Chicago Botanic Garden Receives Leadership Grant

IMLS award to develop national botanic garden and arboreta database

            GLENCOE, Ill. (Sept. 21, 2005) – The Chicago Botanic Garden, in collaboration with the University of Kansas Biodiversity Research Center, the North American Plant Collections Consortium of the American Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta, and 15 other institutions nationwide, has received a $666,326 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop the first step towards a national infrastructure for sharing collections and conservation information for key plant groups at major public gardens.

            The electronic database, called PlantCollections, will combine and store documented records of the institutions' diverse living plant collections, which will significantly enhance the sharing of information resources. Audiences served will include curatorial, taxonomic, conservation, weed science, ecology, horticulture, education and visitors. Benefits will include:

• collaborative research -- making available an information network of 47,100 plant taxa from 16 North American botanical gardens and arboreta;
• plant collections management and conservation -- identifying existing living plant collections and determining critical gaps;
• education of the next generation of plant, conservation and biodiversity scientists -- communicating results to the public;
• advanced technology – creating an organized system for integrating and retrieving plant biodiversity and genetic data.

PlantCollections will be developed in two phases over three years. The first year will focus on defining content, modifying software, designing and installing the Web portal, and installing and testing the system at two sites. The second and third years will focus on installation at 16 sites, staff training in system maintenance and announcing its availability at major U.S. conferences.

The Chicago Botanic Garden will work with computer scientists from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan., and will lead the consortium of public gardens that also includes: The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Ganna Walska Lotusland, Santa Barbara, Calif.; Highstead Arboretum, Redding, Conn.; The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, Calif.; Landis Arboretum, Esperance, N.Y.; Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis; The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Ill.; Mt. Cuba Center, Inc., Greenville, Del.; Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, Va.; The North Carolina Arboretum at The University of North Carolina, Asheville, N.C.; San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, San Francisco; The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, Calif.; The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa.; The United States National Arboretum, Washington, D.C.; and Washington Park Arboretum at the University of Washington, Seattle.

For more information on the Chicago Botanic Garden’s work in plant conservation science, or any of its research programs, visit www.chicagobotanic.org.

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Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden’s newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year, except Dec. 25. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $15; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior citizens age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic. org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

 The Chicago Botanic Garden is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. Through the Institutes of Plant Conservation and Ornamental Plant Research, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.