New Board Chairman Sets Goals for Garden

Fundraising, landscaping around the lake and visitor center, and a national search for an executive director are priorities for the new chairman of the Garden Board of Directors.

Burt B. Holmes, who was elected in September, was the Garden’s first contributor, giving money before the Master Plan was created.

He shares his plans below.

Fundraising is one of the most important things for us to do now, and we are dedicated to continuing to develop the Garden.

We believe the Garden will ultimately be as well known and respected as the Missouri, Chicago and Atlanta botanical gardens. It will give Tulsa a great deal of national prestige for the city to use in business development. People like to be around first-class facilities and in an environment that is exciting and interesting.

The Garden will have a tremendous impact on Oklahoma. Projections are that 10 years of construction will add $107 million to the economy and have an annual economic impact of $10 million. The designers of our Master Plan estimate 300,000 visitors a year.

I donated money in 2003 because I sensed from Pat Woodrum, who was one of the four who began plans for the Garden, that the scale of this project was larger than anything that has been projected for Tulsa for many years.

It was the size and vision of a world-class botanical garden, education and research center that interested me.

This winter one of our priorities will be landscaping. A new hiking trail will circle the lake, which is now full of water.

Trees will be planted along the trail, and trees and other plants will be placed along the entrance road and around the temporary Visitor Center.

Boulders, pilings and other materials will be used to edge the lake and the island which later will have an Oriental Garden.

In the coming year, a national search will be conducted for a new executive director.

Pat has served in this position for six years, and has agreed to continue until we hire someone with a background in horticulture and experience in managing public gardens.

We have already raised a sizeable amount of money from foundations, companies and individuals, and have a number of pledges.

People are now calling us about making contributions.

They want to be in on the ground floor of this magnificent project.

There is going to be a lot of exciting progress in the next couple of years as we continue to develop what will be one of the finest botanical gardens in the country.