What's In Your Backyard?

It’s a theme I’ve used before because I continue to be amazed how much variety and beauty surrounds us.  This past week I wanted to go on a photo shoot to a location I’ve never been.  Used one of the more valuable shoot location tools available—Google Maps!  While scanning the general area around where I live I noticed the Fullerton Arboretum.  I’ve heard of it, but never made the effort to go there.  I was really impressed with what I saw there!

From a classical sense, an arboretum is simply a collection of trees, but more recently that term refers to a place where trees, shrubs, and sometimes herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes—a botanical garden of sorts. This 26-acre jewel is packed with trails, trees, flowers, lakes and streams, benches to rest on, along with full facilities including a museum, classrooms, nursery, and plant sales area.  There is also a historical house on the property referred to as Heritage House.  Below is a bit of history of the arboretum from their website (http://fullertonarboretum.org/home.php)

In the fall of 1970, a group of faculty members and a group of students at Orange State College (later to become California State University, Fullerton) began to discuss the idea of a arboretum to be developed on a parcel of land at the northern end of the campus. Most of the area was a field of wild mustard along with diseased citrus trees. A group called the Arboretum Committee was formed and to everyone’s surprise and delight won a Disneyland Community Service Award for its environmental efforts. 

In 1971 the Associated Students of Cal State College began a drive to raise funds for the future project. In the following year, after substantial lobbying by interested citizens, the California State University Trustees considered setting aside land for a future botanical garden, the first of its kind on university land in the state. This was followed by the formation of an Arboretum Society which began a series of fund-raising activities on campus to build a fund for the future botanical garden. Originally, planning for the project was passed to students and faculty at sister CSU campus, Cal Poly, Pomona where landscape design and related fields were part of the curriculum.

On Sunday, December 11, 1977, Dr. C. Eugene Jones presided over a formal ceremony which included a flag raising by Boy Scout Troop #74, music by the Orange Empire Barbershop Chorus and speakers CSUF President L. Donald Shields and City of Fullerton Mayor Duane Winters. The groundbreaking was led by Commission President Martha McCarthy, Teri Jones of the Friends and other commissioners. When trees were sought for foresting the grounds in the early 1970’s, a program called Trees for Arboretum Growth, TAG, was begun and hundreds of memorial trees were planted. Although the grounds were open to the public before that time, the official opening ceremonies and ribbon-cutting took place on Sunday, October 21, 1979.

For some years the Friends supported plans to build a Visitors Center on the grounds to include areas for community use, a museum and classrooms. A new nursery/greenhouse and plant sales area was completed in 2004. With support from the city, generous private donors and civic groups the long anticipated groundbreaking was held and construction of the Visitors Center begun in the fall of 2004, fittingly during the 25th anniversary year of the official opening of the Arboretum to the community.

So I guess the moral of the story is, explore, discover new areas, and expand your "backyard" to include the variety and diversity of your surroundings.

I'm always happy to get comments, questions, or feedback.  CostaMesaPhotography@gmail.com