Transcript of WAMC’s Midday Magazine

Brian Shields:

A Dutchess county environmental group is hoping to become a worldwide leader in the research into the effects of climate change but its leader says that means the gardens on the grounds will have to go first. WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief, Susan Barnett, reports.

Susan Barnett:

The Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook was created over 20 years ago but before it began the Gifford gardens and Arboretum on the 1400 acres once owned by Mary Flagler Cary, a Standard Oil heiress were already over 10 years old. When she died in 1967 Cary left the estate to a trust to preserve the property and foster scientific educational purposes by an organization engaged in the conservation, maintenance and preservation of natural resources. The IES has grown into a major scientific research organization but it has also maintained the one-acre Gifford Garden and the 14,000 square-foot greenhouse established by the New York Botanical Garden. Dr. William Schlesinger took over as the director of the IES in June and he recently announced that the Institute will be focusing strictly on scientific research…

That means all the plants in the gardens and the greenhouse will be donated to other botanical gardens and the Gifford Garden is going to become a lawn.

That’s got some garden lover’s up in arms. Duncan Brine is a landscape designer and an organizer of Save Gifford Garden. He says the community could help maintain the garden if that would save it.

Duncan Brine:

No doubt the community needs to be more involved, has to be more involved with the garden, however at this point I think it’s really a matter of getting the word out to let people know that this is happening. Very few people know this is going on. I’ve been making an effort and there are other advocates of the garden, including garden historians, garden writers, landscape designers, — we’re all trying to get the word out.

Susan Barnett:

… Meanwhile, the IES is hiring more researchers to look at the effects of climate change on the environment. He says federal funding for scientific research is limited and the IES had to make a choice…

Gifford Garden is scheduled to be closed in June.