The SAGE Society of Hemet will offer a presentation on the UC Riverside Botanic Gardens: A Nature Oasis in the Inland Empire on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The presenter will be Dr. Jodie Holt, Director of the University of California Riverside Botanic Gardens.
Beginning as a small research and teaching garden at the then-new UC campus in Riverside, the UCR Botanic Gardens just celebrated its 60th anniversary year. From a bare patch of hilly, rocky land the forty-acre Botanic Gardens grew to house a curated collection of over 3,500 species and 10,000 specimens, themed and geographic gardens, buildings, trails, a plant nursery, and more. This presentation will describe the importance of gardens and arboreta around the world, the history of the UCR Botanic Gardens and current programs to engage visitors, members, and volunteers in gardening, outdoor education and appreciation of nature.
The UCR Botanic Gardens displays geographic gardens from Mediterranean climate and desert regions of the world, and due to its topography and microclimates, even houses a grove of California Coast Redwoods.
Many commercial citrus varieties, including most oranges and mandarins, were developed by citrus researchers at UCR’s College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences. The Gardens are also a wildlife preserve, and every spring new bobcat kittens are spotted by observant staff, volunteers, and visitors.
Dr. Jodie Holt became Director of the UCR Botanic Gardens after retiring in 2016 from 30+ years as a Professor at UC Riverside. She grew up in Georgia and always planned to be a mathematician until she was captivated by her first botany class, then went on to receive her BS degree in Botany at the University of Georgia. She moved to California for graduate school and received her MS and PhD degrees in Botany from UC Davis.
During her career at UCR Jodie managed a research program on ecology of invasive exotic weeds, mentored numerous students, served as Chair of the Botany & Plant Sciences Department and retired as Divisional Dean of Agriculture & Natural Resources. She taught graduate and undergraduate courses including 20+ years teaching her favorite subject, botany, and in 2008 won the UCR Distinguished Teaching Award.
In her spare time, she has dabbled in botanical consulting, most notably for the movie Avatar and related products.
Jodie will share with us how being Gardens Director has provided an opportunity to combine her passion for botany, outdoor education, people skills, math, philanthropy, and more into a stimulating “second career.” She and her staff have transformed a struggling garden into a beloved nature oasis in the Inland Empire, learning valuable skills in the process.
Join us on Feb. 13, at 1:30 pm for social time, 2:00 pm for this presentation. The public is welcome to attend. The presentation will take place in the Ramona Room behind Miller-Jones Mortuary, located at 1501 W. Florida Ave. in Hemet. Parking is in the rear.
The SAGE Society of Hemet (Search for Adventure in Greater Education) provides a forum for people to engage in programs and activities of intellectual stimulation.
Submitted by the SAGE Society of Hemet.
