DECEMBER 2025
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A Newsletter of the University of Idaho Arboretum Associates
December 2025
Message from the President It is my pleasure to report about key events for the University of Idaho Arboretum and Botanical Garden during the past year.
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First and foremost, Paul Warnick retired at the end of November after serving 25 years as Horticulturalist and 22 years as Arboretum Superintendent. This change is bittersweet. We are very happy for Paul but are sad that he will no longer guide and direct the Arboretum.
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uidaho.edu/arboretum Inside this Issue Message from the President
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Calendar of Events 2026
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46th UI Arboretum Associates Annual Meeting
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Capturing a Snapshot
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Among the Trees
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UI Arboretum Associates Plant Sale
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UI Arboretum Associates Donor Roll
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UI Arboretum and Botanical Garden Bukvich Concert Site
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Introducing Ian MacConnel
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Report from the Horticulturist 14
Second, we were delighted to welcome Ian MacConnel as our new Arboretum Horticulturalist in April 2025. (You can learn more about Ian in this issue of Arbor Notes.) The UI Arboretum Associates Board looks forward to working with Ian as he leads the Arboretum into the future. Ian has big shoes to fill but we’re confident that his experience, education, and passion for the Arboretum will help him succeed. Each year, the Arboretum Associates Board hosts three important events: our Annual Meeting, our Plant Sale, and the Summer Concert. (You will find brief articles about each event in this newsletter.) We were happy to turn this year’s Annual Meeting into an early celebration of Paul’s retirement. At the meeting, we welcomed three new Board members: Kali Armitage, Madyson Cessnun, and Becky Phillips. We also bid farewell to three valued Board members: Kat Clancy, Frank Clarke, and Julie Miller. Special thanks to Kat who served as Board President for four years including during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the Board’s pleasure to support a project to honor UI Professor Dan Bukvich from the UI Lionel Hampton School of Music. Dan has organized the annual Summer Concert in the Arboretum since 2000. Paul designed the Bukvich Arboretum Concert Site, an installation of basalt columns and pathways that greatly enhanced the hillside setting for the concert. You’ve likely heard the phrase “It takes a village.” It’s a proverb about the need for collective effort to achieve a complex goal. The Arboretum is the product of the efforts of innumerable people. For example, Paul and Ian are assisted each year by seasonal workers who work during the growing season. This year’s seasonal crew included Sahithi Thota, Ian McCall, David Salim, and Rachel Becker. I’d also like to recognize Lucy Falcy who served as Paul’s assistant from 2021 to 2025. Lucy made countless important contributions to the Arboretum and to the Board during her tenure. Volunteers also provide vital support to the Arboretum. A large team of volunteers assists with our Plant Sale – many of them have helped for years. Dozens of musicians and performers from the Lionel Hampton School of Music and the local community donate their time and talent every July to our Summer Concert. Our wonderful donors provide significant financial support for maintaining and enhancing the Arboretum. Thank you. We could not succeed without you. Erik Anderson President, UI Arboretum Associates
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