Pioneers of Ecological Restoration: The People and Legacy of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum

ISBN-13: 9780299286644 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 336 str.

Franklin E. Court

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Internationally renowned for its pioneering role in the ecological restoration of tallgrass prairies, savannas, forests, and wetlands, the University of Wisconsin Arboretum contains the world's oldest and most diverse restored ecological communities. A site for land restoration research, public environmental education, and enjoyment by nature lovers, the arboretum remains a vibrant treasure in the heart of Madison's urban environment. "Pioneers of Ecological Restoration" chronicles the history of the arboretum and the people who created, shaped, and sustained it up to the present. Although the arboretum was established by the University of Wisconsin in 1932, author Franklin E. Court begins his history in 1910 with John Nolen, the famous landscape architect who was invited to create plans for the city of Madison, the university campus, and Wisconsin state parks. Drawing extensive details from archives and interviews, Court follows decades of collaborative work related to the arboretum's lands, including the early efforts of Madison philanthropists and businessmen Michael Olbrich, Paul E. Stark, and Joseph W. "Bud" Jackson. With labor from the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s Depression, University of Wisconsin scientists began establishing both a traditional horticultural collection of trees and plants and a completely new, visionary approach to recreate native ecosystems. Hundreds of dedicated scientists and staff have carried forward the arboretum's mission in the decades since, among them G. William Longenecker, Aldo Leopold, John T. Curtis, Rosemary Fleming, Virginia Kline, and William R. Jordan III. This archival record of the arboretum's history provides rare insights into how the mission of healing and restoring the land gradually shaped the arboretum's future and its global reputation; how philosophical conflicts, campus politics, changing priorities, and the encroaching city have affected the arboretum over the decades; and how early aspirations (some still unrealized) have continued to motivate the work of this extraordinary institution.

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List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations   1. The Beginnings, John Nolen, Michael Olbrich, Paul E. Stark, and the \u0022Prairie School of Landscape Design\u0022 2. 1930–1932, Acquiring the Six Key Parcels of Land, Building the Arboretum Road 3. The Pre-Dedication Years; Aldo Leopold, G. William Longenecker, Edward M. Gilbert and the Politics of Governance 4. Two Directors: Leopold and Longenecker, The 1934 Dedication and the 1935 Arrival of the CCC 5. \u0022Go Make a Prairie,\u0022 Fassett's Early Planting Experiments and Sperry's Innovative Field Work 6. Late 30s Frustrations, the \u0022Golden Years,\u0022 Leopold's Efforts to Increase Staff and Funding 7. The 1940s, The Early Curtis Years, A Grady Tract \u0022Forest Preserve?\u0022 Greene's Prairie, Post-War Challenges and Leopold's Death 8. The 1950s, Outside Threats and Challenges, The Grady Tract Fire, \u0022The Beltline Cometh,\u0022 \u0022Rabbit Shoots\u0022 and Retirements 9. The 1960s, Losses and Gains, Last \u0022Lost City\u0022 Lots, Building a Reputation, Troubled Times, A Shifting Focus 10. The 1970s, The Arboretum's \u0022World Famous\u0022 Prairies, Conflicts in Leadership, a New Direction, New Appointments and A Visitor Center 11. The 1980s and Beyond, Restoration & Management Notes, a Restoration Ecology Legacy, \u0022Earth Partnerships,\u0022 Reflections   Notes Works Cited Index