The University is creating a new administrative unit, the Division of Parks and Natural Spaces. This department will oversee Allerton Park & Retreat Center in Monticello and the University Arboretum in Urbana.
This will place the Arboretum under direct campus management after 20 years of stewardship by staff from the College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences and the Illinois Prairie Hosta Society.
The Arboretum has provided a space for learning and research for students as well as other community engagements, such as the Idea Garden, Japan House and Pollinatarium.
The DPNS will be headed by Derek Peterson, the current Allerton Park Executive Director.
Peterson is looking for ways to create more connections within the community, across the University, the broader community of Champaign-Urbana and the rest of the state.
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“We want to grow a new generation of people who appreciate nature and love nature and participate in it,” Peterson said.
In the past 10 years, Peterson and his staff have created numerous workshops at Allerton Park to help increase community engagement. These workshops include nature hikes, birding clubs, yoga and other activities. They also created a new folk school called “The Farms,” where community members use experiential learning to learn and teach topics they’re interested in.
“It’s an unaccredited way to facilitate learning,” Peterson said.
He intends to incorporate similar strategies with the new division. By creating strategies between the two departments at Allerton and the Arboretum, he hopes to build a strong public outreach program to reach a more diverse audience.
Kevin McSweeney, professor in ACES, also agrees that the University administering the Arboretum creates many new opportunities.
“The Arboretum is a campuswide and community resource, and I think this move will hopefully provide more visibility and resources for it,” McSweeney said. “I think in the long run this is a very positive development.”
McSweeney plans to step down as director but will continue to provide as much support and information as possible during this transition period.
During the turnover of management, Peterson will recruit members of his leadership team from Allerton, who aim to implement some of their tried-and-true strategies into the division.
“I hope there’s a deeper appreciation for nature and then a deeper appreciation for public access to these sites,” Peterson said. “In my opinion, there aren’t enough publicly accessible sites where people can focus on recreation, peace, health and wellbeing in Central Illinois.”
