ANNUAL REPORT FY 2020
A Look Back:
BTA’s First Independent Year !
Then& By Lynne Nemeth
T
his past year at Boyce Thompson Arboretum has been one of exciting opportunity, incredible change, and difficult challenges—and then COVID-19 erupted!
As of July 1, 2019, BTA was no longer a University of Arizona department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. That meant forging our way forward independently (BTA has always had status as a nonprofit), rehiring all staff (who were UA employees), setting up employee health insurance, obtaining general liability and volunteer insurance, purchasing a new phone system and much, much more. A number of staff resigned, and BTA hired a new Executive Director. Then in August, legal counsel for Arizona State Parks and Trails informed us that we were no longer a State Park and would have to pursue a legislative remedy if we wanted to be. After much discussion, the BTA Board of Directors decided to continue operations as a stand-alone entity, affording BTA more freedom. BTA hired new staff, including a Facilities Director, Development Director, Volunteer Coordinator, Finance Manager, Plant Collections Manager, and additional gardens staff. We began to tackle deferred maintenance and install new signage. We were set to open the new Wallace Desert Garden with a gala Garden Party and we trained 36 Wallace tour guides. BTA was on a path to its best year ever, with attendance expected of more than 125,000.
18 | Boyce Thompson Arboretum | Fall 2020
And then the coronavirus pandemic arrived in Arizona. This past spring, on March 18, 2020, we shut down the Spring Plant Sale, closed all indoor spaces, and canceled all tours, activities and events, including the grand opening of the Wallace Desert Garden. We cut staff hours and furloughed all part-time and temporary employees. However, we have been very fortunate; because of our location and size, we have been able to stay open for visitors to walk and hike—providing a beautiful and restful place in nature. We also adapted our programs to offer more online classes, virtual events and remote access to the gardens. We persevered, applying for and receiving a Paycheck Protection Program loan through the CARES Act; we were able to reinstate most employees to full time by June. Since March, we have modified our protocols repeatedly in response to changing circumstances, always prioritizing visitor and staff safety. We ended the year in a much better place than anticipated. Our members stayed with us and our visitors continued to walk the trails for some much-needed solace. And many patrons contributed to our pandemic relief fund. In these pages, you’ll see that we began strategic planning this past year, and that we are auditing all our plant collections. You’ll also read that we are finally restoring the 1925 display greenhouses—and opening the Wallace Desert Garden. In short, in spite of it all, we had a great year. Thank you!
