After more than two years of work and multiple extensions, the City of Yakima and the Yakima Area Arboretum finally have a signed operations and maintenance agreement that both parties can agree on.  The Yakima City Council approved the Agreement during their regular...

The month of April has been declared Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month by the United States Department of Agriculture.  According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack “Invasive species threaten our food security, agricultural livelihoods, and way of...

We have some wonderful things planned for you in 2023, including, we hope, the installation of a brand new Winter Display Garden. The Winter Display Garden will be located on the west side of the Jewett Interpretive Center welcoming guests with a variety of colors and...

Over the years the autumn season has been referred to by a number of different names such as Fall, Sweater Weather, Harvest Time, and/or Pumpkin Spice Season. But regardless of what we call it, fall provides everyone with cooler weather and a variety of color changes...

Missoula Floods and the Ice Age: versed in Cataclysmic and Catastrophe Praises  If I were a stranger to the Pacific Northwest, I would probably wonder why there’s such a diversity in the geography between the western and eastern regions of the Cascades Mountain range....

Arboretum Friends, The Yakima Area Arboretum is a valued part of our community. Outdoor spaces, trails, parks, and public gardens are essential to our well-being and quality of life. Hundreds of people visit the Arboretum each week to connect with nature and to find...

“2010, planning meeting at the Arboretum in consideration of building a nature center.” This was right up my alley! Since the 1990’s I had been involved in the development of the Seward Park Audubon Center (AC) in Seattle through my membership on the board of Audubon...

Dear Arboretum Friends, As we have all navigated these crazy and challenging times we have come to realize what is truly important to each of us and it is not just the obvious things like essential workers, PPE, and toilet paper, but it is also the refuge provided by...

Dear Arboretum Friends, With our most heartfelt apologies, we announce that this year’s annual Luminaria candle-lit walk has been canceled. We have hosted this event for more than 30 years and have come to enjoy it almost as much as our visitors. But after many...