JARS v60n3 - ARS 2006 Grant Awards

ARS 2006 Grant Awards
Bill Mangels, Co-chair, Endowment Committee
Baltimore, Maryland

At the May 2006 meeting of the American Rhododendron Society's Board of Directors in Rockville, Maryland, action was taken to provide grants to projects that will support the Society's mission to educate and provide interest in the culture of the genus Rhododendron. The American Rhododendron Society (ARS) awarded grants to the Middle Atlantic Chapter Species Study Group, the Tyler Arboretum in Media, Pennsylvania, and Humboldt Botanical Gardens Foundation in Eureka, California.

The Middle Atlantic Chapter Species Study Group was provided an award of $2,963 for purchase of a brush mower on American Rhododendron Society 2006 Grant Awards behalf of the US Park Service. The mower would be used on Gregory Bald in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The machine will be used to maintain the Bald particularly against blackberries and vaccinium that have invaded and also reclaim overgrown areas.

Tyler Arboretum requested support for the propagation of significant Rhododendron taxa of the John C. Wister Rhododendron Collection. This project is part of the comprehensive Wister Rhododendron Garden Improvement Project. The Wister Collection is recognized as one of the largest collections of hardy elepidote rhododendron in the country. Tyler Arboretum received $1,873 toward this propagation effort.

Humboldt Botanical Garden Foundation seeks to acquire species rhododendrons. Of particular interest are the species of subsection Maddenia and other big-leaf rhododendrons for their Temperate Woodland Garden. The garden will be designed to interpret and educate the public about use of exotics with native plants. The ARS has granted the Humboldt Garden $1,873 towards the acquisition of species rhododendrons.

The ARS Board is pleased to provide these grants from income derived from the Society's endowment fund. Since 2003 the ARS has awarded ten grants totaling $30,108.