All donations to the UA Campus Arboretum are gratefully appreciated. We are honored by your interest and support of the University of Arizona campus and its rich botanical resource. We have devised this policy to help guide our procedures and actions, and make clear in advance the rights and responsibilities, along with the limitations of such, to all parties involved in donating support to the UA Campus Arboretum.

DEFINITION: This document outlines the Policy pertaining to donations to the University of Arizona
Campus Arboretum. This covers support of, or funding for, but not limited to such items as endowment funds, expendable accounts, physical material, land or hardscapes, equipment, and named or adopted items or areas.

POLICY:

1. All funds contributed in excess of the amount needed to accomplish a sponsored activity or program, or to acquire, properly establish, and/or sign and display items or objects to be sponsored or adopted, will be placed into the Campus Arboretum endowment fund. Revenue from this endowment fund shall be used for the general benefit of the Campus Arboretum and shall be used at the discretion of the Director of the Campus Arboretum.

2. All adopted and sponsored items or objects must conform to the University and Arboretum's Master Plans. Adopted and sponsored items, objects or areas may be located in any appropriate place – under a favorite tree or next to a favorite building, for example – subject to approval by the Arboretum Committee or their designee.

3. Plaques on or for sponsored items, objects or areas may provide recognition to donors or honorees. Signage and Donor Recognition will be standardized. Signs for trees may include such information as the tree's common name, its Latin name, its botanical family, its place of origin, along with donor or honoree recognition.

4. All donor recognition wording (see the Donation and Recognition Form ) shall be subject to approval by the Campus Arboretum Committee (AC), or their designee, and may be subject to approval by the UA naming committee. Because University of Arizona and Campus Arboretum Sign Standards may change or evolve over time, the UA Campus Arboretum reserves the right to change or alter signage, including donor recognition, at any time.

5. All trees and gardens or other plantings are living things with a limited life span. They are subject to natural disturbances, disasters, vandalism, abuse and neglect and acts of God. Moreover, the University of Arizona is an ever-evolving campus, subject to improvements or alteration in physical plant, changing educational, research and outreach missions, and is required to be widely accessible to the public. In addition, due to budgetary constraints, our ability to care for and protect any such items on campus can be very limited. For these and other reasons, donors must realize that there may be conditions that threaten sponsored items, objects or areas that are beyond our control.

6. The UA Campus Arboretum will make every effort to preserve in place all newly planted trees, as well as more mature trees existing at the time of, or established because of, adoption or sponsorship. Specific details pertaining to each type are noted below.

GARDEN AREAS OR GROVES

Donors working with the Director may select certain defined garden areas or groves of trees for adoption. The sponsorship value will be determined by negotiation with the Director and will depend upon the size of the area and special upkeep considerations.

HERITAGE TREES

See the Heritage Trees page. Heritage trees are existing campus trees that are stately, unique, planted by former faculty, and/or are in other ways a part of UA history, as designated by the Campus Arboretum Committee. Some of them are of advanced age and all are large and stately. Adoption of a Heritage tree (with a name plaque identifying the tree and honoring the donor or loved one) is a sponsorship that exists for the life of that tree.

The UA Campus Arboretum will make every effort to give these trees the best of care, but their life span cannot be guaranteed. A list of Heritage trees available for adoption can be obtained from the Director.

MEMORIAL OR TRIBUTE TREE

Memorial or Tribute trees are those that are purchased or acquired for current or future planting on campus via sponsorship by a donor. The tree will be planted by the UA, with a plaque honoring the donor or loved one. The species and location can be negotiated, but must fit the UA master plan and be approved by the Campus Arboretum. For a listing of trees that may be chosen, please contact the Director. Donors that desire special or exotic species, or one that is not readily available in Arizona nurseries, shall cover the additional costs incurred by such, over and above the adoption or sponsorship amount.

The UA Campus Arboretum will make every effort to give these trees the best of care, will choose a site that is appropriate for the species, and upon written request of the donor, may replace on a one-time only basis, a tree that fails within the first two years of installation, as determined by the Campus Arboretum Committee.

ADOPT-A-TREE

This program allows the donor the opportunity to adopt existing trees or other plants on campus. For a list of trees that are available, please contact the Director. Virtually any tree on campus, with the exception of Heritage Trees, which are covered under the Heritage Tree Program, may be adopted.

BENCH SPONSORSHIP

Existing benches on campus, as well as new benches for placement on campus grounds may be sponsored by donors. Styles and locations of such benches are subject to approval by the Campus Arboretum Committee and UA grounds staff. For a list of benches and styles available, please contact the Director.

7. Plaques identifying the species and honoring the donor or a loved one will be installed according to Campus Arboretum guidelines, on or near to the sponsored tree, item or object.

8. The UA Campus Arboretum will make every effort to give sponsored trees, items or objects reasonable care, but will not replace sponsored items that have outlived their normal life span. If a sponsored item must be moved for any reason, the plaque will move with the item.

9. Amounts required to participate at various levels of sponsorship, such as the Heritage trees, Memorial or Tribute trees, Adopt-a-bench or Adopt-a-tree are subject to change at any time. Once sponsorship is established at a given level with a given sponsor, all related recognition will remain on or with the sponsored item during its remaining useful life, regardless of later sponsorship levels.

THANK YOU.

To acknowledge your generosity, the staff of the UA Campus Arboretum will take all reasonable steps to honor and respect the items that you have chosen to sponsor. You and your family are welcome to visit any time; to tour the campus; to visit with the Campus Arboretum Director; or, to just sit beneath your tree, on your bench, near your garden or other sponsored item and enjoy.

Please call the Arboretum Director at 520-621-7074, or write to the Campus Arboretum Director, PO Box 210036, Tucson, AZ 85721-0036.

Revised July 8, 2008

Please call or write the UA Campus Arboretum Director Elizabeth Davison for more information.