Volunteer Opportunities - Making the Garden a Reality
Date Added: March 8, 2010
As you know, as of September 2009, the Louisville Botanical Garden and Conservatory is the designated user of the site at River Road and Frankfort Avenue for which we worked so long! We are now moving forward with plans for this wonderful addition to our city, region and state.
We need to involve each and every person who would like to see the LBGC arise from a former landfill, becoming an intriguing and unique facility unlike any in the world. Opportunities to make it such are unending, in large part because we are utilizing the landfill and will also be able to take advantage of new and exciting “green” technology from the ground up.
We are working toward establishing a vibrant group of volunteers that will help grow the dream of the Louisville Botanical Garden and Conservatory into a reality. Following are some areas in which we can use volunteer help. If there are other areas in which you think we might use your talents, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Special Events such as Lectures on Gardening and Horticulture topics: Botanica has long had a tradition of bringing well-known authors to Louisville to lecture on various gardening and horticultural topics. We can use help in planning, organizing and recruiting for future lectures, working at lectures (registration, book signing table, set-up/clean-up, fundraisers, etc.), supplying items needed for the lecture or a door prize, and help with marketing and/or advertising the lectures. Specifically, we are excited that Jon Carloftis (http://www.joncarloftis.com/) has been scheduled to appear on May 23, 2010, for which we will need volunteers.
Louisville Botanical Garden and Conservatory Project (“LBGC”). There are a lot of areas that we can use help with towards establishing the LBGC. Specifically, we might have volunteer opportunities for grant proposals, fund raising events etc, marketing and advertising, participation with community groups to promote the project (help identify groups, events, or projects with which Botanica might work, manning a booth at community events, speaking to groups or at community events, etc.
We also may need volunteers to serve on committees, do administrative tasks, (mailings, membership maintenance, etc), or writing articles and blogs for the website at http://www.botanicakentucky.org/.
Community Garden Spots: Botanica has established the Fleur de Lis gardens at Waterfront Park and may be involved with another organization in establishing and maintaining other Community Garden Spots. We can use help maintaining the Fleur de Lis gardens and may have opportunities for volunteers planting and maintaining other garden spots.
For more information or to get involved, contact the volunteer chairman, Peggy Grant, at pgrant3330@yahoo.com
Botanica Secures River Road Site For Botanical Garden and Conservatory
Date Added: September 28, 2009
Mayor Jerry Abramson has announced that the city will make a site on River Road near Waterfront Park available for Botanica to develop the Louisville Botanical Garden and Conservatory. Obtaining the 22-acre property has been the long-term goal of Botanica, which has developed a concept plan for the location.
Making the announcement along with Abramson was Judy Hunt, Botanica president, who said the organization will begin by raising funds to develop a master plan. The concept features a large conservatory as the centerpiece, along with a welcoming center and exterior landscapes and gardens. A linear concourse provides an orientation to the complex and connects a variety of interior greenhouse spaces and interactive displays, as well as the exterior garden spaces.
The Waterfront Development Corporation and the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, whose directors were on hand for the announcement, are very supportive of the project. Jim Wood, President of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the garden will add "another major vibrant tourist attraction to Louisville. It will help us grow tourism as we know it in our city."
The property is owned by the city and under the auspices of Metro Parks. "The botanical gardens will add along this major recreational corridor from Waterfront Park to Indian Hills trail," said Metro Parks director Mike Heitz. "All told, there's going to be more acreage along this corridor than in Cherokee Park."
Formerly a landfill, the site is bordered by River Road, Frankfort Avenue, Interstate 71 and Beargrass Creek and is across from the Heigold House facade.
The lease arrangement between the city and Botanica is being negotiated. The property is part of the 9th Metro District and Tina Ward-Pugh, 9th District Council representative, remains very supportive of this project.
Fundraising is underway and Botanica has retained Ashley & Associates, a fund development consulting firm, with Jeanne Curtis as lead consultant, to oversee the campaign.
Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty
Date Added: September 4, 2009
On September 23 and 24, 2009, Botanica and the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau are having a Summit in Louisville for Professional Conservatory and Botanical Garden Directors and the Botanica Board of Directors. (Sorry, it is not open to the public -- maybe next time.)
Conservatory and Botanical Garden Directors from a diverse group of facilities across the country have graciously accepted our invitation to the Summit to share their expertise and give us an overall view of "best practices" and "pitfalls to avoid" from the first stages of planning and site preparation to what is "latest and greatest" in conservatory and botanical garden programming.
Read more.
Botanica News
Date Added: February 22, 2009
These are exciting times for Botanica! Here is a brief summary of our recent activities:
Co-sponsoring Lectures!
Because the greater part of Botanica’s mission is to serve as a connection for the local gardening community and to promote horticultural education, we have recently begun a program of co-sponsoring lectures with local garden groups. Since we have found that we have the best attendance at lectures with a topic of garden design, we are encouraging speakers to incorporate their area of specialty into a garden/landscape design program.
The first program, co-sponsored with Hostas of Kentuckiana, is scheduled for April 21, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. at the Republic Bank on Brownsboro Road just off the Snyder Freeway, and the topic is shade garden design. The speaker is Viktoria Serafin from near Albany, New York. More info will be forthcoming in our E-letter and mailed publicity.
We are very excited about this new venture and look forward to working with the flower societies and other horticultural groups. Please contact me for further information: president@botanicakentucky.org . We would love to have your group on our schedule for an upcoming program.
Conservatory and Garden News Flash!
In the fall of 2008, we retained Ashley & Associates, a Fund Development Consulting Firm, to conduct a Campaign Planning Study on the interest and potential in our community for a botanical garden and conservatory. The study shows that there is a groundswell of interest, including prospective donors that are very excited about this project. We are moving forward with obtaining a site and should have good news shortly.
New Website
You are now viewing our newly updated website that allows you to renew your membership online using PayPal! If you prefer, of course, you may still renew by mail. You may also include a donation to Botanica either online or by mail.
We will still have a Calendar of Events on the website and we encourage your group to take advantage of this publicity for your events. Just go to the Calendar and you will see a link to a form to submit events.
We have more exciting news to share in the coming months. Your participation is more important now than ever before as we lay the groundwork for the Conservatory and Botanical Garden. Join now and sign up to receive our E-letter and other important notices. We hope you will join us as we look to an exciting year ahead!