Fur- and Family-Friendly Landis

By Louise Polli

Louise and Gus Polli and Nancy Stuebner at a pet waste station.

The Landis Arboretum offers a year-round menu of family-friendly activities, including educational and recreational programs focused on every aspect of the great outdoors.

In addition to organized programs, the Arboretum provides another type of learning lab, a place to go any day, any season, to experience the wonders of nature first-hand. These include the sights, smells and sounds along the ponds and in the meadows and forests. And who doesn't enjoy a picnic with the feel of the sun on your face? There are hiking trails, old growth forests, bog gardens, collections of trees and native plants, perennial gardens, ponds, and vistas, all here for the long-time member or first-time visitor, including families with kids -- and dogs.

Landis has always welcomed well-behaved, leashed dogs and “their people”. With the exception of just a few times a year (plant sales and the 5K races), you can bring your dog for a short romp or a long walk on our trails. Most visitors observe the rules of courtesy, promptly picking up their dog’s waste and taking it with them when they leave the grounds. But a few have failed to do so. The staff has noticed an increase in dog waste left on the grounds, often in frequently visited areas such as the Van Loveland Gardens.

We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you to think of others and be sure to clean up after your pets when you visit Landis, so that dogs can continue to enjoy the Arboretum as much as their two-legged family members. To make it more convenient for you to do so, we have installed two pet waste stations on the grounds, one near the entrance and one by the Meeting House. If you’ve forgotten to bring your own waste bags, feel free to use one from the pet station.

The pet stations were generously donated by Nancy Stuebner, Landis Office Manager, in memory of my mother, Landis volunteer Josephine Micillo. Both dog lovers, they always thought of the Arboretum as a place for the whole family, including those furry kids with four legs and a tail.

In addition to the pet waste stations, donations by the Polli family and others in Josephine Micillo's name made possible the addition of a garden cart for plant sales. Look for the cart with the memorial plaque the next time you visit the sale.


Fall 2015

Volume 33 , Number 4

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