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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981 Arboretum founded as bicentennial projectBrvvan- College Station Eagle Sundav, November 22, 1981 now being built by students in two introductory park maintenance classes at Texas A &M. The students, divided into crews as they would be in actual park work, are building a shelter at the facility during three -hour labs on Monday and Tuesday afternoon. They are working under the direc- tion of Dr. John Blackburn. of the university's parks and recreation department. The City of College Station sup- plied a prefabricated kit for the structure, which will serve as an outdoor classroom and a meeting place during bad weather. The shelter is a hexagon; one wall can be used for slides or maps. Blackburn, who has spent many hours at the arboretum, says that the facility is well -used. He has Arboretum was founded as a bicentennial project By MARGARET ANN ZIPP Staff Writer The Brazos County Arboretum is an offshoot of the American bicentennial celebration. Federal funds were allocated to the Brazos County bicentennial committee, and some of the money was to be used for a perma- nent local commemoration of the 200th anniversary observance. The committee came up with the idea of an arboretum, says Shirlireed Walker, president of the Brazos County Arboretum Association. A group of citizens, led by former College Station mayor D.A. "Andy" Anderson and Mason C. Cloud, head of Texas A &M University's forest environ- ment department, formed a tem- porary organization called Friends of the Arboretum. Anderson was aware that a 17- acre tract along Bee Creek had been given to the City of College Station by William D. Fitch, with the stipulation that it be maintain- ed as a park. Bee Creek Park was developed on part of the 17 acres; the Friends obtained permission to lay out the proposed arboretum on the remaining land, which of- fered a variety of plants, ac- cessibility and long -term security. The arboretum opened in March 1976 and the Friends of the Arboretum incorporated as the Brazos County Arboretum Association in December 1976. Dr. Robert Dewers, chairman of the grounds committee, developed a plan for the planting. Many new plants have been in- troduced alongside the native ones, some as experiments to see if they will adapt to the local soil and climate. A system of trails, most of which follow the old channel of Bee Creek, was developed. A new and much deeper channel was dredged along the southern edge of the arhoretum. Black willow, water oak and button bush grow in the lowest and wettest areas. Where the land is high and better drained, winged elm, water oak, red mulberry and post oak are the dominant trees. Ed McWilliams, a hor- ticulturalist, compiled a booklet, "A Guide to the Plants of the Brazos County Arboretum," featuring a centerfold map developed by the College Station parks and recreation department, which lists by number the com- mon woody plants found in the sanctuary, as well as a few her- baceous species. The first edition of the publication was supported by the Oaks Garden Club. A revision now in use is dated April 1, 1981. The Beautify Brazos County Association helped with the printing of the revised guide, which may be obtained from the secretary of the Ar- boretum Association for 50 cents. The Oaks Garden Club plants trees in the arboretum on Texas Arbor Day each January. At last year's observance, a plaque was dedicated to the late W.D. Dunn, a member of the bicentennial com- mittee. The A &M Garden Club made a sizeable initial contribution to the association and continues to make annual gifts to the association. Several members of the Evening Garden Club have joined the association individually to study trees and shrubs. Because many of its members are interested in cacti, the club began a cactus garden in the arboretum. Members of the Rio Brazos Audubon Society use the facility for.bird watching and conservation projects, Walker says. In 1979, Dr. E.J. Dyksterhuis, a North American range ecologist, established a graminetum, a col- lection of native perennial grasses, in the arboretum. McWilliams ex- plains in his guide that these grasses, with scattered squatty oaks, characterized the pristine savannah rangeland, found here by the first stockmen. An addition to the arboretum is Page I D watched many visitors come and go and points out that it is a "popular spot for couples." Maps of the facility are available at the entrance, located in a cul de sac at the south end of Anderson Street. They are dispensed by a pull -out device similar to that used for paper towels. From time to time, the Ar- boretum Association holds field days and conducts tours of the ar- boretum. The arboretum is used frequently for nature study by school children and youth groups. An objective for the future, Walker says, is to use Texas A &M forest science students as guides for arboretum tours. Turn to ARBORETUM, Page 8D e Beth Walterscheidt, left, a director of the Brazos County Arboretum Association, and Ngoc Van and Lee -Fay Huang, A &M Consolidated High School students, examine a vandalized cactus plant in the Brazos County Arboretum. Ed McWilliams, center rear, president -elect of Brazos Coun- ty Arboretum Association, checks the progress of a shelter in the arboretum. John Blackburn, left, gives pointers on roof- ing to A &M students Ann Lautzenheiser and Barbara Cl- inger.