Blog & News Articles

Our new field of native grasses is taking root and filling in what was once a little-used, high-maintenance lawn on the west side of campus, adjacent to our oak collection.

To support this need our campus Transportation and Parking Services has taken the lead in helping visitors right from our parking lots by offering campus maps at entry and exit points and well-placed signage to inform visitors they can use their smart phones for walking directions and receive complimentary motorist assistance services should the need arise. These visitor-friendly services are currently being piloted in the Mondavi Center parking lot.

The solar installation in Lot 1 is part of a larger project in which the campus is putting up solar panels in seven locations throughout campus to reduce our carbon footprint. The combined first-year output from all seven sites is estimated at 1.1 million kilowatt-hours — enough power to serve two large campus buildings for an entire year.

The outer walls of Nature’s Gallery Court were stuccoed in addition to the wall caps and base tiles being installed.

Dr. Peter Raven is one of the world’s leaders in botanical research and conservation. Mary Burke, Director of Planning and Collections at the UC Davis Arboretum, has collaborated with Dr. Peter Raven on several projects and was able to help schedule his visit to UC Davis in partnership with the College of Biological Sciences.

The Arboretum has been collaborating with the Department of Animal Science for the past year to create a teaching landscape where the Arboretum’s Southwest U.S./Mexican Collection adjoins the Cole Facility horse barns.

The La Rue Median Strip Conversion is the first of two pilot conversion projects to convert high-maintenance turf areas into lower maintenance and lower-cost landscape types which will showcase Central Valley ecosystems and Valley-Wise plants.

Existing UC Davis wayfinding signage is confusing and does little to market the university, its academic programs, or mission of teaching, research and public service. Campus Planning and Community Resources staff is developing a comprehensive wayfinding plan which will include approximately 11 different types of signs to lead community members and visitors from streets to parking lots, and from parking lots to buildings.

Six months ago, as a result of support and leadership from UC Davis Administrative and Resource Management Vice Chancellor John Meyer, and in partnership with Campus Planning and Community Resources, the UC Davis Public Garden Initiative began.

About 3 weeks after seeding we have germination at the Oak Grove Meadow! What you see in the photo below is a small Nasella pulchra. Now we wait, and irrigate as necessary if rain doesn’t come.

Staff from Civil and Industrial Services will be installing the decomposed granite pathways and patio, a team lead by Ellen Zagory, Arboretum Director of Horticulture, will be planting the surrounding gardens, and the one-of-a-kind tiles, hand-crafted by community members, will be installed!

Last week the finishing touches were put on the Oak Circle of Life tile bench, the latest UC Davis Art-Science Fusion project, located at the entrance of the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove just west of the gazebo.

Despite the wind and the rain, construction of Nature’s Gallery Court continues to move forward. The wall is up and the benches are in! You can really see the area taking shape now!

For more information about this project and how it evolved as a result of community support click here.

 

In October, the scientific journal, BioScience (Vol. 61, no. 10), ran a feature article on botanical gardens, “The Evolving Role of Botanical Gardens.” In this overview about the role of public gardens in contemporary society, the variety of botanical gardens around the world — which includes more than 3,000 gardens that manage living collections of plants for science, study, and pleasure — was emphasized, along with the conservation work the gardens undertake as modern day arks for plant biodiversity.

Thanks to funding from Museums for America, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and UC Davis, the weedy field at the very east end of the Arboretum will soon be transformed to a garden featuring plants native to the lower Putah Creek watershed. The garden will feature themed plantings and interpretive signs to educate the public about regional flora and fauna, the history of the Putah Creek watershed, and how to create sustainable landscapes with native plants.