SEO Version
25
April 2012
LC: 2011041958 QK
336 pp. 6 x 9 23 b/w photos, 2 maps
Paper $29.95 s
ISBN 978-0-299-28664-4
e-book $16.95 s
ISBN 978-0-299-28663-7
Environment / History / Wisconsin
THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS
• SPRING 2012 •
The People and Legacy of the University of
Wisconsin Arboretum
A rich history of pioneers who shaped an ecological mission
to restore tallgrass prairies, forests, and wetlands
Internationally renowned for its pioneering role in the
restoration of tallgrass prairies, savannas, forests, and wetlands, the
University of Wisconsin Arboretum contains the world’s oldest and
most diverse restored ecological communities. A site for land
restoration research, public environmental education, and enjoyment
by nature lovers, the Arboretum remains a vibrant treasure in the heart
of Madison’s urban environment.
Pioneers of Ecological Restoration
chronicles the history of the
Arboretum and the people who created, shaped, and sustained it up to
the present. Although the Arboretum was established by the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin in 1932, author Franklin E. Court begins his history
in 1910 with John Nolen, the famous landscape architect who was
invited to create plans for the city of Madison, the university campus,
and Wisconsin state parks. Drawing extensive details from archives
and interviews, Court follows decades of collaborative work related to
the Arboretum’s lands, including the early efforts of Madison philan-
thropists and businessmen Michael Olbrich, Paul E. Stark, and Joseph
W. “Bud” Jackson.
With labor from the Civilian Conservation Corps during the
1930s Depression, University of Wisconsin scientists began establish-
ing both a traditional horticultural collection of trees and plants and a
completely new, visionary approach to re-create native ecosystems.
Hundreds of dedicated scientists and staff have carried forward the
Arboretum’s mission in the decades since, among them G. William
Longenecker, Aldo Leopold, John T. Curtis, Rosemary Fleming,
Virginia Kline, and William R. Jordan III.
This archival record of the Arboretum’s history provides rare
insights into how the mission of healing and restoring the land gradu-
ally shaped the Arboretum’s future and its global reputation; how
philosophical conflicts, campus politics, changing priorities, and the
encroaching city have affected the Arboretum over the decades; and
how early aspirations (some still unrealized) have continued to moti-
vate the work of this extraordinary institution.
has volunteered at the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin Arboretum since 2007 and has
given numerous presentations on its history. He is
professor emeritus of English at Northern Illinois
University.
“A very substantial overview of the history
of the Arboretum, with an emphasis on the
people who conceived of it and worked to
develop it. I learned a great deal.”
—Paul H. Zedler, Nelson Institute for
Environmental Studies, University of
Wisconsin–Madison
Of related interest
His Life and Work
With a new preface by the author and an appreciation by Wendell Berry
“Meine has done a masterful job in presenting to his reader the family man, sportsman, natural
resource manager, administrator, professor, philosopher, and poet.”—
Western Historical Quarterly
Published October 2010
LC: 87-040367 QH 672 pp. 6 x 9 33 b/w illus.
ISBN 978-0-299-24904-5 Paper $29.95 t ISBN 978-0-299-24903-8 e-book $19.95 t
Photo credit: Bill Arthur
W
ISCONSIN
L
AND AND
L
IFE
Arnold Alanen, Series Editor
PAPERBACK
ORIGINAL
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