UCLA's Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden has been a hub of activity and excitement lately, and this new quarterly newsletter will be the vehicle for telling our friends about our coming of age in Westwood. Resisting the obvious temptation to refer to our blossoming, our labors bearing fruit, or sowing seeds for our success, the fact of the matter is that, for six decades of its existence, the garden remained relatively hidden on the southeast corner of campus--a woodsy retreat with the reputation of having some very unusual plants. Not uncommonly, we would hear visitors refer to our garden as "the best kept secret on campus." A secret is exactly what we cannot afford to be anymore.
The MEMBG is a living museum, and, like other musea, it needs to be a place where learning is fostered. Conspicuous, clear labels now identify many of our interesting specimens. A dedicated corps of docents, in existence just since spring 1996, conducts free group tours for school classes, clubs, and other organizations. Our outdoor classroom, The Nest, functions as an alternative venue for UCLA courses, school groups, and horticultural workshops. Our Web site not only provides information about the botanical garden, but also will become an important resource for plant courses at UCLA and an encyclopedia that users all over the world can consult about plant structure and adaptation. We are all hoping that, when teachers at schools within a twenty-mile radius plan field trips to teach their students about nature, our botanical garden will be at the top of the list.
For us, success also must be measured in how accessible we can make the collection to all of our visitors. Many of you have observed our attempts to transform a relatively steep-sided canyon into a facility where paths are easy for walking, handicapped-accessible, and lead visitors to exciting special collections and rare specimens. Thanks to a dedicated staff and substantial recent university support from the university, we now have new entrances, linked by solid, gently sloping paths. But we still need simple amenities as a rest room, drinking fountains, and information kiosks.
While keeping the historical nature of the collection intact, we are striving to conduct our operation here at a level of excellence expected of all activities for UCLA. The more people who want to pitch in--by volunteering their time or contributing financial support--the more fun it will be to achieve that excellence. I am really proud of the staff and volunteers who are working on the behalf of all friends of the botanical garden--to preserve this wonderful natural resource for the community. ARTHUR C. GIBSON