A big future for Wyoming historic arboretum hinges on state legislature
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Lawmakers could salvage plans to restore a historic Wyoming arboretum after the legislature cut initial funding from the supplemental state budget. Its future now depends on bills in committee.
Companion bills introduced in the Wyoming House and Senate would recognize the Cheyenne-area High Plains Research Station and Arboretum as an official state historic site. The center was used a century ago to research and grow trees that could handle the area's harsh climate.
Jessica Friis, horticulturist for Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, helps steward the site.
"A lot of those trees are still standing today," Friis pointed out. "We'd like to return to that original mission where we can grow these tough plants in that greenhouse and make them available."
Friis pointed out today, trees grown there could be used for reforestation after wildfires and other modern needs. The bills now sit with the committees on agriculture and appropriations.
Megan Stanfill, executive director of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming, said the site is more than 2,000 acres in size, and includes an active grasslands research station, historic buildings, the Cheyenne National Cemetery and a Girl Scout camp.
"You have all of these different aspects, where it's outdoor recreation, it's historic sites, it's cultural heritage, and then it's also a place of solitude," Stanfill outlined.
If the area becomes an official state historic site, it would be cooperatively managed by the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming State Parks and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
