历史沿革
「雪松谷树木和植物园」(Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens) 位于美国爱荷华州滑铁卢黑霍克社区学院 (Hawkeye Community College) 校园内，占地约 40 英亩，于 1996 年由植物学博士 B. W. Svoboda 联合 Black Hawk 县自然资源保护委员会发起，1998 年对公众开放首期园区，2001 年加入美国植物园协会 (APGA) 并成为爱荷华州中部地区唯一一座由社区学院托管的活体植物园。
园区与专类花园
园区围绕 Hawkeye 校园北侧缓坡展开，按植物生态与园艺功能划分为玫瑰园、岩石园、耐阴植物园、山坡迎宾花园、观赏草园、到达花园、展示花园、蝴蝶草甸、蒂姆花园、年度宿根展示园、儿童花园、勿忘我池塘、马赛克花园、迷宫、斯托特萱草收藏、园丁大师果园、百年纪念林等 17 个专类园区，常年保持超过 1,200 个栽培品种的活体植物收藏。
教学与社区服务
园方与 Hawkeye Community College 合作开设园艺、景观设计、植物科学、环境教育等学分课程及短期工作坊；同时为 K-12 学生提供自助式田野教学 (Field Trips)，并设有「根植安宁」(Rooted in Peace) 冥想、瑜伽、自然书写、星空之夜、大黄蜂科考徒步等覆盖全年龄段的项目，门票可兑换教学中心租用折扣。
会员体系与公益
会员制度分个人、家庭、摄影师、捐赠者、伙伴、赞助人、协会会员七级，个人 50 美元、家庭 75 美元、摄影师 100 美元、捐赠者 100 美元、伙伴 250 美元、赞助人 500 美元、协会 1,000 美元；会籍同时赠送 American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Garden Program，覆盖全美 380 余座植物园免费或减免门票。
重大活动与品牌专展
园区主推「星空之夜」(Arboretum Under the Stars) 月度观星与户外影像放映，自 2026 年起主打 30 周年纪念展陈：在中心草坪推出限定三十年回顾展、陈列 30 株代表性大龄乔木与历年摄影档案，并设有「为下一代而生长」(Growing for Generations) 募款季及「博物馆惠及全民」(Museums for All) 2 美元门票项目以服务低收入家庭。
Historical Evolution
Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens sits on roughly 40 acres within the Hawkeye Community College campus in Waterloo, Iowa. Botanical researcher B. W. Svoboda and the Black Hawk County Conservation Board launched the project in 1996, the first gardens opened to visitors in 1998, and the arboretum joined the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) in 2001 as central Iowa’s only community-college-affiliated living plant museum.
Gardens and Specialized Collections
Laid out on the gently sloping north side of the campus, the grounds are organized into seventeen themed collections: the Rose Garden, the Rock Garden, the Shade Garden, the Hillside Welcome Garden, the Ornamental Grass Garden, the Arrival Gardens, the Display Gardens, the Butterfly Meadow, Tim’s Garden, the Perennial of the Year Garden, the Children’s Garden, the Forget-Me-Not Pond, the Mosaiculture Garden, the Labyrinth, the Stout Daylily Collection, the Master Gardeners Orchard, and the Sesqui-centennial Forest, maintaining more than 1,200 cultivated taxa year-round.
Education and Community Programs
In partnership with Hawkeye Community College the arboretum offers credit-bearing courses in horticulture, landscape design, plant science, and environmental education, alongside short workshops. Self-guided field trips serve K-12 groups, and family programming includes Rooted in Peace meditation, yoga, nature journaling, the monthly Arboretum Under the Stars stargazing series, and guided bumblebee survey walks led by visiting field scientists.
Memberships and Reciprocal Programs
Memberships are offered at seven tiers — Individual ($50), Family ($75), Photographer ($100), Contributor ($100), Partner ($250), Patron ($500), and Society ($1,000). All memberships include free or discounted admission to more than 380 gardens nationwide through the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Garden Program, as well as a 10% discount on gift shop and class purchases.
Signature Events and Exhibitions
The flagship signature program is Arboretum Under the Stars, a monthly new-moon gathering combining guided stargazing, sunset yoga, and themed film screenings. The 2026 season also marks the arboretum’s 30th anniversary with a central-lawn retrospective exhibit showcasing thirty signature heritage trees, an archival photography display, the Growing for Generations capital campaign, and a Museums for All admission program offering $2 tickets to SNAP and WIC cardholders.
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