UH Manoa’s Lyon Arboretum celebrates visitor center reopening

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Posted: Jun 18, 2008

On Saturday, June 14, UH Mānoa‘s Harold L. Lyon Arboretum Visitor Center was reopened after a formal blessing by Kahu Kaleo Patterson. Another milestone in the Manoa Makeover initiative, the two-year renovation work was completed using resources from the State Legislature which helped bring the Visitor Center up to code in safety and accessibility — a critical standard for an attraction that welcomes 34,000 visitors every year.

About 80 people attended the event and speakers included Representative Kirk Caldwell and Senator Brian Taniguchi as well as Arboretum Director Christopher Dunn, who was appointed to his position in April 2007. Dunn is a nationally respected botanist who, prior to joining UH, worked for 12 years in Chicago at the Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Botanic Garden.

The event was also supported by the Lyon Arboretum Association, which provided the refreshments. The President of the Association is Margaret Armstrong who attended along with many members of the group, friends of the Arboretum and past supporters.

"Everyone, from President McClain to our elected officials to our friends and neighbors were impressed with the event and it was wonderful to see the Visitor Center blessed and reopened," said Dunn. "The Arboretum staff is looking forward to welcoming many new and returning visitors to the Arboretum." The Arboretum is developing a strategic master plan which will revitalize the garden and reaffirm it as a leading horticultural, scientific, cultural institution and visitor attraction in Hawaii and the U.S.

The Arboretum‘s next public event is a plant sale to be held this Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m.-1p.m.

About the Harold L. Lyon Arboretum
The Harold L. Lyon Arboretum has been part of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa for more than 50 years. When it was obtained as a gift to the university in 1953, it was the intent of founder and botanist Dr. Harold L. Lyon to "maintain and preserve the granted premises as an arboretum and botanical garden only," meaning that the arboretum should be used for research, education and public service. The Lyon Arboretum proudly upholds this mission to this day by continuing to support the university‘s research and outreach efforts through its faculty and student research, class field trips, and unique plant conservation and educational programs. The Arboretum is open from 9am-4pm weekdays.