Living in Eden

You travel to the north end of campus: past the market and onto Via Carta.It's a steep road, but you push on with one goal in mind.After passing the baseball fields and horse stables, you reach the Environmental Horticulture Science facility.There will be several small signs pointing to your destination.From the welcome gate, follow the signs through the Poly Plant Shop and greenhouse.Take a slight left turn and you will find a trail.After trekking up a pebbled path, you've found it.With the sign masked by weeping pine trees, you've found the Leaning Pine Arboretum.Most students have never heard of the Leaning Pine Arboretum or even the word arboretum.Even fewer have visited.This could be due to its relative obscurity, bizarre location, or lack of advertisement.I didn't know what an arboretum was when I first arrived.However, after seeing it briefly mentioned in the Mustang News, I immediately became intrigued.I simply had to know what this place was.So, I followed the steps described above, albeit getting a little lost along the way.After needing help from staff members, I finally arrived at the Arboretum.In my search to find its deeper significance, I will learn from the highest authority: Chris Wassenburg, who knows the area like the back of his hand.Having served as Arboretum manager since 1997, he carries an exceptional depth of knowledge and experience.Although the Merriam-Webster definition of an arboretum is "a place where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes," Wassenburg describes the area as much more than that: a garden of trees, palms, ferns, cycads, and flowers.Due to the wide variety of plants, it should officially be called a "botanical garden" according to Wassenburg, "but the name 'Leaning Pine Arboretum' sounds better than 'Leaning Pine Botanical Garden' so we stuck with it."As the manager, Wassenburg determines which plants should be displayed, hires student caretakers, ensures safe gardening practicing, leads group tours, and occasionally writes online advertising articles.Despite having these responsibilities, teaching takes up the majority of Wassenburg's time as he lectures for the arboriculture and horticulture classes.Everything he does reflects the central mission of the Arboretum: having students learn.During my interview with Wassenburg, I began to realize what made the Arboretum so special: the fact that LOOK HERE:For more information on the Leaning Pine Arboretum, including its location so you can see it yourself, follow this QR code.