By Chabella Guzman
PREEC Communications
The Riverside Discovery Center (RDC) in Scottsbluff received its accreditation signage on Saturday, June 6, designating it as an affiliate site with PlantNebraska. The RDC used to be an accredited arboretum with PlantNebraska.
“Over the past few years, things have kind of fallen through the cracks. We’ve had a lot of turnover at the management level. And the garden kind of fell by the wayside, but I’m very happy to say that we’ve now officially regained our accreditation with PlantNebraska, so we’re very, very happy with that. Today is just the ceremony and the handover of the certification,” said Kei Hodgson, executive director of the Riverside Discovery Center.
The accreditation was a group effort that included $10,000 in funding from the Oregon Trail Community Foundation. Where the majority was used for mulch, plants, and the resources required to create a pollinator garden.
RDC will be using the current Garden Walk space as the new pollinator garden. To get the garden up and running, Rachel Curtis, an RDC docent, suggested her father, Dr. Bruce Curtis, a master gardener in Colorado, help them with the pollinator garden. He helped with the design and gave RDC a game plan. Curtis was instrumental in contacting various shareholders and stakeholders and securing deals regarding plants and their sources.
RDC also worked with PlantNebraska, which worked with local members of the Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.
“PlantNebraska is a really good advocate for partnerships and relationships across the state of Nebraska, said Katie Markheim, PlantNebraska member and Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. “And we here in Western Nebraska are no exception. We are few, but mighty, and what strengthens those relationships with PlantNebraska really, truly, are our boots on the ground.”
The master gardener volunteers worked closely with PlantNebraska to put together the space. The PlantNebraska team helped with the affiliate site setup, secured funding connections, and supported the signage. The master gardeners did plant selection, knowing where to plant and which plants would look good year after year, with an emphasis on pollinators. So everything in the garden will have an impact. Not only on the environment itself, but also with supporting pollinators, which master gardeners advocate for extensively in perennial plant selection.
The pollinator garden is only one of Riverside Discovery Center’s focus areas. Its affiliation with PlantNebraska also makes it an accredited arboretum through the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum program, which has more than 100 sites across the state.
“The arboretum is the entire zoo area. So it includes all the trees around here, and we’ve been working with them (RDC) for the past six months on a grant as well as to help revitalize some of the tree canopy,” said Hanna Pinneo, PlantNebraska executive director. “As you know, it’s hard to be a tree out here. And so we’re helping them remove some of the trees and replant to really provide good shade and cover for both the people and the animals that visit here.”