2022 Supporter Information Notes
Published in The Fringed Gentian™
New Pledged Supporters
Basic:
Brenda Daly, Elaine Eschenbacher, Susan Makela
Sponsor:
Barbara Broker, Peggy korsmo-Kennon, George Lawton, Terryl Ann Pearson
LIFE - new or step-up
J. S. Futcher, Genevieve Johnson, Donna Schimunek
Your annual support
Information for
Becoming an annual supporter
Renewing your annual support
Can be found on our Website Support-Us page.
Information on paying by check or by credit card is found there also.
For changes to your mailing address or email address, please contact our coordinator Christi Bystedt at this email address. or Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Support, P.O. Box 3793, Minneapolis, MN 55403-0793.
Supporter Notes - September 2022
Directors elected at annual meeting - September 18, 2022
Candyce Bartol, Colin Bartol, Gary Bebeau, Steve Benson, Bruce Jarvis (new) George Lawton, Jennifer Olson, Jim Proctor, J. Pam Weiner.
Thank you to retiring board members Kathleen Connelly, Lauren Husting, Sally and Steve Pundt.
Elected as officers by the new Board of Directors
Jennifer Olson, President
Candyce Bartol, Secretary
Gary Bebeau, Treasurer
Consider a year-end gift to support our program at the Wildflower Garden.
Garden projects are the largest use of our contribution revenue. Over the last 10 years we have funded $212,000. The two largest components of that amount were $148,000 for our portion of the boardwalk and $40,700 for plants and habitat. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board also provided funding for these two components.
Karol Gresser
Our longest serving supporter passed away on August 5th. She joined the Friends in 1967 as Karol Pieper. After she married Dr. Jerome Gresser. After Jerome died Karol became a lifetime supporter in 1999. Her passion at the Garden was birding. Her life list of Minnesota observed species totaled 380, placing her #52 on the statewide list.
Supporter Notes - June 2022
Long-time Friends
43 persons have supported us for 20 years or more.
25 of the 43 have been supporters for 30 years or more,.
6 of the 25 for 40 years or more,.
3 of the 6 for 50 years or more.
In Past Years:
20 supporters served as newsletter editor
22 supporters served as president
118 names are on the shelter memorial board
137 supporters served on the Board of Directors
250 Fringed Gentian™ newsletters were created
5,446 Children visited with our Transportation Grant
$47,000 was provided for Garden plants
$335,000 was invested in other Garden support.
The Past 20 Years:
Four supporters have guided the Friends as president since our 50 anniversary in 2002.
During their tenure the Friends have carried out our mission by funding numerous plant purchases for the Garden, instituting the Student Transportation Grant Program, forming the Friends Invasive Plant Action Group, helping the MPRB fund restoration of habitat and a bee survey, providing a custom screen door, desk and rain gutters for the shelter and 294 feet of wrought iron fencing for the back of the Garden, funding numerous small projects plus the Ken Avery Birding Terrace and providing half the funding for phase I and II of the wetland boardwalk. Many thanks to our 3 past-presidents and to our current president - Jennifer Olson. Well done to all who provided support for this work! ❖
A New Friends History
Seventy Years of the Friends is a new book that documents the activities of Friends of the Wild Flower Garden and the events happening in the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden from the founding of the Friends in 1952 until 2022. Details Here. Available in pdf format and a limited number of printed copies.
Sumner Library Project Update:
President Jennifer Olson in April began a display case presentation about the Wildflower Garden at the Minneapolis Sumner Library Branch. The exhibit change seasonally and is maintained by Jennifer and several Friends supporters. The first display this spring featured some history about Eloise Butler, spring wildflowers and a display of Judy Remington’s glass tiles on spring wildflowers. Judy, a former editor of our Fringed Gentian™, is pictured here next to the display case. Photo by Jennifer Olson.
The Library is located at 611 Van White Memorial Blvd, (at Olson Highway), Minneapolis.
Supporter Notes - February 2022
On January 31, the Friends Board of Directors approved budgeting over $17,000 in 2022 for our mission program of educational activities, volunteer support, student transportation grants to visit the Garden and funding for plants, habitat and infrastructure at the Garden. The largest part of this will be direct funding for needs in the Garden. Due to Covid-19, student visits have been off limits. We hope they can resume this summer. More details about how our funding is being used will be on our website as the year progresses, and also included in our monthly newsletter.
Volunteer Opportunity - February 2022
We are looking for supporters of the Friends and of the Wildflower Garden who would be interested in supporting the nearby Sumner Library with an ongoing display case project highlighting Eloise Butler and her Garden by joining in our adoption of a reading room display case celebrating Eloise Butler and the Garden. A committee would meet to brainstorm ideas, gather display items, and then set up displays seasonally. Goal is to have a display ready in April. Contact me if you are interested, even if you could only contribute to one aspect of the project or only 1-2 x a year.
Contact Jennifer Olson by email.
Supporter Notes - January 2022
Annual Support Changes: It has been 13 years since we increased our basic annual support rates. As announced at the Annual Meeting in September and in the Fall Fringed Gentian™, our support rates change on January 1, 2022. The current basic rates of “Individual” and “Family/Duo” will be combined into a “Basic” rate of $25 per year. “Sponsor” rate will be $100 per year, “Benefactor” rate (formerly “Sustainer”) will be $250 per year and the “Lifetime” rate will be a one-time payment of $1,000. This is the first change to the Benefactor and Life rate since the Friends were founded in 1952. The “Sponsor” rate remains unchanged since 1952.
The Garden's Back Gate - funded 25 years ago.
n 1997, the Friends completed funding for the reconstruction of the back gate to the Wildflower Garden, replacing the cyclone wire fence and gate of 1938 vintage. Designed by Brower and Associates for the MPRB, the gate mimics the 1990 front gate in design but with 2 columns instead of 4. The Friends paid LaMere Concrete and Able Fence $12,895 for the stone and iron work, followed by $3,649 to Selby Ornamental Iron for the wrought iron fencing. The fencing was just near the gate and did not include the fence section along the north boundary - that was replaced in 2005. The back gate was the main entrance for years when people arrived by Streetcar or walking. Tamaracks were so prevalent in the early Garden that the path in from the back was known as “Tamarack Trail.” The photo here is from 2016. G D Bebeau.
