Denver Botanic Garden Inc

TO CONNECT PEOPLE WITH PLANTS, PROVIDING DELIGHT AND ENLIGHTMENT TO EVERYONE.

HORTICULTURE, SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION: DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LIVING PLANT COLLECTIONS AND HORTICULTURAL GARDEN DISPLAYS, WHICH INCLUDE MORE THAN 51,000 LIVING PLANTS, BELONGING TO 10,000+ SPECIES. OUR WIDE RANGE OF GARDENS ILLUSTRATE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PLANTS AND PEOPLE. OUR DIVERSE COLLECTIONS FEATURE PLANTS FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD, FROM THE TROPICS TO THE TUNDRA. DISTINCTIVE GARDENS DEFINE AND CELEBRATE OUR REGIONAL SENSE OF PLACE IN OUR UNIQUE HIGH ALTITUDE, SEMI-ARID CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY. AS AN ACCREDITED MUSEUM, OUR DIVERSE COLLECTIONS ARE USED FOR EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND PURE ENJOYMENT. AMONG OUR LIVING COLLECTIONS RESIDE TWO NATIONAL COLLECTIONS REGISTERED WITH THE NATIONAL PLANT COLLECTIONS NETWORK (PCN): OAKS (QUERCUS) AND ALPINES OF THE WORLD.SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IS CLOSELY LINKED TO EVERYTHING AT THE GARDENS. THE CORE MOTIVATION OF OUR SCIENTIFIC WORK IS TO INVESTIGATE AND EXPLAIN BIODIVERSITY PATTERNS AND PROCESSES. WE ACTIVELY CONDUCT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, SERVE AS A RESOURCE OF SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE AND WORK TO TRAINTHE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS.OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDE POPULATION MONITORING, SEED COLLECTION, GENETIC INVESTIGATIONS FOR CONSERVATION OR TAXONOMIC CLARIFICATION, HABITAT RESTORATION, CITIZEN SCIENCE AND TRACKING PHENOLOGY (LIFE-HISTORY EVENTS) OF COMMON SPECIES. THE GARDENS DOCUMENTS PLANT AND FUNGALDIVERSITY WITH A FOCUS ON THE SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION THROUGH OUR COLLECTING EFFORTS. THE KATHRYN KALMBACH VASCULAR PLANT HERBARIUM HOUSES NEARLY 80,000 SPECIMENS WHILE THE SAM MITCHEL HERBARIUM OF FUNGI HOUSES NEARLY 20,000 WELL-CURATED SPECIMENS FROM THE REGION. THE GARDENS CONTINUES TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS THROUGH GRADUATE STUDENT AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT DENVER AND OTHER LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. IN 2021 WE CONNECTED WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY THROUGH THE DENVER ECOFLORA PROJECT, A CITIZEN SCIENCE-BASED PROJECT TO DOCUMENT PLANT DIVERSITY IN THE DENVER-METRO AREA USING THE APP INATURALIST. WE ALSO BEGAN EXPANDED RESTORATION STUDIES EXAMINING SEED MIXES AND INFLUENCE OF A WARMING CLIMATE ON PLANT SUCCESS THROUGH COMMON GARDEN STUDIES. OUR IMLS FUNDED COLLECTIONS HOUSING PROJECT CAME TO A CLOSE HAVING REHOUSED AND CATALOGED THE NON-LIVING COLLECTIONS HELD BY THE GARDENS.THE GARDENS' CENTER FOR GLOBAL INITIATIVES IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE GARDENS' WORK AROUND THE GLOBE. WE CONTINUED OUR COLLABORATION WITH INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE TECNOLOGA AGROPECUARIA (INTA), ARGENTINA IN 2021.THIS COLLABORATION WAS DEVELOPED TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION AND CAPACITY ON PROPAGATION AND RESEARCH OF NATIVE FLORA OF BOTH ARGENTINA, PATAGONIA IN PARTICULAR, AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN AND PLAINS REGIONS OF COLORADO. IN 2020, WE JOINED THE AFGHAN FELLOWSHIP LEGACY PROJECT (AFLP) AND UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH (UNITAR) TO FORM THE AFGHANISTAN BOTANICAL GARDEN NETWOK TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE IN DEVELOPING BOTANICAL GARDENS AT THREE AFGHAN UNIVERSITIES - KABUL UNIVERSITY, PAKTIA UNIVERSITY AND BAMYAN UNIVERSITY.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: IN 2021, DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS' EDUCATION PROGRAMS REACHED 7,814 SCHOOL CHILDREN, PROVIDING HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES, STANDARDS-BASED SCIENCE LESSONS AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN TO EXPLORE THE MARVELS OF THE PLANT WORLD, BOTH IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY. MANY OF THESE CHILDREN CAME FROM LOW-INCOME SCHOOLS AND BENEFITED FROM THE GARDENS' EDUCATIONAL ACCESS PROGRAM. MORE THAN 7,184 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS WHILE THE MORDECAI CHILDREN'S GARDEN CONTINUED TO FLOURISH. ADULT CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS SERVED 6,259 REGISTRANTS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF CONTENT AREAS. THE HELEN FOWLER LIBRARY OFFERED ELECTRONIC ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND SUCCESSFULLY REOPENED TO PUBLIC, IN-PERSON ACCESS THREE DAYS A WEEK.OUTREACH PROGRAMS ARE A CORNERSTONE IN THE GARDENS' MISSION AND INCLUDE HORTICULTURE THERAPY SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND VETERANS. OUR URBAN FOOD INTITIATIVES PROGRAMS PROVIDED FRESH PRODUCE TO LOCAL FOOD DESERT COMMUNITIES, DISTRIBUTING THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE TO VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUPS.

CHATFIELD FARMS: THE MISSION OF DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS CHATFIELD FARMS IS TO INSPIRE THE PUBLIC TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT BY CONNECTING PEOPLE TO OUR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS WITH PLANTS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION. CHATFIELD FARMS IS A 700-ACRE NATIVE PLANT REFUGE AND WORKING FARM LOCATED ALONG THE BANKS OF DEER CREEK IN SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY. ATTENDANCE AT EVENTS AND DAILY VISITOR NUMBERS REBOUNDED EXTREMELY WELL IN 2021. CHATFIELD FARMS HAD JUST OVER 173,400 VISITORS FOR THE YEAR. LAVENDER FESTIVAL HOSTED 7,300 ATTENDEES AFTER BEING POSTPONED IN 2020. CORN MAZE WAS ANOTHER GREAT SUCCESS WITH 30,000 VISITORS DURING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. PUMPKIN FESTIVAL HOSTED 35,667 ATTENDEES AND 23,000 PUMPKINS WERE PURCHASED. TRAIL OF LIGHTS HAD A BREAKOUT YEAR WITH CLOSE TO 40,000 ATTENDEES! THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTING AGRICULTURE PROGRAM GREW OVER 71,000 POUNDS OF 100 DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF VEGETABLES AND FLOWERS DISTRIBUTED TO 330 PAYING SHAREHOLDERS IN 2021. THE PROGRAM DONATED 9000 POUNDS OF PRODUCE TO NUMEROUS NOT-FOR PROFITS AND FOODBANKS SERVING 800 FAMILIES AND 200 SINGLES EVERY MONTH DURING THE GROWING SEASON.