Conservation and Stewardship/Volunteers

Source: Joel McNeal

Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) which grows in rich, rocky woods, slopes, cliffs, ledges, pastures, and roadside banks, was found in the Hartley Wood.

Source: Michael Hassler

Leaves of Quercus alba (white oak), the dominant native tree in the Hartley Wood.

Arboretum Volunteers

Dick Repsher and Tatiana Calmon, garden volunteers at the Arboretum, prepare Cannas for winter storage (October 2010).

Volunteers include members of the community as well as Penn State faculty, staff, and students.

Arboretum Ecological Restoration Group

Since 2007, there have been organized work sessions in which volunteers helped to stop the spread of nonnative shrubs such as honeysuckle, privet, and multiflora rose in the understory of the Hartley Wood, an historic woodlot in the Arboretum. These efforts have now been extended into other areas of the Arboretum in Big Hollow.

Garden Volunteers and Docents

Since the completion of Phase I of the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens in 2009, the Arboretum's director of horticulture has been training volunteers interested in working in the gardens and becoming greeters and docents.

All of these volunteer opportunities are listed below and on the application form.

ARBORETUM VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FORM

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Serving as tour guides/docents
Assisting with gardening
Scouting for garden pests
Assisting at special events
Gathering data for curatorial records
Assisting with data management
Restoring and preserving native habitat
Maintaining/enhancing trails in Arboretum woodlands

If you are interested in volunteering for the Arboretum, please contact Nancy Stoner at nas26@psu.edu/814-867-4262.