COX ARBORTEUM METROPARK
WHERE: 6733 Springboro Pike, Dayton
PARK HOURS: April 1 - Oct. 31, 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Nov. 1 - March 31, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Closed Christmas and New Year's Day.
BARBARA COX CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE HORTICULTURE HOURS: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
ZORNIGER EDUCATION CENTER HOURS: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Closed on major holidays.
Moments before and after the ribbon-cutting, volunteers were getting their hands dirty.
Inside the greenhouse of the new Barbara Cox Center for Sustainable Horticulture at Cox Arboretum MetroPark, Marga Huban, Bruce Fox and Jim Facette were among those who sifted through soil to retrieve sprouted tree seeds and nuts. Then another cluster of volunteers, including Derek Sloan and Lorraine Kogler, filled tube-shaped growing containers with soil for the tiny sprouts.
Huban, Fox, Facette, Sloan and Kogler were among the volunteers who attended the ribbon-cutting, along with MetroParks employees and members of the community who’ve played key and supportive roles in bringing about the facility and its sustainability programs.
A $1 million donation by the James M. Cox., Jr. Arboretum Foundation in 2007 made the center possible. The facility is named after Barbara Cox, the younger daughter of Gov. James M. Cox. Along with her sister, Anne Cox Chambers, and brother, James M. Cox, Jr., Cox inherited Cox Enterprises, which includes the Dayton Daily News. When Barbara Cox died in 2007, the gift to Cox Arboretum was specified in her estate.
“We’re so thankful we were able to partner with the foundation as well as for the funding we’ve received,” said Rebecca A. “Becky” Benná, the executive director of Five Rivers MetroParks. “For me, it’s all about community partnering. It’s a great example of working together.”
“It’s really exciting to see all the effort put in over the years and then see it come to be,” said Mandy Goubeaux, board president of the James M. Cox, Jr., Arboretum Foundation. “Our mission and vision are to connect people with nature and help them learn about the sustainability of plants.”
On the front line of sustainability projects are many MetroParks employees as well as more than 1,000 volunteers. The new center supports their efforts. “It’s going to open up many opportunities for volunteers and bring horticulture to a new level,” said Irv Biecer, a Five Rivers MetroParks commissioner.
Facette was among the volunteers raving about the center’s amenities. “It’s really good. The refrigeration is much better. The ventilation is much better. The tables and storage areas are in good shape,” he said.
One of the thoughtful people who have made sure the center meets the needs of volunteers and staff, as well as make it visitor-friendly is Eric Sauer, park planning manager for Five Rivers MetroParks. “My greatest hope is that people can walk away from here with an appreciation of the natural environment and a love for trees and what they do for us,” Sauer said.
“Trees are extremely important for cutting down carbon dioxide, which causes climate change,” Facette explained. “All across the world, trees are being cut down at a tremendous pace. Planting trees is one way to mitigate that.”
To date, more than 30,000 trees have been planted since the MetroParks’ reforestation campaign got under way in 2012, according to Joshua York, the education coordinator for Five Rivers MetroParks. “Our reforestation campaign is one of the biggest community-based efforts in the nation,” York said.
Saplings will be planted throughout the MetroParks system. A volunteer for more than 10 years, Colleen Kammer is a team leader for volunteers who plant the young trees. “Five Rivers MetroParks is a leader in the entire region for reforestation, which is necessary because of the devastation of the emerald ash borer,” she said.
Another sustainable horticulture project under way at the Barbara Cox Center is wildflower rescue. “We have a group of volunteers who actually go out and rescue wildflowers,” said Russell Edgington, the regional park manager of Cox Arboretum, Sugarcreek, and Hills and Dales MetroParks. “Let’s say there’s a new department store or strip mall going in and as part of the process, a forest is going to be eliminated. Our volunteers will make arrangements to go out and actually dig up and rescue the wildflowers, bring them back here to Cox Arboretum and the Center for Sustainable Horticulture where they’re propagated, and eventually they’ll find their ways into reforestation projects here at MetroParks.
“The arboretum has always been about the landscape and plants, but more on the horticultural side instead of the natural side,” Edgington said. “We will continue to promote horticulture, but part of that message is to encourage native plants instead of invasive species that are detrimental to our native environment.”
“The Cox family is dedicated to solving environmental issues. This horticulture center will undoubtedly support our local community’s efforts toward sustainability and conservation. It will also be a beautiful place for Miami Valley residents to visit and explore,” said Julia Wallace, Vice President of Cox Media Group Ohio.
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