A Note from President & CEO Jamie Maslyn Larson: Growing the Future of the Children’s Garden

Our desert home is still buzzing with the reveal of Twilight Sonoran, a mural by Ignacio Garcia that transforms the pavilion into an extension of our art gallery. The mural is bringing our community together to experience the wonders of the Sonoran Desert, not just on our trails, but through art. 300 folks experienced the inaugural “I Heart Art” event, and over 800 attended the public unveiling in February. Since then, thousands of other visitors have experienced that first-glimpse “wow” upon seeing the mural’s scale and vibrancy, discovered the wildlife and hidden Easter eggs, and felt that gob-smacked feeling that a work of art imparts on the soul.

I have more exciting updates to share:

• Thanks to all who attended our January Open House on our Master Plan, which will guide our growth over the next 10 to 15 years. Community input is essential to this process, and you still have a chance to participate! Please join us for an open house and a presentation by Unknown Studio, the design team leading the process, on Wednesday, April 15th, between 5 and 7 pm in the Pavilion. You’ll get to hear what they have learned from you and get a glimpse of the design concepts!

• The Adaptive Arboretum is under construction, thanks to your generosity. About a year ago, you helped us raise nearly $65,000 to build this new garden, which will showcase the beauty and resilience of our native trees and provide programs to help you grow and care for trees in your own yard. Moreover, it will be a space for you to relax in the shade, read a book, have a coffee with a friend, or listen to birdsong. With each renovation project we do here, we aim to create gardens where you feel completely immersed in the Sonoran Desert. Look for a formal opening of your Adaptive Arboretum later this year!

Now, I want to share a story about our children’s garden. This is the area near the exhibit house with the painted blue stream, where kiddos have been racing boats for over 20 years. When I started here in 2022, I realized this treasured spot was no longer serving our families as well as it could. Despite the joy it brings, there was no shade, no seating, and the plants were overgrown and non-native! Plus, twice a week, our docents must clean out the well by hand (which takes hours) due to debris and an antiquated mechanical system. As a stopgap, we bought some temporary seating, spiffed up the plantings, and put up a temporary shade structure until we could create a better, more permanent plan.

We have the vision (see my sketch) for permanent upgrades to the children’s garden. We feel incredibly bolstered by your past support and hope you will help us renovate it into a truly joyful, family-friendly, and sustainable landscape.

• A permanent, durable, elegant shade structure
• Enhanced seating for both kids and their grown-ups to relax
• Preservation and renewal of the blue stream and rattlesnake bench
• Porous paving, replacing the existing dirt paving that clogs up our pumps today!
• Upgraded mechanical systems and “push-activated” system so that we use less water (and less labor to maintain the system)
• Expanded play spaces and kid-friendly plantings