Volunteers help maintain UCLA’s botanical garden

Nestled between Hilgard and Le Conte avenues lies a hidden oasis that spans nearly seven acres and boasts one of California’s largest trees.

The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, located near the UCLA Medical Center, contains about 5,000 different species of plants in 225 families spanning numerous tropical regions.

The garden, which began in 1929, originally contained 30 acres of sparsely planted plot land. Today, a few dense acres are paved with wheelchair accessible footpaths, trickling streams and abundant wildlife.

However, none of this sanctuary would be possible without the help of a handful of dedicated volunteers ““ community members, students and even campus staff who work together to create a small refuge from the bustling traffic just outside.

“We definitely couldn’t do it without the volunteers,” said Jeff Linehan, a nursery technician who handles tasks such as landscaping, irrigation, drainage and masonry. “Even if you came in with a wheelchair, we could find something for you to do.”

The volunteers, who handle such time-consuming tasks as weeding, pruning and planting, work on average for about four hours per week on Tuesdays and Fridays, and they are assigned a specific task by Joan Muench, the garden manager.

“We have on average about 20 to 35 volunteers throughout the year, depending on the season,” Muench said. “But we’re always looking for more volunteers.”

Linehan, who credits garden work as stress relief, said he isn’t at all surprised that volunteers don’t mind being compensated with nothing other than the experience of being in the garden.

“A lot of people have come here after severe stress or trauma,” Linehan said. “The garden helps them to relax.”

One particular example is John Letie, a retired union organizer who has worked with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.

“I never realized how much I enjoyed doing mindless work,” Letie said, who previously spent 30 years in his high-pressure job.

“Now I have the luxury to have the time to do it. I do weeding, watering; I’m kind of an all-purpose schlepp,” Letie said, adding that his favorite part of the garden is “a section of aloes that grow dramatically.”

Letie also said his favorite part of working with the garden is watching it transform.

“Every time I go to the garden, something different is in bloom.” Letie said.

“Working in the garden is pretty enjoyable. I can’t think of anything that’s really difficult,” said Yao Wang, a graduate student in microbiology.

In addition to watering, pruning and gardening, the volunteers often work collectively with the small staff of five to complete larger projects.

“Recently, we cleaned the entire stream. They relocated the turtles and took out about 30 years of sludge. They also replaced the rickety bridge at the south end with a new bridge,” said Laurie Liles, a volunteer who doubles as an administrative specialist for the astronomy department.

Liles, who regularly contributes to the garden on her lunch break, comes to the garden to relax.

“Once I retire, I plan to be there all the time to help out,” she said.

Liles, who has been working with the garden for 10 years, has seen firsthand the impact of teamwork.

“When I started, they were doing the Hawaiian section and importing lava rocks. There is always a major project that is being undertaken. They have a very small staff, and they do a lot of work,” she said.

In fact, the garden staff say that it is the volunteers who prevent the garden from being seriously understaffed.

“We don’t have as much staff as we really need,” said Henry Varney, a senior nursery technician. “Without the volunteers’ help, we’d definitely need more paid employees, and the garden would suffer.”

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