Misha McRae, executive director of the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM yesterday morning to talk about what’s going on in the garden.
The 15th annual Key West Art in the Garden is now through July 31.
McRae said, “We started this in 2010. We give local artists their creative ability to create sculptures, some big, some small, out of repurposed, recycled or natural materials. They are set out throughout the park for people to discover and learn the importance of recycling in their own lives, and you can make incredible, beautiful pieces of art from it. It runs from now all the way through July 31 and it is included with the price of admission to the Botanical Garden.”
The garden is participating in Tuesday morning toddler story time for ages five and under.
McRae said, “We raise more than just plants at the garden. Our children grow there as well. As a community service, just like Art in the Garden, just like our volunteer program, the Tuesday morning story time for toddlers is a great opportunity to bring your children out to the garden. We work on dexterity, we work on reading, we work on singing. We do games and drawing. We have about an hour of activities for kids to come out and be and explore and enjoy the botanical garden. It is free to the public. It goes from 10 until 11, and there’s free access to the garden thereafter that so it’s a great morning to spend with your children out at the Botanical Garden. We’ve been doing this for years and years and years. It’s really gained popularity, and everyone that comes out has really a great opportunity to socialize and to work on your children’s future, as we call it, their academic career. You’ve got to get them early.”
The garden also offers birthday parties.
McRae said, “The Botanical Garden is a great place to have a birthday party. We have a special program available for parents. We rent out the garden for $250. You get it for two hours, you to put on a birthday party at the botanical garden. We can even include a theme, if that’s what you’d like to do. Check out our website and have a look at it. It’s a great deal. It’s a great opportunity, and it is a safe place for children to celebrate such an anniversary.”
The Education Center at the garden is continuing on its quest to rebuild.
McRae said, “Our poor staff on the education department, our living lab, the phrase that we’ve coined for our education program works directly with educators, both in person and online. On the website, you can go to our virtual classrooms and find learning and class curriculum. We are in the process of giving them a new office, because their old office has fallen apart. We are looking for people to help us with a capital campaign to build a new education center. It will have indoor classrooms, a research center. It will have a virtual room. It’s going to be included in everything that this community needs to help our children within their school curriculum, as well as environmental education. We find it a key component to the success of the Botanical Garden is the future, and the future are our children and we do everything we can. Our program is offered free to the community, not just Monroe County School District, but your charter schools, your private schools, your home school, and then, as I said, virtually, our classrooms go all the way throughout the United States at this time. We’re very proud of our product, and we need the community to help us to continue its growth. We have started our capital campaign this year. We’re looking for those contributors who want to help the children’s future, help the garden grow. Please call me for more information on what you can do to help us with this growth process.”
A compost village research project is ongoing.
McRae said, “We started a research project last November. It was supposed to be with the Monroe County Extension Service, Monroe County Recycle and Waste Management and the city of Key West Recycle to find the seven different ways you can compost, do a research study on that process and determined after 18 months, which is the singular most best successful means of composting here in Key West. Not on a commercial scale, I’m talking from your kitchen to your bin and then into your yard. We are looking for volunteers to help us with it. We do a collection on Tuesday of each week, and then the third Saturday of each week, which coincides with our native plant sale that most locals know about. We collect kitchen scraps. We are just doing the organic kind, not the protein, and then distributing between our seven mains of composting. We’re at the point now that we have compost for those people who do drop off, they get a sample back, which is a return product from their past drop off. We’re looking for those people who want to learn about the technology, the science behind it, and help us with publishing a paper on the best way for us to recycle in our own yards. We’d love to have not only your support, just in life, to get the most out of it, you’ve got to participate. If you’re really interested in learning more about composting, I mean, the trees recycle itself every day and we should be doing the same thing and that’s not just our recycled trash. We can recycle our kitchen materials and make some good mulch in the process.”
The garden is always looking for volunteers.
McRae said, “The garden started as a volunteer organization back in 1936 and it’s continued its legacy. As the garden grows, we’re going to need volunteers to help us with that growth. Fortunately, with the rain, all the plants are happy, and that includes the weeds. So we’re looking for volunteers come help us out. Become garden guardians, learn about the native plants, how to care for them, and that also includes weeding around them, so that our public can enjoy and participate in the joy that is now the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden.”
Membership is a great way to support the garden.
McRae said, “Membership has its privileges. Not only do you get free access to the garden during normal business operations, but you get special invitations. You get discounts, you get opportunities for volunteering. You can join a committee, as well as family friends and big events. We are a family organization, so all of our big events, we have a special admission for families. If you have an event that’s coming on, family members get in free as well. There’s great opportunities, and truthfully, on a budgetary end of it, as we all well know in life, our membership is the one line item in my budget that I can depend on. So please become a member, good for a year, tax deductible and listen, it supports this incredible 89 year old organization. Every day is a great day at the Botanical Garden. I’d love to see you there.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywest.garden/