September 17, 2009 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Green isn’t just a plant color at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, in Austin, Tex. It’s part of the institution’s mission.
The botanical garden helps local companies and government agencies develop landscapes of plants native to the state as a way to conserve water and reduce pesticide use.
The garden is one of only three nationwide with a focus on native plants. In addition to their education and conservation efforts, staff members help local businesses install native landscapes, which require fewer resources than traditional lawns, help purify storm water, and provide other environmental benefits.
“We are looking at ways we can use native grasses and native plants to address climate change,” says Susan Rieff, the botanical garden’s executive director.
More than 90,000 people visit the 4.5-acre gardens each year to view the 600 species of native Texas plants on display.
The troubled economy doesn’t seem to have hurt attendance, says Ms. Rieff.
Still, like most nonprofit groups, the wildflower center has felt the financial crunch. It has been forced to cut expenses and has adopted a hiring freeze.
Some employees were shifted from research to consulting in an effort to “increase the areas where we could earn revenue,” says Ms. Rieff. “It isn’t that we are losing donors, but that donors are giving less,” she says.
Though the garden is housed at the University of Texas at Austin, it does not receive any money from the institution. Close to 70 percent of the Lady Bird Johnson center’s $4.5-million annual budget comes from admission fees, membership dues, earnings from its $10-million endowment, and other activities, such as plant sales. The other 30 percent is raised from foundations and other private donors.
Here, students learn about Texas aquatic plants.
