Arboretum director announces retirement

Pat Brown

After 20 years at the helm of the Arboretum, Greg Armstrong has announced he will step down as director in early July.

“It is with a mixture of excitement and anticipation, with a touch of nostalgia, that I contemplate retirement,” says Armstrong. “Coming to the conclusion that it was time to move on was not easy, but there are so many other things that I want to pursue, and I feel the time to do that is now.”

“As director of the Arboretum, Greg Armstrong has been a knowledgeable, articulate and enthusiastic advocate for ecological restoration while emphasizing the human relationship to the land,” says Martin Cadwallader, dean of the Graduate School.

Armstrong’s tenure has seen major growth and changes at the Arboretum.

“The Arboretum was a much smaller operation when I arrived, and the exciting mission of the place had not been clearly articulated,” says Armstrong, who credits Bill Jordan, former Arboretum outreach manager, as the person who has most inspired and influenced him.

“Bill is one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met, and he pointed out to me the value of the idea of ecological restoration — and that the concept was embodied by the Arboretum,” says Armstrong. “Working with Bill to organize a symposium on restoration ecology in 1984, and the follow-up to that event, was a defining moment in the Arboretum’s history.”

The Arboretum endowment fund has grown from around $250,000 to more than $8 million. New programs and outreach initiatives have grown with the endowment; the staff has more than doubled since Armstrong came on board in 1983.

A $4.2 million capital campaign launched in 1997 resulted in a new wing on the Arboretum Visitor Center and an extensive interpretive program.

An endowed research program became reality in January 1998 and established a Leopold Chair in Restoration Ecology held by botany Professor Joy Zedler, who is the director of research at the Arboretum.

Armstrong’s tenure has weathered many challenges, including simply explaining what the Arboretum is and does. “Helping others understand the work that we are engaged in has been a major and ongoing challenge,” Armstrong says. “Although at first glance the Arboretum may look like a park, it is a research and teaching facility that also provides a place for people to develop a positive relationship with nature.”

Another challenge involved increased storm-water runoff and a pending residential development to the south threatening the Arboretum’s Greene Prairie. Armstrong educated the public about the area’s value and the threats to its survival. He and others attempted to purchase the adjoining property, but the price was too high, and the housing development proceeded. However, Armstrong influenced the type of structures built, thus mitigating the deterioration of the view and the effect of increased storm-water runoff into Greene Prairie.

Armstrong says this experience has increased awareness of the conflict between urban development, and the preservation of open space and natural areas — and how resolution of these conflicts affects society.

“What an exciting adventure it has been — and how fortunate for the Arboretum, and for me, to have so many friends who care about the ideals embodied by this place,” says Armstrong. “Together, we have put the Arboretum in a strong position to move forward and continue to make valuable contributions to the land and to society.”