In carrying out our commitment to the mission statement, we have brought forward into this year the following programs:
| Support of faculty botanical research: |
| • | Despite recent problems with OML, we have continued the up-grade of our facilities. After OML comes on-line, more space convenient to lab research facilities will be available. |
| • | This past growing year, we doubled our cultivated space outdoors. Most of this extra space was dedicated to the Dellaporta lab. We also provided a minimal amount of tending. |
| • | All labs have had an increased use of space at the Marsh gardens greenhouse. |
| • | Response time to problems arising in lab growth chambers and in other areas continues to be a positive for our staff. |
| |
| Support of teaching of plant biology and diversity: |
| • | As the second year of the Plant Diversity and Ecology class has begun, we have anticipated the weekly needs of this lab more efficiently than last year, providing more plants grown here at Marsh Gardens. |
| • | Mary Helen Goldsmith's class, despite its small number of students, is one that requires significant work for us, which we happily undertake. This class could be a jewel for ‘non-plant' people to be introduced to the world of botany and plant science. |
| • | Mary Klein's class. |
| • | Although we provide plants for only one lab of Nancy Rosenbaum's class, we feel this is an important link to the non-plant side of the biology departments. |
| |
| Outreach to Yale and beyond: |
| • | Yale University Women's Organization visited us this past fall, for tea and light refreshments. |
| • | The EEB department has us on their list of places for prospective graduate students to tour and congregate on their visit to Yale. Last year this was well-received as being a place to ‘let their hair down,' not being connected directly to the ‘power base' in EEB. |
| • | The Peabody Museum, as part of their program called Bio-diversity and Human Health, an outreach program for public school teachers, asked us to host a small group of primary and secondary instructors. This was an excellent visit and we had very positive feedback. |
| • | The School of Forestry and Environmental Studies continues to be a good draw, with students visiting informally, and several classes using Marsh as their ‘laboratory.' |
| • | Our interaction with the Yale Sustainable Food Project continues a synergy that is what Yale University strives for in interdisciplinary and inter-departmental cooperation. |
| |
| Administrative and Budget information: |
| We have worked with MCDB Business Manager Jennifer Condon and the Shared Science Branch to break out and monitor MBG expenditures, with particular focus on costs associated with teaching activities in MCDB and EEB versus research costs. The Director and the Manger now get monthly itemized reports for all MBG accounts. |
| |
| Follow up from last year's plans: |
| Inside: |
| • | Dave Garinger's research and subsequent purchase of orchid family members resulted in several areas of greenhouse number two being re-designed, with a display of saprophytic plants being incorporated as well. |
| • | We designed, built and installed a horizontal trellis for hanging pitcher plants on in the central room of greenhouse number two, making more space available for other plants where the pitcher plants had been placed on benches before. |
| • | The Donoghue room of the EEB wing of greenhouse number one was cleaned out, many of the specimens re-potted and pruned back. This resulted in better plant growth and ease of movement through the house. |
| • | We continue to build towards a good working relationship with Facilities, and while progress seems slow, we have really had excellent interaction with the control center and others. |
| • | OML has been re-fitted from the antiquated Q-Com system to Johnson Controls, which is used and supported by Facilities. This will make a great difference in the heating and cooling reliability of this space. |
| Outside: |
| • | We continued our invasive plant removal program, with Mimosa and Nighshade being removed from several key areas. I stress that there is always more to do on this front. |
| • | We took down several small trees that were in bad shape, or were crowding out some of our native plants: Black Cherry, Black Locust, English Yew. |
| • | We installed the first stage of the entry garden of the greenhouse complex, with raked gravel, some bamboo and a Japanese Maple. The second phase involves finding just the right stones for the focal points of the garden. |
| • | We haven't installed the walkway to Greenhouse number three yet. |
| • | We continue adding chips to beds to help us to control weeds, hold soil moisture and add organic material to the sandy soils. This project will continue this year. |
| • | The chipper/shredder was added to our arsenal of tools, and has made a difference in the amount of material that we can suitably compost here. |
| • | We assisted in the clean-up of the weather station, but there was no follow-up on the part of the F and ES side during the summer. It is a project again. |
| • | Plantings: The Beeches were replaced, with two varieties of Fagus sylvatica, and a Nyssa sylvatica. |
| • | The Pitch Pines requested by Graeme Berlyn, Professor of F and ES were purchased and suitable locations are being discussed for their planting. |
| • | The scaled-leaf evergreens were purchased, but because of the work on the storm sewer system around Greeley, the planting has been delayed until this year. |
| • | The first phase of the shrub border was installed, with several dozen woody plants planted, and many bulbs interspersed between them. |
| • | A wildflower planting was installed after the first phase of the storm sewer project, mostly just to hold the soil. Unfortunately, subsequent unforeseen phases destroyed this planting, and we are still evaluating where we stand in relation to the project. |
| • | We planted the first stage in a screen planting along the southern perimeter of the property, to help buffer the rockery from Hillside Terrace. |
| • | We added a picnic table, bench and a swing to the seating here at the garden to increase use of this outside space. |
| |
| Ahead of us this coming year: |
| • | A water garden and bog planting will be installed this spring and summer in space that was heretofore unused, or loaned to URI. |
| • | More benches will be installed this spring and summer. |
| • | A web-site will be created within the next few months to enhance our outreach to Yale, New Haven and beyond. Access to our data-base of plants, a calendar of events, archives of our newsletter and plant of the week articles and staff profiles will be available. |
| • | Finish the plantings mentioned above. |
| • | Stabilize the soil and hillside around Greeley, to allow for a screen planting that will help to obscure the service entrance and unsightly rear end of Greeley. |
| • | Minimize the visual impact of Grounds Maintenance, by working with Walt to fence in their parking/service area, and planting more native plants around it to screen the area. |
| • | Continue the invasive control program, and planting sturdy native plants in those spaces. |
