Dear Garden Family,
There has been a major change in the administration of the Garden; namely, as of October 16, Eric Siegel has moved from the Garden to work on special projects for the UC Berkeley Campus and I have been asked to return as Interim Director through the remainder of the current academic year (June 30, 2019). During my time here, a new search will be conducted for a permanent director. If you are aware of the expression ‘older and wiser’, I can truthfully report that after the two years since my retirement from the Garden, I am definitely older, but no less in love with and awed by the Garden, including all of its plants, animals and people.
In the relatively short time I will serve, I hope to address a number of immediate pressing issues, especially those that impact the collection, volunteers and the large number of visitors. We are placing a lot of time and energy into making the Garden more accessible to all. This project has progressed in phases, and we are about to enter the third and final phase. Most notably, this will include modifications to the ‘patio’ in front of the Tropical House and extensive paving of roads, including the path leading from the entrance of the Redwood Grove all the way to the amphitheater and completion of paving of the main upper road all the way to the crop garden. Unfortunately, we have identified an issue with paving because of plans to continue our irrigation upgrade which requires adding main water lines in the roads, something that should obviously be done before paving. We will keep you informed when schedules are set and if there are ways in which you may be helpful to this process.
Infrastructure issues aside, I have truly missed our regular interactions and look forward to working with you again. In fact, I can honestly say, that I cannot do the job without your support. Thank you for helping us grow and please be in touch.
All my best,
Paul Licht, Interim Director