the north of the Display Gardens
Formal Rose Garden-located between the Welcome Center on the west and the path to the Education Center on the east

Perennial Garden-Incorporated into the Display Gardens and Tim’s Garden
Water Garden-not planted
Butterfly Garden-not planted in the location called for but incorporated into the Display Gardens
Sand Blow-not designated in the grounds
Bird Garden- Incorporated into the Display Gardens and Tim’s Garden
Shrub Gardens-Became the Arrival Gardens
Pergola Garden (with two belvederes)-not built; a pergola was added to the Rose Garden
Grass Garden-Located around the perimeter of the Education Center and outside the Children’s Garden named the Ornamental Grasses Garden in 2012
Fern Grotto-originally planted in the trench that runs in front of the education center but removed in 2005 and replaced by an Alpine Garden which became the Rock Garden in 2012
Moon Garden-not planted
Shade Garden-Located to the east of the Education Center (a paved path leads to it)

The original Master Site Plan was estimated to take ten years to complete and cost 14 million dollars to accomplish.

In July of 1996 the master plan was completed.

In order to get a clear idea of what this looks like compared to present day you need to orient yourself by looking at the plan with north being to the right side of the photo, south to the left, west is the top and east the bottom.

Orange Road is to the left of the photo (south) with Hess Road along the bottom (east) that means the road running through the photo just to the right of the third pond from the left is Arboretum Drive. This is what is talked about as the access road from Hess. To the right (north) of Arboretum Drive; the prairie and the large pond in the lower right hand corner which was called the Water Fowl Lake.

The original plan was to have the main entrance and visitor parking lot at the top of Arboretum Drive which is the far northwest corner of the property (at the top right of the photo). Just to the south of the parking lot would be a block of buildings consisting of the visitor’s center; conservatory; head house; and green house. At the far southwest corner or the upper left in the photo was to be the maintenance building with its own parking area as well as space for a nursery and compost pile. The nursery and compost pile are to the north of the Children’s Garden on the other side of the service road in back of the Red Cedar trees.

Early on it became apparent that the contour of the land made it too costly for the entrance and parking lot to be located from Arboretum Drive so those plans were put on hold.
By fall 1996 fund raising efforts resulted in $65,000 in cash and $64,000 in kind of services and materials. Some of these funds came from the sale of calendars and prints by artist Jolene Rosauer.

By the end of 1996; 140 trees had been planted including 55 donated by the city. Varieties included River Birch, White Spruce, and Amur Maples. As well as trees; 34 lilac bushes and several thousand bulbs were had also been planted.

THE DREAM IS TAKING SHAPE
1997
In June construction was begun on the Head House. This term means “a service area or building attached to a green house.” It seemed to be a good name for this structure. Fundraising was carried out by a committee chaired by Craig Gibleon. They established a fund of $15,000. Tom Walton and the U.S. West Telephone Pioneers volunteered time to organize construction.

HEAD HOUSE
It was located close to where it was placed in the Master Plan but of course there was no Visitor’s Center, Conservatory, or Greenhouse.This building later was to become the focal point, along with the area to the north of the tower; around which most of the future development would center.

At the same time the head house is being built a well is dug to give the Arboretum its own water source. (Prior to this water comes from the nearest source on Hawkeye grounds and runs along a water line on the south side of the Arboretum property) This photo shows Bob Frenchick working on that water line.

The first plantings were trees but at the same time a nursery was developed to act as a holding bed for plantings and can be seen in the background of this photo (the ‘berms’ just across the service road from the head house)

Work now moves to the east of the head house and just north of the tower. This is a section of relatively flat land at the top of a small hill. Two tool sheds are built each with a roof so they can act as shade structures as well. Paths are laid out around an area designated for the first ornamental gardens.

These ornamental spaces will be 10’ square garden plots called community gardens. They will be annually “adopted” by volunteers who will be responsible for planting and maintaining them.

THE DREAM PROGRESSES
1998
Now that some tangible progress has been made it is full steam ahead and the Arboretum hires its first Executive Director; Charlie Lott. In keeping with the educational aspect of the facility a grant is obtained from the McElroy Trust for program development.

Mary Norton begins an after school environmental program called Earth Connections. With an eye to the future the first phase of the underground irrigation system is built and preparations are made for future grounds development by grading 3 acres of land and starting a drainage project by tileing the area south of the Shade Garden which has been planted in a small grove of Honey Locust trees that existed on the site and is located to the north and east of the ornamental gardens.An Arboretum committee working with Buettner and Associates develop plans for a Children’s Garden and Education Center.

This year one major project is completed when the finishing touches are put on the Head House and the nursery is leveled off in anticipation of further development in that area (this is where the arrival gardens will be). The Head House contains space for equipment and an office for staff as well as a rest room.

Another project is done when Craig Gibleon and Eagle Scout candidate Alex Ginther and other scouts, parents, and friends plant trees and understory trees east of the Sesquicentennial Forest and it becomes known as the Upland Forest. The trees are grouped in plant communities with oaks and maples planted in different areas. Button bush, alder, hemlock and larch are planted in the damper areas.

Two other projects get started this year;

The prairie north of arboretum drive is established by Terry Rogers and her Hawkeye Community College Natural Resourse Management students. Eagle Scout candidates Will Dance and Phil Nicol assissted with the project. Funding was obtained from the Living Roadway Trust.

Kelly Conrad chairs a committee that raises $30,000 to construct a green house and raised bed plots of ground to serve gardeners with special needs. Also included in the project will be additional shade structures on the pathways. The project will be called the Enabling Garden. Funding comes from grants by the Black Hawk County Solid Waste Commission, Gene Rothert from Chicago Botanic Garden designs the garden and U.S. West Telephone Pioneers volunteer to build the structures.

THE DREAM EVOLVES
1999
This year Sue Shuerman is hired as Executive Director; the Enabling Garden project will be completed, ground will be broken for the Children’s Garden and Education Center, the Forget-me-not Pond will be built, and work will be begun on a large development for ornamental gardens as well as a garden in front of the Head House. There will even be some experimental efforts this year with an ethnic garden and test plots.

This photo is actually of a test plot but notice in the background that construction is underway on the greenhouse for the Enabling Garden It is located on the path that runs from the tower northward

In the background of the photo above; construction is in full swing on the Enabling Garden Project; the shade structures and raised beds can be seen just behind the community gardens with the beginning of the green house behind them. This photo was taken with the tower behind the person that took the picture and looks toward the north.

In the background of this photo are the completed shade structures from the Enabling Garden project. Unfortunately the green house and shade structures deteriorated to the point where they had to be removed; however, the raised bed gardens were re-purposed and remain as enabling gardens.

The Forget-Me-Not-Pond (see photo below) was built by the Iowa Pond Club and the Cedar Valley Foster Parents. It is dedicated to all children in foster care who, “like flowers will blossom and grow when given roots and tender loving care.”

This year also sees land to the east and across the path from the community gardens being developed. This area will become the display and herb gardens. In 1999 there are Iris beds, small contained beds, and the herb garden.

The community gardens are continued and a fence has been added to the West of them.

Another project for 1999 was the addition of a garden in the front of the Head House

THE DREAM MOVES INTO A NEW CENTURY
2000
In the early part of this new decade major changes are in store for the Arboretum. Additions to the tree collection will continue to be made and the ornamental gardens will continue to evolve but several large scale infrastructure projects are being planned. Fund raising efforts led by Jan Guthrie are gearing up.

Spring of 2000; this is what the top of “tower hill” looked like. Notice that the Education Center and Children’s Garden do not exist yet nor is there a rose garden.

The focus of the growing season for this year is on the establishment of one more of the elements of the original site plan; a formal rose garden. It would be located uphill to the east of the head house.

The brick path leads into the community garden area and a second stone pillar is put in place to anchor the continuation of the cedar fence to be added later

Dr. Griffith Buck designed and developed a strain of hardy roses while teaching at Iowa State University and some of the first plantings for this new garden are Buck Roses

2002
Another year and another major building project.

The Education Center and Children’s Garden become a reality with major funding coming from the McElroy Trust, Community Foundation, and Max and Helen Guernsey. In addition there were a great many private donations.

In the future there will be trees planted in four circles to the left of the photo. Just inside the fence to the right will be an evergreen forest. The three silos are funded by the Community Foundation. The odd shaped space in front of the silos will become the Railroad Garden. To the rear of the space a miniature prairie will be planted.

2003
The site is taking on a more “polished” look with its changing landscape
Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa donates funds to build a welcome kiosk

The Arboretum main entrance; now located off Orange Road; is remodeled with $30,000 raised by a committee chaired by Jan Guthrie. A new gate is put in place with funds donated by Bill and Harriet Rickert. This gate is designed by their grandson Brian Barnes a landscape architect in Chicago.

2004
This year saw some needed repairs done such as the upgrade of the signboard and electrical system. Some areas were tiled for better drainage and the irrigation system was upgraded. Continuation of the tree collection moves forward with the planting of trees funded by Green Scene and the entire collection is re-inventoried. Also donor recognition nameplates are upgraded to engraved stainless steel.

In addition several projects were also accomplished.

The parking lot graded and surfaced; it used to have Northern Catalpa trees and box hedges in the center.

New Kiosk just east of the Head House across the service road.

2005
Another year of work and more development; 80 trees are planted; a shrub garden is planted called The Arrival Gardens. These gardens are designed to lead you up the hill to the east. A brick path that circles the eastern edge of the parking lot is built all with volunteer labor. Seating for the various areas in the grounds was constructed; we converted the fern gully south of the Education Center to the Alpine Garden; we installed green metal information signs in various areas of the grounds

Arrival Gardens this photo was taken five years after these gardens were first planted

Benches dedicated to “Aldo Leopold” that were designed by John Miller will be used for seating

Example of information signage.

2006
The continuous effort to upgrade and enhance all aspects of the facility is on going. This year the head house was painted along with the signboard, the rose arbor and the tool sheds. A one mile walking trail was developed and marked with 1/10 mile posts. Rose identification signs were installed. Eight more benches were built and placed around the grounds, in addition the community gardens were edged with stone blocks. Of course we never miss an opportunity to add to the tree collection and 25 Red Cedar trees were planted to the north just outside the Children’s Garden.

There were also a few larger projects completed this year.

Walkway to Hawkeye Community College; the white post is one of the mile walking track marker posts

2007
As time passes the trees are becoming more mature but the need for on-going maintenance of the grounds continues and we never stop trying to develop new and exciting features. This year a berm is created to act as a focal point for a Conifer Specimen Collection located just outside the Children’s Garden entrance; the Rose Garden will be re-planted with additional perennials; and a grass “labyrinth” will be added as a feature of interest.

2008
As always change is a constant for the Arboretum; this year we Hired Mollie (Luze) Aronowitz as full time Director of Horticulture. General cleanup included edging around all gardens and trees; removal of the remaining “livestock” fence; repainting the interior of the Education Center and the installation of an air conditioner. In addition we purchased lab tables, GPS devices, telescopes, digital cameras, computer and projector for the educational programs.

2009
The Arboretum has been in existence for over 10 years and this year is a time to get some of the systems updated so we redeveloped the volunteer program to include a more formal program to recruit and retain volunteers. Developed orientation handbooks and sign up forms and the Board of Directors developed policies for acquisition of public art, facility rentals, gift acceptance, and on-site professional photography. One major project this year is the addition of a concrete path to the Shade Garden

Also a terrible loss as all of the Catalpa trees in the center oval of the parking lot die and must be removed

By now the Enabling Garden raised beds have been completely re-purposed
And the grounds get more beautiful each year.

As the new growing season starts a number of small projects are planned. We will plant a variety of perennials in the Rose Garden to add year round interest; the enabling beds will be planted with annuals and grasses; a variety of fruits and vegetables will be planted in the Children’s Garden; tracks will be added to the Railroad Garden with additional dwarf conifers and six new directional signs are to be installed Also this year we take a look into the near future and start to plan for what comes next. A site development committee was formed and issued a report. Funding is secured for a new and larger maintenance building.

For the pergola project a $15,000 donation was received in honor of Ivan and Virginia Meyers from their family.

The entrance was enhanced by removing the gates and using them as a backdrop. The flowerbeds were reshaped and planted with perennials. Grass was planted to fill in unused space and Spring-flowering bulbs planted. Photo below shows the “new” flower beds prepared

Funding for a new maintenance building comes from three grants; Leighty Fund with the Community Foundation for $1,000, the Waterloo Hotel/Motel Tax Fund for $10,000, the Black Hawk Gamming Commission for $42,000 and private donations totaling $10,000.

The location for the new barn is in the south west corner about where the original Master Plan had it located. Here the ground has been graded and work begins

By the end of 2011 the Arboretum looks like this; a drop off circle drive has been established around the tower; the compost and brush piles are behind the Red Cedar Trees on the north end of the property

Planning is already underway for the next stage in the evolution of this beautiful green space; the bean field rabbit maze will be seeded as grass for further development (plans are in the “brainstorming” stage to create some type of permanent maze in this space). The open areas that have been allowed to grow as “tall grass” will be mowed in the future and exist as grass meadows.

2012
A sub-committee is formed that will lead to some improvements in the Children’s Garden. A decision has been made to remove the community garden plots and to re-seed them into lawn. This area will be developed as a “tent pavilion” in order to enhance wedding rental opportunities. The Display Gardens will get a facelift this year as well and a new area developed with Prairie plantings.

The Children’s Garden sub-committee enhancements included:

A chalkboard dragon
A toddler trail through the evergreen forest
Re-purposing the two “circle areas” into gardens
Painting the kids chairs
Turning one of the silos into a “castle”
Adding new colorful plant material throughout

Randy also cut out some chairs from a cedar log and built a “balance beam” for the toddler trail.

The toddler trail complete with a gravel path, stepping “stones” and a balance beam was constructed by Nancy and Bob Friedman

One of the circle areas that had been a pumpkin patch in the past was made into the snail trail by Nancy Friedman and Paul Kammerdiner

The old soil lab circle was made into a sensory garden by Paul Kammerdiner and Melinda Young

The Children’s Garden needed some more bright colors so the kids chairs were painted

With enough imagination even a silo can become a castle; Randy Robinson and Pat McGivern installed a framework with windows and banners

This is a sketch of what the proposed tent pavilion might look like; notice that the areas along the fence have been planted with new perennial beds. This is still in the development phase

The Display Gardens will get a fresh look this year by dividing the large space into smaller sections in order to better catch the eye. A grass path will divide the sections and the spaces will be given a stone border. This photo was taken in May; the borders are not finished yet.

This year a group of Terry Roger’s Hawkeye students re-purposed some “weed field” land that is located on the far eastern end of the Arboretum across the creek into a prairie. Unfortunately the harsh drought during the summer produced less than great results but they re-seeded it in the fall and hopes are high that the area will yet develop into what we are hoping for.

Another project was accomplished this year. A new annual garden was planted at the end of the pathway that leads to the Education Center

At the end of the 2012 growing season more changes were taking place at the Arboretum. Rob Pruitt has become the new Executive Director.

Also the first phase of an ambitious expansion project has begun with the conversion of the old Head House into a new Welcome Center. Funding from the Gaming Commission and Community Foundation

The new welcome center is expected to be finished by the beginning of 2013.This is phase one of the project and as the New Year begins; more exciting projects are in the planning stages. Cindy Wells as the chair of the expansion project sub-committee has already begun with phase two planning

Several sub-committees have already been formed to look at more improvements to this wonderful facility with some visual and some practical infrastructure issues on the agenda.

Rob Pruitt is the chair of a sub-committee that will work on creating the sheep meadow from the Master Plan; this will act as a starting point for a new trail that will be a prairie walk that will connect up the north prairie with the rest of the Arboretum.

Gary Blonigan will chair two sub-committees; one to look at improvements needed in the well and will work with Bob Hoffman on another to look at the need for additional signage for the plant collections.

Sara Jansen will be the chair of a sub-committee to look at expanding the herb garden with more edible gardening varieties.

So as the old saying goes; you’ve come along way baby. But rest assured there is more to come!