2024 has brought on many new challenges and new achievements at The Dawes Arboretum. We welcomed our new Executive Director Stephanie Crockatt, hosted David Rogers' traveling exhibit Big Bugs and celebrated our 95th anniversary as an Arboretum! Here, we strive every day to put our best foot forward in serving the community with the ability to enrich lives through the conservation of trees, nature and history. To share a few highlights that have aided in the continuing of our mission, we have put together a blog for you below.
Learning & Engagement:
- 220+ engagement activities hosted
- 4800+ attendees served
- 3100+ Teachers and students hosted for field trips, summer groups and professional development
- 550 Winter & spring camp boxes were distributed to underprivileged children in Licking County through partnership with Ohio Valley Education Service Center
- 2,400+ Guests viewed the history exhibit & toured the Daweswood House Museum
- We've seen visitors from 36/50 states
- Hosted the 112th Tree Dedication ceremony on August 25 in honor of philanthropist Ginni Ragan. This was our first dedication ceremony in five years!
Volunteers, Memberships & Visitation:
- 6,277 Total volunteer hours
- 1,500+ New memberships joined the membership program
- 900+ Guests converted their admission tickets to memberships
- 1,900+ Library passes were used to get free admission to The Arboretum
- 114,000+ Guests visited The Arboretum
Science & Conservation:
- 490+ pounds of native seed collected valued at over $100,000
- Led our 9th annual - and most successful - stream clean up event through River Round Up (collecting 5,500 lbs of trash and metal wire with 40 volunteers!)
- 19 Monarch butterflies tagged and reared
- 270+ counted salamanders as part of The Arboretum's wildlife monitoring of these sensitive species.
- Cleared and reseeded 7 acres infested with woody invasive with use of a forestry mulcher for conversion to functional prairie habitat.
- 420+ native trees planted within a 5 acre habitat restoration project.
- Rare plant and state listed Grove Sandwort seeds were collected and added to The Arboretum's seed bank to ensure the species' protection.
- Collected Three Bird Orchid root specimens for the National Orchid Conservation Center of the Smithsonian Institute for fugus
- DNA identification and added to the a national seed bank.
- Reached 11,200+ vouchers added to the Herbarium, with 1,300+ added just this year.
This year has been a record-breaking year and we are so thankful for your support! Here’s to 2025 and a year filled with passion for learning, educating and conserving the great outdoors.
These numbers represent our fiscal year, from October 2023 through September 2024.