Give Like a ... TREE!

Last fall, oaks at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum’s urban woodlands dropped acorns, replenishing the forest for the years ahead. Like the trees, the Arboretum plans for the months and years ahead with a dedicated team of staff, students, volunteers, and donors who preserve and advance our unique space on the JMU campus.

What it Takes:

• $10 is the cost for gloves. The Arboretum equips each of our volunteers with a pair of gloves. Many of our volunteers use their gloves while removing invasive plants.
• $25 is the approximate cost of two small native shrubs like those recently planted in the new Sinclair Garden meadowscape. Plants like these not only add to the Arboretum’s botanical beauty but also lift our efforts to mitigate the impact of stormwater runoff and pollution.
• $50 is the cost to underwrite a morning of watering trees and plants. A gift of this amount also qualifies you to become a Friends Member of the Arboretum.
• $250 covers the cost of a free public education program. A gift of this amount also qualifies you to become a Patron Member of the Arboretum.
• $1,000 is the cost of systemic soil treatment to protect our willows and silver maples from invasive species damage. A gift of this amount also qualifies you as a Lifetime Member of the Arboretum.

What People Have Said About the Arboretum:

“The Arboretum functions as a living laboratory for JMU faculty and students across a wide range of disciplines. Additionally, the Arboretum builds bridges across socioeconomic and learning barriers. Our relevant, high-quality programs served 4,173 students and 1,008 adults from 50 schools and groups from July 2024–June 2025 alone.”
—Katie Rankin
Arboretum Director, Virginia Certified Environmental Educator

“The piece of land, this Arboretum, is dedicated to stabilizing and balancing the lives of those who visit it. This space is also dedicated to the needs of ordinary people who seek renewal and who simply need an infusion of nature to better handle their days.”
—Ronald Carrier, Former JMU President, 1997

By the Numbers:

• In fall 2025, the BIO 251L class recorded 489 acorns, all within a 3-meter space at the Arboretum!
• More than 1,000 students taking BIO 140 do research at the Arboretum every year as part of their class.
• 3 – The minimum number of black squirrels spotted at the Arboretum on the same day in 2025. Black squirrels are uncommon in Virginia.
• 548 – The number of fourth-grade students who participated in Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences at the Arboretum in fall 2025.
• 1964 – The year JMU Botany Professor, Dr. Norlyn Bodkin, began using the “College Woods” for educational purposes, along with other natural sciences faculty, Dr. Gilbert Trelawny and Dr. James Grimm. Dr. Bodkin started advocating for a campus arboretum in the 1970s and in the early 1980s.
• 1989 – The year the Arboretum opened to the public. Today, it remains free of charge to the public, with its grounds open 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk.

Give to the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum