Mission Statement

The mission of the Holton Eco Preserve and Accredited Arboretum is to maintain a natural oasis in a developed area, with an assortment of bushes and flowering plants but mainly of trees native to southwest Florida or compatible with this area without being invasive. This land was gifted to our campus in 1997 and for two decades it has been an eco-preserve. It inspired a curriculum for children called “Earth Wonders.” We now would like to see it flourish to a larger audience as an arboretum where visitors can work on scientific projects, meditate, or participate in educational projects directed toward the young.  

Purpose Statement

The seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism is “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Part of our responsibility as UU’s is to provide a space where this principle can thrive, and where the interconnected web can be strengthened. The role of trees is crucial to this web as they provide habitat and sustenance to wildlife and release life-sustaining oxygen into the air. We feel that this is social justice issue – justice for future generations.  We often say, “The true meaning of life is to plant a tree in whose shade you know you will never sit. “

Long Range Plan

Our plan is three pronged:

1. We plan to continue to increase the collection of native trees, creating a tree-lined alley from the parking lot to the raised gardens to the road to our east.  We also plan to increase the collection along the southern border of the parking lot and plan to add flowering trees such as the jacaranda.  There is a wooded berm behind the education building.  We would like to add a path across the berm from the wooded path to Shire Land.  We plan to install a kiosk at the entrance with brochures for children as well as for adults. The children’s brochure will include a scavenger hunt. 
   
   Addition of trees will be funded mostly by individuals contributing them in memory of a family member. We plan to finance other improvements through contributions, fund raising events, and grants.  UUCFM also has an endowment to which we can apply for maintenance and improvement
    
2. We plan to make over the Holton Eco-Preserve website, acknowledging our new status as an arboretum.  We plan to include a walking path map on which tree species are identified. (This goal is realized in this update). Events open to the public will be publicized here as well as via an email. Our list which will consist of the mailing list of the congregation, the lists of all the campus partners, and the list of community leaders we compiled at an event sponsored by the Futures Team. 
   
   
3. We will reach out to public and private schools with our educational programs.