UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden » GATEways Projects

Downtown Davis Parkway Greening Project: Community Meeting Recap

Katie Hetrick — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:23:45 +0000

Didn’t get a chance to attend the community meeting about the Downtown Davis Parkway Greening Project? Interested in how it all played out? On Saturday, March 2^rd thirty-four community members and stakeholders met to tour the project and discuss the new design. Participants broke into two groups and toured the future California Native Plant Garden (located between the east end of the Arboretum and the Davis Commons parking lot) and a portion of Putah Creek Parkway (which goes under the railroad tracks and connects north and south Davis). The group then gathered to provide feedback on the proposal. And, as often happens here in Davis, a lively discussion ensued! Both pedestrian and cyclist interests were well represented, as were concerns about circulation connections, long term maintenance of the site, project signage, wildlife diversity, and ongoing community involvement. Overall, participants were excited about the proposed improvements and eager for the process to get underway. For those of you who were able to make it to the meeting, thanks for your feedback! It’s an invaluable part of the design process and a resource that we will continually return to as we finalize the construction documents. Look for construction of the California Native Plant Garden to begin this summer! Notes and exhibits from the meeting: Site plan with notes from workshop Summary of workshop comments To read more about this project, CLICK HERE. Check out a SLIDESHOW of photos from the event.

Animal Science GATEway Garden update

Katie Hetrick — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:41:33 +0000

Have you seen the UC Davis Animal Science GATEway Garden? Be sure to stop by when you get a chance to check out the newly-planted beds and to enjoy the peaceful surroundings, that is, if the nearby donkey is not braying! You may feel as though you are trespassing because there is a gate at the entrance, but it pushes right open to give visitors a closer glimpse of the animals, and, once the interpretive signage is installed, an educational look at the research being conducted here. Take note of the farm equipment re-purposed by creative Animal Science crew members; there's a bench viewing area created using old wagon wheels, another seating area that makes a squeeze chute look inviting (see photo at the left), planters made from feeding troughs, and a picnic bench fashioned from a hay feeder. Under the large valley oak at the center of the garden you will find a selection of California natives known to thrive in this tree's shade. Large sandstone rocks brought in from the upper reaches of Putah Creek provide visual definition and serve to separate the planting areas within the raised beds. As the plants radiate out from the oak you'll find a mix of selections native to the southwest and high-desert including a variety of grasses typically consumed by domesticated animals raised in these areas. Notice the lack of landscaping west of the oak tree? That's a placeholder for a large teaching deck yet to be installed. READ MORE about the history of the creation of this garden here. VIEW A SLIDESHOW OF PHOTOS

Media coverage of shovel drive and plant sale

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:46:25 +0000

Ellen Zagory, UC Davis Arboretum director of horticulture was quite the rock star on local television leading up to and on the day of our first public plant sale on April 6. Getting coverage of both our shovel drive and the plant sale created a ton of buzz that translated into a fantastic day of fundraising for the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum. If you missed any of the media, we've put together a recap below. CBS Good Day Sacramento LINK TO LIVE SPOT Another piece appeared on the evening news, but we haven't tracked that one down yet. FOX 40 The link on the Fox 40 website already appears to have been removed. Below is a link to a YouTube video shot by Katie Hetrick, director of communications for the UC Davis Arboretum & public garden. CLICK HERE ABC News 10 Ellen appeared in the studio on Saturday morning. CHECK IT OUT HERE! This one takes a while to load...give it a chance...hopefully something will appear. What is up with NBC? We hope to get them next time!

Print Promotions

29 March 2013 Davis Enterprise: "Dig in! Shovel donations sought for city/campus art project" 3 April 2013 Davis Enterprise: "The scoop on a sculpture of shovels: It's about stories" 4 April 2013 Davis Enterprise: "Plant sale Saturday benefits Friends of the Arboretum" 6 April 2013 Sac Bee: "Seeds: UC Davis Arboretum presents Durable Delights"

Dig in! Shovel donations sought for city and campus art project

Katie Hetrick — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:46:11 +0000

The City of Davis and the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden offer the public, along with their old shovels, a chance to leave a permanent mark on our community as they seek to collect 400 used spades, gardening trowels, shovels of all kinds for use in a campus and city outdoor art sculpture scheduled for completion this fall. Shovel collection will occur weekdays from 8 am to 4 pm at the city offices at 1818 Fifth Street and at the Arboretum’s spring plant sales (see dates and location below) through the end of May. Artist Christopher Fennell will take recycling to new heights at the east end of the Arboretum when he builds a 16 foot tall vine-inspired gateway out of twisted steel pipes and 400 used shovel heads. Funded by the City of Davis Municipal Arts Fund, this landmark sculpture will mark the transition between downtown Davis and the Arboretum and serve as a symbol of town-gown collaboration. The history of this project dates back to 2011, when, at the recommendation of the Davis Civic Arts Commission, the Davis City Council unanimously approved a proposal to allocate $40,000 towards the development of a sculptural gateway feature at the east end of the Arboretum. The proposal, stewarded by Emily Griswold, director of GATEways horticulture and teaching gardens for the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, represents the first city art project on campus land. The sculpture project dovetails with city and campus goals to improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation connections and help promote and market the campus and downtown area as an arts destination. Mayor Pro Tempore Dan Wolk has supported the project from the beginning, “I am so excited to see this project come to fruition. It will further connect downtown Davis and the campus and will serve as a focal point for residents, UC Davis students, and visitors to Davis for years to come.” (Download map showing location of sculpture. Adobe Acrobat required.) Last year a committee of campus, city, and community representatives selected Christopher Fennell from an applicant pool of 66 artists from around the nation to design and build the sculpture. Fennell – a sculptor from Alabama with an engineering background – specializes in the creation of large scale public art from dramatic collections of cast off materials. “At a distance this gateway will look like vine inspired ironwork, but up close the viewer will notice that the vine leaves are actually used shovel heads,” says Fennell. “The diversity of shapes, sizes, and rusty patterns on used shovel heads collected from the community will give the sculpture a richness and character that would be unattainable with new materials.” “The use of shovels to build a sculpture in the Arboretum has special resonance because of all the shovels that have been used by staff, students, and com¬munity members to plant the garden’s collections,” says Griswold. “We’d love for donors to give a second life to their shovels through this project, but we don’t want to leave them shovel-free just as spring arrives—so, when you drop-off a shovel at one of our locations, you’ll receive a coupon from locally-owned Davis Ace Hardware good for 15% off the purchase of a new shovel. It’s a great excuse to treat yourself to a new piece of hardware!” Director of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden and Assistant Vice Chancellor Kathleen Socolofsky is thrilled with the timing of this project, “The UC Davis Arboretum has just finished celebrating its 75th year and is moving forward as the UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden. As we begin to plan what our future holds for the campus, city and community, this sculpture embodies the shared involvement with our region we believe will serve as a standard for all our projects, not just in the Arboretum, but throughout our university landscapes.” The Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum will be collecting shovels for the installation at their spring plants sales. Drop off your used shovel during the dates and times listed below and stay to shop from the area’s largest selection of attractive, low-water, easy-care, region-appropriate plants. Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum Spring Plant Sales and used shovel drive times: SATURDAY, APRIL 6 from 9am-1pm SUNDAY, APRIL 28 from 9am-1pm SATURDAY, MAY 18 from 9am-1pm Location: UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden Teaching Nursery on UC Davis campus at Garrod Drive across from the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital For more information: Christopher Fennell: http://www.cfennell.org Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum Spring Plant Sales: http://www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plant_sales_and_nursery.aspx

Donate your old shovel, see it transformed into art

Katie Hetrick — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:01:00 +0000

Dig in! The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden offers the public, along with their old shovels, a chance to leave a permanent mark on our community as they seek to collect 400 used spades, gardening trowels, shovels of all kinds, for use in a campus and city outdoor art sculpture scheduled for completion this fall. The location and timing of the shovel drive will coincide with the Arboretum’s spring plant sales (see dates and location below).

The Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum will only be collecting shovels for the installation at their spring plants sales, however the City of Davis will be collecting weekdays through the end of May at their Parks and General Services Department building.

Drop off your used shovel during the dates and times listed below:

SHOVEL DONATION LOCATIONS:

Public Plant Sales UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery CLICK HERE for a link to driving directions. SATURDAY, MAY 18 from 9am-1pm More information: Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum Spring Plant Sales City of Davis Parks and General Services Department 1818 Fifth Street, Davis WEEKDAYS from 8 am - 4 pm Through the end of May

MORE INFORMATION:

Davis Enterprise article: The scoop on a sculpture of shovels? It's about the stories by Cory Golden DOWNLOAD DIG IN! USED SHOVELS SOUGHT FOR CITY/CAMPUS ART SCULPTURE by Emily Griswold & Katie Hetrick

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Chris Fennell http://cfennell.org

City of Davis, UC Davis Arboretum seek community input on greening project

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:44:49 +0000

(Content from City of Davis and UC Davis Arboretum joint press release.) The City of Davis and UC Davis Arboretum will host a community meeting on Saturday, March 2nd from 1:00 to 3:00 pm to gather public feedback on planned improvements to the Putah Creek Parkway and the east end of the Arboretum. The improvements will include new native plantings, removal of invasive plants, new pathways and benches, habitat enhancement for wildlife and pollinators, wayfinding and educational signage, and safety and visibility enhancements. For the first hour of the event, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, participants will walk the site with project designers. The site walk will begin at the back of the Davis Commons (Whole Foods) parking lot. Starting at 2:00 pm, the second hour of the event will be a community design workshop held in the meeting room of University Park Inn and Suites at 1111 Richards Blvd. The City of Davis, the UC Davis Arboretum, and a number of partners have recently been awarded an Urban Greening Project Grant of $891,304 from the California Strategic Growth Council. The 5-acre project area includes 3.5 acres along the Putah Creek Parkway, where a bike path west of Olive Drive connects the bike tunnel under I-80 with the bike tunnel under the railroad tracks. This greenbelt follows the remnant north fork channel of Putah Creek which will be restored with native plantings as a unique natural habitat area near downtown. The project also includes 1.5 acres at the east end of the Arboretum near Aggie Village and the Davis Commons shopping center. This will be the site of a new California native plant garden focused on plants native to the Putah Creek watershed. The project will also fund the reconfiguration of bike and pedestrian paths to improve access and circulation and the installation of bio-swales and pervious concrete to capture parking lot storm water run-off. Most of the construction for the project will occur this summer with planting following this fall. By spring of 2016 – the grant deadline for project completion – the new plantings will be well-established and installation of signage will be complete. The project is the result of an innovative collaboration among the City of Davis, UC Davis Arboretum, UC Davis Administrative and Resource Management Division, Yolo County Resource Conservation District, TreeDavis, Putah Creek Council, Fulcrum Capital, Cunningham Engineering, and private landowners to create a vibrant green space and a dynamic educational resource that will serve as a model for communities throughout California. The ultimate success of the project will depend on community support, both upfront during the design process and in the long run through volunteerism and donations. According to Joe Krovoza, mayor of Davis, “The Strategic Growth Council’s funding of this project is a testament to what can happen when diverse governmental agencies, non-profits, and private companies collaborate to improve our community. This project will become the heart of where the City intersects with the UC Davis Arboretum. The fusion of city greenbelts with the Arboretum will become a phenomenal example of bicycle and pedestrian corridors, drawing users for commuting, recreation, education, and the arts.” The project site is strategically located at a hub of bicycle and pedestrian circulation where routes to the Arboretum, downtown Davis, the UC Davis campus, and South Davis intersect. The project will include several major elements: The Putah Creek Parkway is a key bikeway linking South Davis with the UC Davis campus and downtown Davis. The project will improve wildlife habitat by removing invasive, non-native plants and trees; removing trash and rubble from the site; planting native riparian plants; and installing nesting structures for native pollinators. Interpretive signs will identify native plants and their habitat value and explain the history of the site. New pedestrian trails and benches will provide better access and comfort for visitors. A California Native Plant Garden will be an inviting space and major entry into the Arboretum from downtown. Teaching patios with themed plantings and interpretive signs will educate visitors about the regional flora and fauna, the history of the Putah Creek watershed and its current management, and how to create sustainable landscapes with native plants. A sculptural gateway element, funded by the City of Davis Municipal Arts Fund, will mark entry to the project site from downtown. Lighting along the garden's major circulation corridor will improve user safety. According to Assistant Vice Chancellor and Arboretum Director Kathleen Socolofsky, this grant “presents a great opportunity to share the wealth of the Arboretum’s innovative gardens and programs with more people in the community. This project reflects our vision for the City Arts GATEway, the section of the Arboretum that intersects with downtown Davis, as part of the UC Davis GATEways Project (Gardens, Arts, and The Environment).” The project will also implement green parking lot retrofits to demonstrate best practices in storm water infiltration and treatment. The garden site abuts a parking lot that serves the Davis Commons retail center. Parking lot runoff will be diverted into a “rain garden” biofiltration feature. In several parking stalls near the garden entry, asphalt will be replaced with a pervious, more reflective surface to help reduce urban heating. Interpretive signs will inform visitors about the use of pervious surfaces and vegetation to reduce and filter surface runoff. Circulation improvements will ensure safe access to the Arboretum and the Putah Creek Parkway for bicycles and pedestrians. Improvements will include realigning pedestrian and bike paths and installing wayfinding signage, to create a visible and accessible connection from the Arboretum to downtown Davis and the city-wide bicycle circulation system. Funding for the project comes from voter-approved Proposition 84 (the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006), which included $90 million for urban greening projects. In the second round of funding, the agency received 261 project concepts requesting $232 million; 54 applicants for large projects were invited to submit full proposals. Of these, 24 were funded, for a total of $15,337,825. The Davis project was ranked #1 in a tie with two other proposals out of the 24 large projects funded. The California Native Plant Garden is partially funded by grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, the Stuart Foundation, the Thornton S. and Katrina D. Glide Foundation, and the Rotary Club of Davis, and by the UC Davis office of Campus Planning and Community Resources. Information: Emily Griswold, Director of GATEways Horticulture and Teaching Gardens, UC Davis Arboretum, ebgriswold@ucdavis.edu, (530) 754-8038.

Progress update: UC Davis Animal Science GATEway Garden

Katie Hetrick — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:27:12 +0000

We have made lots of progress in the UC Davis Animal Science GATEway Garden. Over the past few months pathways were shaped and paved with decomposed granite; raised planting beds, irrigation and fencing were installed; a bench was created using recycled agricultural materials (see photo above); stone pathways and fence posts were constructed; and defunct concrete irrigation standpipes were given a second life as vessels for container plantings. In a true collaborative effort, UC Davis Animal Science Farm Crew members, UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden team members including staff from Grounds and Landscape Services and Putah Creek and Riparian Reserve, along with student assistants and volunteers have all been hard at work creating a unique space that will serve to showcase UC Davis Animal Science research and societal contributions, in addition to functioning as an outdoor classroom and event space. Read more about this project here: Introduction: UC Davis Animal Science GATEway Garden Construction begins at the UC Davis Animal Science GATEway Garden LINK TO SLIDESHOW of photos documenting the progress of this garden.

Director Kathleen Socolofsky receives Award of Distinction

Katie Hetrick — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:55:18 +0000

Kathleen Socolofsky, director of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, was honored October 5 with an “Award of Distinction” from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES). “The Award of Distinction recipients are highly accomplished, as well as influential in their daily lives, and we are honored by their strong connection to and support of our college,“ said Mary Delany, interim CA&ES dean. The award is presented annually to those whose contributions and achievements enhance the college’s ability to provide cutting-edge research, top-notch education, and innovative outreach. Kathleen was recognized as a Friend of the College for her role in transforming the campus landscape with innovative programs and broad-based support. Seven other people–faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the college–also received the award. Kathleen has led the Arboretum, in partnership with a number of CA&ES programs, in the transformation of the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove into a destination for visitors and the development of Nature’s Gallery Court GATEway (Gardens, Arts, and the Environment) Garden, and is in the process of creating an Animal Science GATEway Garden designed to connect campus and Arboretum visitors with the Department of Animal Science, its research and facilities. Congratulations Kathleen!

Western pond turtle habitat improvement project update

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:40:32 +0000

Last spring the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden team led by Andrew Fulks, Director of UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve and Campus Naturalized Lands, collaborated with multiple partners to not only improve the Arboretum waterway, but provide a stable environment for campus researchers to study native western pond turtles. Thanks to David Phillips and Michael Fan from the UC Davis Utilities department, this channel was regraded to create an area of unimpeded water flow with the added benefit of facilitating ongoing turtle study, researchers from UC Davis Wildlife and Fisheries Biology identified a habitat solution, the California Department of Fish and Game allowed our team to collect tules in one of their wildlife areas and volunteers from UC Davis student group Wild Campus assisted in collection of the tules from the Yolo County Water Basin as well as installation of the plants along the UC Davis Arboretum waterway. Erosion-control fabric and native seed will be installed on the banks adjacent to the tule planting this fall. To read more about the history of this project and find out how our teams were able to accomplish this task click here. Check out a slideshow of the tule harvest and transplantation here.

Premiere 2012 fall plant sale inspires admirers and acquirers!

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:20:17 +0000

Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum hosted their first plant sale of the fall season on Saturday, September 29. The theme, “Showcasing the Plants of Nature’s Gallery Court,” highlighted the connection between the Nature’s Gallery Court GATEway Garden, the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden and the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. In the nursery, customers were introduced to the wide array of plants featured on the Nature’s Gallery Court mural; at the mural, visitors could see which plants were available for purchase at the nursery; and, in the Storer garden they walked the landscape that inspired the mural and discovered the beauty of the plants in their mature forms. Docents and Arboretum experts were available in each location to answer questions, tell our visitors and customers the story of our latest community-built emblem and assist them in making the right choices for their own landscapes. Great press coverage encouraged another great turnout! Read the articles here: _______________________________________
Link to Davis Enterprise article _______________________________________
Link to Sac Bee article _______________________________________ Link to UC Davis Dateline article _______________________________________ Check out our photos from the event!

New UC Davis GATEways Project progress brochure

Katie Hetrick — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:23:07 +0000

Just over a year ago Vice Chancellor of UC Davis Administrative and Resource Management John Meyer merged four divisions charged with operating and maintaining outdoor spaces, the Arboretum, Grounds and Landscape Services, the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, and Civil and Industrial Services.

These four divisions with strengths respectively in community engagement, large-scale landscape management, native habitat restoration, and construction came together under the leadership of Kathleen Socolofsky, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Arboretum Director, and Bob Segar, Campus Planner and Assistant Vice Chancellor of Campus Planning and Community Resources, to create a team responsible for leading the campus to a new level of sophistication and collaboration in its approach to stewarding the campus landscape. In addition, the new team is upsizing the UC Davis GATEways Project to the whole campus. Through GATEways (Gardens, Arts and The Environment) this team is transforming the Arboretum, and now other parts of campus, into a physical and programmatic gateway to the riches of UC Davis for the public. The new team also works in partnership with other departments within the Campus Planning and Community Resources division including Transportation & Parking Services, Conference & Event Services and Reprographics to support the larger vision of UC Davis as a visitor-centered destination.

The information in the booklet below documents much of our team’s progress to date. It’s designed to inform our stakeholders, as well as those unfamiliar with the UC Davis GATEways project, about our integrated approach to the campus landscape, and how the project functions to set our university apart from all others!

VIEW THIS PUBLICATION ONLINE!

Should you have any questions, or comments, please let us know!

Nature’s Gallery Court completed and ribbon cut!

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:45:29 +0000

Saturday, June 9 marked the official dedication and ribbon-cutting of Nature’s Gallery Court. Donors, honorees, project supporters and their guests gathered this windy morning to celebrate the completion of a new campus landmark—the Nature’s Gallery Court GATEway Garden. Years-in-the-making, Nature’s Gallery Court would not have been possible without the energy and commitment of hundreds of students, faculty, staff and community members who, in 2007, hand-crafted over 140 tiles showcasing the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden’s drought-tolerant plants and their associated insects. To commemorate the momentous occasion Kathleen Socolofsky, Director of the UC Davis Arboretum, spoke of community involvement in the project and the hundreds of people that participated in its planning, creation and funding; Diane Ullman, Co-founder of the UC Davis Art-Science Fusion Program and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences gave a moving speech about the connection between science and the arts; Donna Billick, world-renown ceramic artist and Co-founder of the UC Davis Art-Science Program, inspired the audience by describing the physical and spiritual connection born during an experiential learning process; Warren Roberts, Superintendent Emeritus of the UC Davis Arboretum, eloquently described the project’s unique historical context and location; while other supporters powerfully relayed their reason for giving to support Nature’s Gallery Court. If all this weren’t enough, the UC Davis Arboretum also received a certificate of special congressional recognition for its work in the creation of Nature’s Gallery Court from Congressman Mike Thompson! If you haven’t already, we hope you’ll visit Nature’s Gallery Court GATEway Garden soon! Learn more about Nature's Gallery Court and its construction here. Check out a slideshow of photos from the event here.

UC Davis Magazine cover story!

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:30:02 +0000

We are excited to announce that the UC Davis GATEways Project and the Arboretum & Public Garden Initiative story has been covered (literally!) by UC Davis Magazine. UC Davis Magazine is published quarterly and circulated to more than 230,000 households including alumni, faculty, parents of students, donors and other friends of campus. The Summer 2012 issue features the UC Davis Arboretum on the cover and inside describes the launch, mission and future of the UC Davis Public Garden Initiative and GATEways Project. Download a .pdf of the article here courtesy of UC Davis Magazine.

Future UC Davis GATEways Project Garden featured in The Sacramento Bee

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 13:20:49 +0000

In 2008, UC Davis Grounds and Landscape Services created an ornamental and edible demonstration garden that quickly became a popular destination and campus icon. Located in the courtyard of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, the 1.5 acre UC Davis Good Life Garden contains an ever-changing edible landscape of seasonal vegetables, herbs and flowers.

This garden, which will soon be converted to a GATEways garden through increased academic collaboration and community engagement support, was recently featured in The Sacramento Bee.

Link to the online article here.

Download a .pdf of the article here.

Urban Greening grant recommended for funding

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:30:51 +0000

A joint application for an Urban Greening grant filed by the Arboretum, led by Arboretum Assistant Director of Horticulture Emily Griswold, and the City of Davis to green the Downtown Davis Parkway has been recommended for full funding by the California Natural Resources Agency. The recommendation is up for approval by the Strategic Growth Council at their May 10th meeting, and if approval is given the Arboretum and City of Davis could be granted $891,304 to carry out improvements of pedestrian and bike connections from the Davis Commons parking lot into the Arboretum. The restoration includes adding improvements to approximately 3.5 acres of a remnant section of Putah Creek for wildlife habitat, reconfiguring a section of bike trail to improve bike/pedestrian access with new wayfinding signage, adding more visitor-friendly elements to the California Native Plant GATEway Garden (read more about the California Native Plant GATEway Garden here), and installing bio-swales and pervious concrete to catch parking lot run-off. One of the areas slated for improvement from the Greening Grant is the currently unused portion of land between Davis Commons and the Australian Collection of the Arboretum at the east end (see photo above). The three proposals made for the grant tied for the top score out of the 24 applicants recommended for funding - Davis was ranked #1 along with San Diego Canyonlands and the LA Conservation Corps. Read more about the Urban Greening Grant Program for Sustainable Communities here.