The momentous 40th anniversary of the Barton Arboretum and Nature Preserve was celebrated on April 24, 2021, with Gift Shop items on sale, silent bidding on garden items, live greenery and many flower arrangements by Debbie Lux, horticulturist. Charcuterie boxes of appetizers and champagne were brought to each resident on both campuses. Dining Services put together an elegant dinner delivered or for take-out. In the evening residents gathered outdoors at 6 o’clock to toast the arboretum, and at 8:30 a spectacular fireworks display was set off from the silo meadow and was visible throughout the Medford campus.
Jane Weston, director of Development and Community Relations and a member of the Estaugh Arboretum Oversight Committee, oversaw the entire celebration, along with a committee of staff and residents. It was the equivalent of the annual Evening in the Arboretum before the pandemic and raised record donations for the Arboretum Fund.
The momentous 40th anniversary of the Barton Arboretum and Nature Preserve was celebrated on April 24, 2021, with Gift Shop items on sale, silent bidding on garden items, live greenery and many flower arrangements by Debbie Lux, horticulturist. Charcuterie boxes of appetizers and champagne were brought to each resident on both campuses. Dining Services put together an elegant dinner delivered or for take-out. In the evening residents gathered outdoors at 6 o’clock to toast the arboretum, and at 8:30 a spectacular fireworks display was set off from the silo meadow and was visible throughout the Medford campus.
Jane Weston, director of Development and Community Relations and a member of the Estaugh Arboretum Oversight Committee, oversaw the entire celebration, along with a committee of staff and residents. It was the equivalent of the annual Evening in the Arboretum before the pandemic and raised record donations for the Arboretum Fund.
The arboretum at Medford Leas, covering more than 250 acres on the combined Medford and Lumberton campuses, has had an enormously beneficial impact on this community as well as on the broader public. It has been essential to the quality of life of residents and a major attraction for prospective residents. It has given Medford Leas an opportunity to interact with the wider community — local garden clubs, Burlington County Master Gardeners, horticulture professors and students and distinguished lecturers. And it has brought Medford Leas a wider exposure in the world of horticulture.
In 2012, Medford Leas hired landscape consultants Jack Carman, Bob Wells, and Robert Hoover for an assessment of the arboretum. A report of their findings was reviewed by a subcommittee of the Estaugh Arboretum Oversight Committee, including Nancy Barclay, Jack Carman, Susan Cunningham, Lois Forrest, Bill Murphy, Jane Weston and Jeremy Vickers. They identified areas of focus for the immediate future.
Soon work began on Katzell Grove, a park-like area between Bridlington and Estaugh Way. Forty-five American hardwood trees were planted. And by May 10, 2013, Kitty Katzell arrived for the dedication of Katzell Grove, made possible by a gift of $100,000 from Kitty and her husband Ray in 2000. About 30 residents were present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Jane Weston made an introduction, while CEO Jeremy Vickers and Rich Cleaver, president of the Estaugh Board, both spoke. Nancy Barclay praised “the lovely legacy.”
Soon work began on Katzell Grove, a park-like area between Bridlington and Estaugh Way. Forty-five American hardwood trees were planted. And by May 10, 2013, Kitty Katzell arrived for the dedication of Katzell Grove, made possible by a gift of $100,000 from Kitty and her husband Ray in 2000.
About 30 residents were present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Jane Weston made an introduction, while CEO Jeremy Vickers and Rich Cleaver, president of the Estaugh Board, both spoke. Nancy Barclay praised “the lovely legacy.”
On December 12, 2012, Nancy Barclay, daughter of Lew and Sara Barton and chairperson of the Estaugh Arboretum Oversight Committee for 31 years, announced her retirement and presented Susan Cunningham as her successor. Susan had served on the committee for nine years and had just completed a three-year term as president of the Estaugh Board. Nancy would remain on the committee. During her tenure as chairperson, Nancy established the Lewis W. Barton Annual Lecture and the Healing Garden Symposium, and she worked to bring programs about native plantings.
In August 2014, Lewis W. Barton Arboretum received the First Level of Accreditation out of four. The levels recognize degrees of development, capacity and professionalism. Accreditation is awarded by the Arbnet Arboretum Accreditation Program, sponsored by the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL.
Detailed documentation was provided by Jane Weston, director, Development and Community Relations, assisted by David Bartram, resident administrator of the arboretum database. The arboretum comprises 168 acres on the Medford campus and 88 acres on the Lumberton campus. They encompass designed gardens, landscaped grounds, meadows, natural woodlands and wetlands.
Lois Forrest, Medford Leas Executive Director for 21 years (1979-2000), was honored on May 16, 2015, with the renaming of the Nature Center, the Lois Forrest Nature Center. Lois worked alongside Lew Barton in support of the arboretum. And in 1988, during her many years of leadership, the Nature Center was built with a library that is a resource on the natural world. She also is responsible for asking Nancy Barclay to be chairperson of the Estaugh Arboretum Oversight Committee.
Arboretum improvements continued in 2018 with work on restoration of the silo, at the Medford Leas entrance on Wilkins Station Road. It is a reminder of the farm land on which Medford Leas is built. The experienced Franklin Silo Repair Company of Berks County, PA, working in 90-degree heat, had repaired silos from Maine to Virginia.
Arboretum improvements continued in 2018 with work on restoration of the silo, at the Medford Leas entrance on Wilkins Station Road. It is a reminder of the farm land on which Medford Leas is built. The experienced Franklin Silo Repair Company of Berks County, PA, working in 90-degree heat, had repaired silos from Maine to Virginia.
Work on the meadows, first on the Lumberton campus and beginning on the Medford campus in 2019, has been a major focus of arboretum improvement. On the Lumberton campus the meadow is now a stunning example of what can be done to turn a barren area of weeds into a thing of beauty and an attraction for wildlife. The Lumberton meadow is the creation of Larry Weaner Landscape Associates and the work of Lumberton residents, guided by Miriam Swartz. The meadow at the Medford campus, starting at the silo and continuing along either side of Estaugh Way, began in the fall and continued in the spring with native plant plugs. Three years will be needed to achieve the wanted result.
Work on the meadows, first on the Lumberton campus and beginning on the Medford campus in 2019, has been a major focus of arboretum improvement.
On the Lumberton campus the meadow is now a stunning example of what can be done to turn a barren area of weeds into a thing of beauty and an attraction for wildlife. The Lumberton meadow is the creation of Larry Weaner Landscape Associates and the work of Lumberton residents, guided by Miriam Swartz.
The meadow at the Medford campus, starting at the silo and continuing along either side of Estaugh Way, began in the fall and continued in the spring with native plant plugs. Three years will be needed to achieve the wanted result.
In 2019, four trees in the arboretum, based on measurements, were designated champions, among 700 on the New Jersey Big Tree Registry. They are the Green Leaf Weeping Japanese Maple in Court 7, the Seven Sons Tree in Court 20, and the Incense Cedar and Arizona Cyprus in the Pinetum.
Many resident hands are engaged in the work of the arboretum. David Bartram took over the GPS system for locating any given tree and maintains the database. In the past Betsy Pennink created a map of the plantings in each courtyard; now a new team of Judy Austermiller, Bill Brown and Molly Gayley are creating new maps digitally. And the arboretum stories by Betsy Pennink in Medford Leas Life have been invaluable.
In 2019, four trees in the arboretum, based on measurements, were designated champions, among 700 on the New Jersey Big Tree Registry. They are the Green Leaf Weeping Japanese Maple in Court 7, the Seven Sons Tree in Court 20, and the Incense Cedar and Arizona Cyprus in the Pinetum.
Many resident hands are engaged in the work of the arboretum. David Bartram took over the GPS system for locating any given tree and maintains the database. In the past Betsy Pennink created a map of the plantings in each courtyard; now a new team of Judy Austermiller, Bill Brown and Molly Gayley are creating new maps digitally. And the arboretum stories by Betsy Pennink in Medford Leas Life have been invaluable.