Saving Gifford Garden, Millbrook, Institute of Ecosystem Systems
Duncan Brine 11 11 07
Further information regarding the Gifford Garden will be posted here:
http://landscapedesignweb.com/blogs/bad-garden-news/
11/9/07
THE END IS NEAR FOR THE GIFFORDGARDEN
Millbrook, NY's Institute of Ecosystem Studies plans to remove and discontinue its Gifford Garden.
The IES president believes the garden doesn't reflect the Institute's scientific mission and hopes to save 1% of the annual budget.
The garden's fate has been determined, but IES hasn't yet informed the general public, the Millbrook community or the garden community.
The public will be greatly disappointed and it's anticipated there will be considerable interest toSAVEGIFFORDGARDEN. An infusion of interest and energy from the community is the garden's last hope.
The IES board met on Oct. 25 and 26. On November 6, the garden staff was told that there is not enough money in the newly reduced budget to maintain the garden as is. Instead, there will be minimal planting around the Gifford House.
Gifford Garden is One Percent of the Institute's budget
There is a new handout being circulated by IES that states "The Institute of Ecosystem Studies operates with a $10 million annual budget, 42% of which is provided by endowment income from the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust and funds from the Institute's own endowments." In his strategic plan, IES president, Dr. Schlesinger stated that "we anticipate approximately $100,000/year savings from this reallocation of effort from gardening to the provision of a network of self-guided trails..."
The 13 GiffordGarden advocates are:
Duncan Brine, Landscape Designer, Pawling, NY
Bonnie Burnham, International Preservation Organization Executive,
New York, NY
Karen Bussolini, Garden Photographer, South Kent, CT
GayVincentCanal, Garden Designer, Washington, CT
Elisabeth Cary, Director of Education, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, Ma
Ruah Donnelly, Garden Writer, Trustee of the New England Wildflower Society, Conway, MA
Sydney Eddison, Garden Writer, Newtown, CT
Michelle Farnum, Gallery Owner, Pawling, NY
Mac Griswold, Garden Historian, New York, NY
Adam Levine, Garden Writer, Philadelphia, PA
Julia Scott, Owner and Designer, a Garden Conservancy Garden, West Cornwall, CT
Sharon Tingley, Landscape Designer, Sharon, CT
Larry Weaner, Landscape Designer, Glenside, PA
We have attempted to influence the IES president and his board, but calls and emails have so far been ineffective.
How shall we proceed? Although contacting the board of trustees (see below) is vital, it's also time to
SPREAD THE WORD
and organize
a local SaveGiffordGarden organization. This group should request a meeting with President Schlesinger to envision a reasonable future for the garden which is sustainable for IES and the public.
10/25/07
Millbrook, New York
The IES Gifford Garden is in Peril:
Science vs. Art
A House without a Garden
October 25, Dr. William Schlesinger, the new president of The Institute of Ecosystem Studies (IES) in Millbrook, NY, proposed to his board of trustees that the historic (1817) Gifford House's Garden should be removed.
Dr. Schlesinger, who assumed his position in May of 2007, is acting to curb IES's deficit. Further, he is thought to believe that the garden does not reflect the Institute's scientific mission. However, the current IES website states, "The GiffordGarden is an integral part of the Institute's education mission."
The Gifford Garden is a landmark and destination with a large following. The sunken garden and the water garden date to the early 1900's. The butterfly and hummingbird, xeric, and poisonous plant beds have inspired and educated the public since 1987. "At the time, it was considered one of the largest collections of herbaceous perennials to be seen in any public garden in the northeastern United States." (IES website.)
News of the Gifford Garden's potential demise is expected to shock and dismay both the specialty and large audiences that the garden has developed over the years. The garden has loyal and appreciative participants because of its handicap access. This year, the garden's three day plant sale was extremely successful in raising money and in bringing the public to the IES property. The garden's further potential for fund raising and attracting people to the IES grounds will be lost if the board of trustees approves Dr. Schlesinger's expected proposal.
With the removal of The Gifford Garden, there will be a historic house without a garden and a scientific institute, whose subtitle is "Understanding How the Natural World Works," without a garden to begin the education which leads to understanding.
Save the GiffordHouseGarden.
Find the IES Board Members Below.
Contact them and
President Dr. William Schlesinger: schlesingerw@ecostudies.org.
Tell them what you think of their plans.
Signed,
Duncan Brine, Landscape Designer, Pawling, NY
duncan@landscapedesignweb.com
Bonnie Burnham, International Preservation Organization Executive,
New York, NY
Karen Bussolini, Garden Photographer, South Kent, CT
GayVincentCanal, Garden Designer, Washington, CT
Elisabeth Cary, Director of Education, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, MA
Ruah Donnelly, Garden Writer, Trustee of the New England Wildflower Society, Conway, MA
Sydney Eddison, Garden Writer, Newtown, CT
Michelle Farnum, Gallery Owner, Pawling, NY
Mac Griswold, Garden Historian, New York, NY
Adam Levine, Garden Writer, Philadelphia, PA
Julia Scott, Owner and Designer, a GardenConservancy Garden, West Cornwall, CT
Sharon Tingley, Landscape Designer, Sharon, CT
Larry Weaner, Landscape Designer, Glenside, PA
Would you like to add your name and be a signature on this "Save the GiffordHouseGarden" letter?
Please join us as we disseminate news in an effort to influence IES to save the Gifford House Garden.
(Posting your name here is not a promise of any further involvement in this matter.)
Thank you, the above signed.
Link to the Gifford Garden:
http://www.ecostudies.org/gardens.html
The IES mission and all of its components call out for a garden.
Excerpts from the IES Site:
Mission
"The Institute's Purpose:
The Institute of Ecosystem Studies is .dedicated to the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge about ecological systems.
The Institute's Goals
The goals of the programs . are:
- To enhance the general understanding of ecology by students, policy makers, and the general public.
Implementation of Goals
The work of the Institute contributes to an understanding and resolution of pressing environmental problems in two fundamental ways:
Basic science is the foundation for environmental problem solving. . Basic ecological understanding, derived largely through investigator-initiated research, represents the heart of the program of IES.
Second, IES staff has assumed a mandate to make scientific information available to the public, managers, and decision-makers. .
GiffordGarden
.the Gifford Garden is a perennial garden that is both educational and beautiful.. The garden's plant collections are grouped to convey themes or design concepts. .visitors can expect to see plants that are preferred by pollinators, such as butterflies and hummingbirds, plants known to have poisonous qualities, and hardy plants that are resistant to deer browse. Many beds feature educational brochures that enable visitors to take information home and apply it in their own yards and gardens.. there is always something new to learn and experience.
GiffordGarden History
On her death in 1967, Mary Flagler Cary willed her property to a charitable trust. The trust was tasked with ensuring that her land was both preserved and used in a way the (sic) benefited the public..
The GiffordGarden is an integral part of the Institute's education mission. It is home to over 850 different species of plants, presented in display beds that offer ecological as well as horticultural insights for visitors. It is a place to study and evaluate plant growth patterns, cultural requirements, and ecological relationships. The overwhelming majority of plants are labeled, so that precise identification is possible."
Find the IES Board Members Below
Please contact, and get friends and associates to contact the Trustees , if you feel that removing The GiffordGarden deserves further review.
Let them know your feelings about losing the Gifford Garden.
( I don't yet have email addresses for the trustees.)
The President of IES is Dr. William Schlesinger. His email is schlesingerw@ecostudies.org.
Board of Trustees:
Mr. Edward A. Ames, Secretary
New York, New York
Trustee, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust; Chairman of the Board, Hudson River Foundation; Member of the Governing Council, The Wilderness Society; Member of the Board, Open Space Institute; Member of the Board, Wave Hill
Mr. Steven M. Benardete
Amenia, New York
Board of Directors, DutchessLand Conservancy; Board of Directors, Foundation for Community Health, Sharon, Connecticut
Dr. Stephen R. Carpenter
Madison, Wisconsin
Stephen Alfred Forbes Professor of Zoology, University of Wisconsin; Member, National Academy of Sciences; Board of Directors, Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics; Co-Editor-in-Chief, "Ecosystems"
Dr. Sallie W. Chisholm
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Lee and Geraldine Martín, Professor of Environmental Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Member, National Academy of Sciences; Director, The Earth System Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mr. Charles H. Collins, Treasurer
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Managing Director, The Forestland Group LLC; Director, Orvis/Cushman Wakefield; Director, World Forestry Center; Director, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Director, Great Mountain Forest Corporation; External Advisory Board, Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry, Yale University
Mr. Geoffrey W. Dann
New York, New York
Investment Advisor and Vice President, Lingold Associates LLC
Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo, Vice Chair
Stanford, California
Bing Professor in Environmental Science; Member, NationalAcademy of Sciences
Mr. Bradford S. Gentry
New Haven, Connecticut
Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Of Counsel, Baker & McKenzie; Co-Director, Center for Business and the Environment at Yale; New England Advisory Committee, Trust for Public Land; Advisory Committee, Climate Change Capital; Long Range Planning Committee, Adirondack League Club
Mr. Lionel Goldfrank III
New York, New York
Board of Managers, The New YorkBotanical Garden
Mrs. Anne A. Hubbard
Bronxville, New York
Board of Managers, The New YorkBotanical Garden
Mrs. Edith W. Kean
New York, New York
Board of Managers, The New York Botanical Garden; Vice Chair, Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies; Advisory Committee, Trust for Public Land
Ms. Gretchen Long, Past Chair & Honorary Trustee
Wilson, Wyoming
Trustee Emeritus, National Parks Conservation Association, Washington, DC; Board of Directors, The Land Trust Alliance, Washington, DC; Board of Directors, Scenic Hudson, Inc., Poughkeepsie, NY; Honorary Director, The Murie Center, Moose, WY; Board of Trustees, World Resources Institute
Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy
Washington, D.C.
President, The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment; Research Associate, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Board of Managers, The New York Botanical Garden; Member of the Board, Woods Hole Research Center; Member of the Board, American Museum of Natural History; Member of the Board, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; Chairman of the External Advisory Board, Yale Institute of Biospheric Studies
Dr. Carolyn O. Mattoon, Vice Chair
Sharon, Connecticut
Trustee, Cityterm
Mr. Robert Quinlan
New York, New York
President, Quinlan Development Group LLC
Dr. Paul G. Risser, Chair
Norman, Oklahoma
Chair and Chief Operating Officer, University of Oklahoma Research Cabinet; Acting Director of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum; Board of Directors, Sand County Foundation; Chairman, National Advisory Board, Long-Term Ecological Research Program, National Science Foundation; Board of Directors, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Mr. John E. Rorer
New Rochelle, New York
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, American Museum of Natural History; Chairman of the Board, Collegiate Church of New York City
Dr. William H. Schlesinger, President
Millbrook, New York
President, Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Member, National Academy of Sciences
Mrs. Elizabeth Farran Tozer
New York, New York
Member of the Board: Millbrook Golf and Tennis Club; Museum of the City of New York; National Academy of Design; New York Foundation of Senior Citizens; Ohio Wesleyan University; Utah Opera and Symphony; Preservation League of New York State; Ross Museum at Ohio Wesleyan University; Sundance Institute; The Park City Historical Society and Museum; School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center; Advisory Board, Park Cit, Utah
Mrs. Julia Harte Widdowson
Millbrook, New York
Board of Trustees, American Farmland Trust; Board of Trustees, The Orion Society; Board of Trustees, International Council for the musée des arts décoratifs
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