Over the summer of 2014, teachers at The New School decided that the older students would take part in a year-long study of trees, where they would learn about tree identification, and how the study of a tree’s habit, its leaves, bark and fruit provide identification clues. As we researched our options of places we could visit for this purpose, we quickly narrowed our search down to the James Pass Arboretum, a 13.8 acre plot located at the City’s western edge. The James Pass Arboretum was donated to the City of Syracuse on Arbor Day, 1925, by Adelaide Pass in memory of her late husband James Pass. This decision led us to meeting volunteer and west side resident, Tim Reglin, who has become an integral part of our yearlong study.
After our first visit to the Arboretum we realized we had discovered a secret gem in the Syracuse Parks system. The children decided to conduct a survey at the Westcott Cultural Fair to get an idea of how many people have heard of the James Pass Arboretum and visited it. After randomly interviewing 50 individuals they found that 80% had never heard of the Arboretum. Sadly, even less people (92%) had ever visited the Arboretum.
One thing the children noticed was that without Tim helping us identify the trees, there would be no way for a visitor to learn about the wide variety of trees in the park. The Arboretum desperately needs a new labeling system. Previous attempts to this end had been vandalized or lost. Adelaide Pass intended that her 13.8 acre gift to the City be used as a “scientifically managed collection of trees and shrubs able to survive the climate in Central New York.” We would like to work on helping restore this museum of trees into a well used educational resource for not only Syracuse residents, but for all visitors to the area.