A letter from Director Anthony Kolenic.
As we welcome 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on the tremendous accomplishments we’ve shared at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA) over the past year and share our excitement for the year ahead.
In 2024, we made significant progress in advancing sustainability and community engagement across our 800+ acres of stewarded lands. We cultivated 13,014 native plants to support the Great Lakes Garden, Campus Farm, natural areas, community engaged projects, and our annual native plants sale. Campus Farm contributed over 6,000 pounds of fresh produce to the Maize and Blue Cupboard, directly addressing food insecurity within our community. Our Education team also inspired curiosity and stewardship in over 3,000 young learners, planting seeds of environmental awareness in the next generation.
Beyond the numbers, 2024 was a year of community, collaboration, and restoration. We celebrated The Ways of Play, exploring the connections between joy, curiosity, and growth through Nature Play. In partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we began the restoration of a globally rare prairie fen, safeguarding the habitat of the federally threatened eastern Massasauga rattlesnake. MBGNA had the pleasure of celebrating the naming of what are now the Kimberly Maged Perennial Garden and the Kimberly and Theodore Maged Tropical House. Our partnership with the City of Ann Arbor also grew when staff from the city and MBGNA came together to plant 43 new seedlings in Nichols Arboretum. This event symbolized not only the renewal of the Arboretum’s landscape but also the power of shared commitment to sustainability and community resilience.
As we step into 2025, we remain committed to weaving sustainability into every aspect of our work. This includes preparing the next generation of environmental leaders through experiential learning that connects students with real-world challenges, to conducting research in wetlands to managing invasive species. We will continue championing biodiversity and conservation, prioritizing oak regeneration, native seed collection, and rare plant preservation. Our Living Land Lab will deepen partnerships with Tribal and Indigenous communities, improve food systems and access, and remove barriers to inclusive outdoor education and play. In addition, we are committed to fostering well-being through nature. Our Landscapes of Wellbeing initiative will create immersive, healing experiences through the profound connections between the natural world and mental, physical, and emotional health.
At MBGNA, sustainability truly takes root - not just in the landscapes we cultivate, but in the ideas, partnerships, and practices that grow from our work. Thank you for being part of our journey. Your support, engagement, and passion fuel our mission to create a thriving, sustainable future. Here’s to 2025: a year that promises growth, resilience, and new discoveries.
Happy New Year and Best Wishes,
Anthony Kolenic, PhD
Director, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
