How to be a Good Steward? Start with One Thing

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Scott Vogt

Over the past year, we have been digging deeper into “Why” the Arboretum exists. There have been some lengthy conversations about events, classes, native plants, and relationships between people, plants and the land. One of the questions we kept coming back to was “What can one person do?” This idea that people change their perspective, build relationships, and/or develop empathy for the land one decision or choice at a time is an important concept for us to consider. So with that in mind, what is one thing you can do today to make our environment more sustainable?

These are just a few things we can change that will have a positive impact. There are hundreds more that are specific to your lives. Start with one thing.

Ride your bike or walk to the store.
Convert a portion of your lawn to native plants.

Plant a vegetable garden each year.
Turn the lights off when you leave the room
Pay attention to how much water you use both in your home and in your yard.
Recycle, recycle, recycle.
Create a compost pile and use the compost in your garden.
Maintain your car and properly inflate your tires.
Use LED bulbs in your home.

Make sure your house has the appropriate amount of insulation.
Realize you can make a difference.

We all have choices to make when it comes to helping the planet, but I believe environmental stewardship starts at home. If we choose to manage what we have in a way that saves us money and limits the negative impacts on the land, it is a win/win situation. This is my epiphany – small incremental changes in my lifestyle will do something good for the environment. I could always do more, but it starts to move the needle in a positive direction.

Maybe you are somewhat like me and find changing your behavior difficult, or you think stewardship is for someone else. That is not true. Small changes in the things we do combined with thousands of others making positive choices can make a profound difference in the long run. Don’t think of it as a compromise, but rather an investment in the future that allows future generations to live the same lives we now enjoy.

Start with one thing.

A New Mission Statement for the Future

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Brad Guhr

Our Dyck Arboretum staff and board (with facilitation from our member and consultant, John Simmering) have been doing a lot of self review over the last year in search of a new mission statement for the future. Our two-part mission statement for the past 36 years has been as follows:

The Dyck Arboretum of the Plains promotes, through education and stewardship, the conservation and use of plants native and adaptable to Kansas.

The Arboretum maintains gardens and prairie plant collections for education and conservation, providing a natural setting for reflection and appreciation of nature.

While it was relevant in the early days of the Arboretum, for what we have evolved to today, this old mission statement has become restrictive. It doesn’t recognize the relationships we develop with our supporters through music, history, culture, the arts, rentals, healthy bodies, and environmental stewardship. This old mission statement is also quite long, hard to remember, and mixes mission with vision.

Evie and Harold Dyck’s dream for the Arboretum has brought us through 37 years of changes. Now we’re expanding on their mission and vision.

Our consultant gave us guidance to make our new mission statement simple, inclusive in scope, and unrestrictive in geography. After many meetings, round table discussions with members and supporters, surveys, individual staff reflections and feedback sessions with our board, we came up with the following new mission statement:

Dyck Arboretum of the Plains cultivates transformative relationships between people and the land.

In the following, I’ll pick apart and explain, using visual aids, more of the meaning our staff used to describe each of the words in this new mission statement and offer photos from our archives that might further illustrate each of these thoughts for the public.

For further interpretation of what we do at Dyck Arboretum, one can turn to our vision and initiatives. A vision statement should further flesh out details regarding how we support our mission and the initiatives detail what we actually do to carry out that vision. Our vision and initiative statements are a work-in-progress, but along the way we’ll share what we have been working on and welcome your input.

VISION

To support our mission, we have four elements in this current version of our vision statement.

Education – Introduce people to the native landscapes of Kansas, promote ecological diversity, encourage citizen science, and re-connect people to nature.

Community – Enable people to find a sense of place, encourage empathy for diversity of people and organisms, and create both active and passive community engagement experiences.

Arts – Be a source of diverse educational experiences and provide innovative and creative pathways to help people connect to our mission.

Organizational Sustainability – Model sustainable management of staff, infrastructure and finances, for long-term health of the Arboretum.

INITIATIVES

The principal initiatives that help us carry out our vision include prairie conservation and native/adaptable plant landscaping, maintained gardens with contemplative spaces, spring and fall FloraKansas native plant festivals, tours of the Arboretum, visits to important locations in Kansas, landscaping classes and private landscaping consultations, a winter lecture series, a spring education symposium, school field trips, and our Kansas Earth Partnership for Schools Program. Other initiatives that introduce new people to our mission, develop relationships in community, and help us establish a sense of place here at Dyck Arboretum include our Prairie Window Concert Series, Winter Luminary Walk, Go Green Leprechaun Run, visual art displays, a gift shop, and rental of our facilities and grounds.

Thanks for following what we do and for helping support our mission. The relationships we cultivate with you are what we are all about!

Pathways in Your Garden

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Scott Vogt

On a cool crisp morning in October, I meandered through the Prairie Window Project here at the Arboretum. The frost was clinging heavily on all the plants. I would have been wet if not for the pathway leading me between the tall grasses. It made me thankful for that wide gravel path.

This path is less than ideal, because the rocks are loose and make it hard to walk. It will take smaller stones and work compacting the path to make it easier to navigate. It made me think about garden paths in general. What are the best paths for gardens?

Rock Paths

Stone is a fantastic pathway material. It has a natural look and can be made very hard and stable. We have many paths with stone and they seem to hold up to our climate well.

To establish a stone path, we often dig out the soil two to three inches deep to get a good base for the path. We have used edging (metal, wood, or larger stone) or established paths without edging. Both strategies work fine. Edged paths look more formal, while non-edged paths tend to blend into their surroundings better. We spread larger limestone (1-2 inch stone) in the bottom of the trench and then cover with smaller limestone (3/4 inch) with fine pieces to weave and bind the path together. It is good to have the path slightly higher than the ground so that water does not stand on the path. Also, consider drainage and water flow to make sure your path does not become a dam and impede water movement. We usually add new limestone every two to three years as needed, because the stone will naturally breakdown over time.

Note about other stone: We have used pea gravel and sand, but neither makes a stable walking surface.

Mulch Paths

Mulch paths are the most organic substrate. They naturally blend into the landscape, while softening the edges of display beds and lawns. Developing a new path is similar to rock paths. As with rock, mulch decomposes over time and needs to be replenished. Larger pieces mixed with finer pieces interlock the mulch and keep it firm. It will never be as firm and hard as a rock path, but makes a nice cushy surface in which to walk through your garden.

Straw Paths

I have used straw in my garden and it makes a wonderful path. The advantage of straw in this setting is that at the end of the growing season, it can be tilled into the soil to add organic matter to the soil. A layer of two to three inches of straw will help with weed control and keep your feet from getting muddy. I have seen it used around most vegetables. Straw moderates soil temperatures and reduces evaporation.

Semi-permeable pavement

Permeable interlocking concrete pavers

The use of porous concrete or concrete with holes filled with sand is becoming popular. These solutions allow water to infiltrate quickly and then be held, released slowly and/or diverted to holding basins. This has merit as we think about rain gardens and capturing water from our landscapes. The concrete with holes are filled with sand and can be planted with grass, sedges, or some other low growing vegetation that can be walked on. These stepable plants quickly blend the path into the landscape. Certainly, this is the most costly of the path options, but it can do so much more than just a rock or mulch path.

Pathways are an important component of any landscape. They lead you through the garden. A well designed landscape has paths you don’t notice. Paths complement the garden and harmonize everything within your yard.

Semi-permeable Pavement

Be an Advocate for the Prairie

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Katie Schmidt

At Dyck Arboretum, we focus a lot of our energy on spreading knowledge and appreciation for the prairie. We love Kansas’s natural landscape and we are alarmed by how little native prairie is left intact. The prairie needs more advocates – people who will stand up for its preservation and defend its value to native wildlife and community health. Most of our direct efforts target land owners – people who can plant native prairie gardens and landscapes at their home or school. But these are not the only people who can make a difference! Here are a few ways you can be a prairie advocate even if you aren’t able to plant a prairie of your own:

Community Involvement

I enjoy attending my local city council meetings to keep tabs on what is happening in the community, especially in regards to environmental issues. Most city council meetings have a citizen comment session at the beginning or end of every meeting. This is the perfect platform to express your thoughts on community green spaces, roadside prairie preservation and responsible neighborhood development. Letting your local government know you want to see more natural prairie in and around the city could inspire big changes!

Encouraging your city to adopt sustainable land management policies can create pollinator habitat, help clean stormwater run off, absorb carbon pollution from the air, and much more! Carpenter Bee on Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea Purpurea)

Volunteerism

We say it all the time, but it deserves repeating — Dyck Arboretum couldn’t do what we do without volunteers. If you are passionate about prairie preservation and live in the area, consider volunteering for us! Here at the Arb, volunteers do everything from mow lawns and pull weeds to answer phones and process memberships. When you give your time to an organization, you free up the staff to focus on the heart of its mission and widen its impact. Search VolunteerKansas.org to find a place near you to volunteer your time and advocate for native landscaping, environmental education or sustainable agriculture.

Volunteers often help out on the grounds, planting new flower beds and maintaining old ones. They keep the Arboretum looking beautifully managed!

Membership

Lastly, if you don’t have lots of time in your schedule to attend community meetings or volunteer somewhere, don’t fret. The simple purchase of a membership to an organization you support can make a big difference. The Dyck Arboretum, and other non-profit organizations like us, depend on memberships as a large portion of our budget. Membership gifts also support our programming and events. We use membership numbers to gauge whether our message resonates with the public. It is always so encouraging to see that number grow, one membership at a time! Becoming a member tells us that you support the work we are doing and that you want us to keep it going. If that is how you feel about Dyck Arboretum, become a member and a prairie advocate here.

Staff and members get to know each other at the annual Summer Soiree, an evening of fine food and entertainment.

Mindfulness in the Garden

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Scott Vogt

One of the greatest experiences I have while gardening is a heightened sense of awareness. For some reason, I notice obscure things that are happening in my landscape. I observe how our garden has changed throughout year. I notice the wildlife that it attracts, the sights and sounds of the garden. Each day there can be a new discovery. Gardening is an adventure. Some people spend time in the garden for what they get from it, like flowers or vegetables, but I garden for what it gives back to me personally.

I spend so much time indoors these days that I relish my time outdoors. Whether in a garden or walking through a natural setting, the stress of the day seems to melt away. The sunshine and breeze on my face tend to carry the anxiety, weight of responsibilities and depression far from my thoughts. I become mindful in these situations – more so than any other place.

It goes without saying, but gardening is good for your health. Here’s how I practice mindfulness in the garden.

Make it a priority

What gets scheduled gets done. In the hustle and bustle of life, time in the garden will get pushed aside by other good things if you don’t make it a habit. Don’t neglect your garden, but walk through it in the morning or after work as part of a regular schedule. Pull a few weeds, pick some flowers, water the vegetables or watch pollinators fly from plant to plant. Become aware of how your countenance changes. You will be amazed how it can rejuvenate and lift your spirit.

Photo by Brad Guhr

Observe

It is incredible to see the insect activity in my garden right now. Those tiny pollinators are busily working the flowers as a last dash before cold weather sets in for the year. The leaves are changing to beautiful shades. The musty smell of the compost pile wafts through the air. The wonderful smell after a rain is called petrichor. Feel the textures of the plants and taste the harvest. Awareness awakens the senses.

Use your phone for pictures only

Our phones can be a constant distraction. It is either buzzing, beeping or ringing all day long and we need to disconnect from it for mindfulness to happen. Nothing can ruin a reflective moment quicker than to have your phone ring. Put it up and disconnect for a few moments. You will not be sorry for doing so. The quietness of the garden is calming.

Get Busy Doing

Mindfulness can be achieved in two ways – stillness or in action. In action, you focus on a task and make it happen. Whether in the garden or around the house, the simple approach to everyday life can deepen your appreciation and awareness of the world around you. Being mindful allows you to be fully in the task without distractions and other thoughts. Fixating on the task at hand will make you more mindful and self-aware.

Planting our prairie

Develop empathy

One of the thoughts that came to us as we worked on our new mission statement was the idea that the more we know and understand, the more empathy we have. The more we understand the plight of many of our pollinators, the more we want to do something about it. We have lost 99 percent of the prairie, but I can plant some prairie in my yard and it will make a difference. An appreciation of the few tracts of prairie that still exist makes me long for that lost landscape. Stillness in the garden will bring you closer to your garden. Understanding something develops awareness and ultimately brings empathy.

Mindfulness relates to the many health benefits of gardening. It reduces stress, increases your self-esteem, boosts the immune system, provides exercise for the heart and decreases stroke risk, makes you happier reducing depression symptoms, and increases brain health. By taking a mindful approach to your landscape, you will grow in so many wonderful ways. Try it for your health.