ANNUAL

REPORT
2021
Leach Garden Friends
 Message from our
Board President
As we move toward the end of another memorable year in the life of Leach
Botanical Garden, I want to take this opportunity to thank the community for
the enthusiastic reception you have given to the upper garden expansion
project. Your sincere delight made us all very happy indeed. I am excited for us
to watch together as it grows and matures. Now we look forward to
partnering with the community to enliven these new spaces with music, art,
and multicultural events. We welcome your ideas.

And there are more improvements on the way. I'm pleased to report that we
have received a $1.5 million American Rescue Plan Act grant, allocated to
Leach Garden through State Representative Jeff Reardon. It will help make
much-needed repairs and upgrades to the Manor House and Stone Cabin. We
are hopeful there will be enough money to help construct a temporary
"Leach Garden is pedestrian bridge over Johnson Creek.
uniquely
positioned to The Leach Garden Friends Board of Directors has begun the search for a new
Executive Director. We hope to have that person in place in the spring. Eric
become the Vines has done a terrific job as our Interim Executive Director and on behalf of
community's the board and staff, I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to him.
special place,
My term as board president is coming to an end and I want to welcome Dr.
bringing people Michael McKeel as our new board president. I will continue to serve on the
together to Board and look forward to helping the Garden thrive.
celebrate nature,
learn and grow
from one another.

Irene Bowers
Thoughts from our
Interim
Executive Director
In a place like no other, this has been a year like no other. This
second year of pandemic protocols required adjustments that
were no less challenging than the first. We’ve seen leadership
transitions, staff retirements, unprecedented heatwaves, ice
storms, floods, and windstorms. We are hoping all this has just "This is a place that
made us more resilient as we move forward.
brings people
Despite the challenges, 2021 has been an exciting year for Leach
Garden. In partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation, we
together, provides
completed the $12 million upper garden project and reopened inspiration,
with record attendance, our gift shop had its best year ever and
the community came out in force to support the largest
provokes learning,
fundraiser for operations that the Garden has ever seen. We saw and offers solace."
new events and collaborations blossom alongside thriving
ongoing partnerships. This report recounts the highlights. —Eric Vines
During the past six months, I’ve grown to admire the staff and their
fierce dedication to creating a space that nurtures people and
plants. I’m humbled by the deep commitment held by the board of
directors, working well beyond expectations, advocating for the
Garden’s future. I’ve been awed by the intense loyalty of our
volunteers who pull the weeds, staff the gift shop, give tours, and
help guests have a lovely experience when they visit the garden.
There is beauty and inspiration tucked into every alcove and crevice
of Leach Botanical Garden and we are more than fortunate to have
such incredible supporters who make this place extraordinary.

This next year will bring new opportunities and challenges to the
Garden. From what I’ve seen, there is cause to be optimistic about
our future. The people charged with stewarding Leach Garden bring
a hopeful vision for the future, a vision of nature, harmony, joy, and
laughter, a future that imagines a world of possibility, building a
garden that serves our local community in creative and fundamental
ways.

I hope you'll continue to travel with us on this journey. There is so

much we can do, if we do it together. It is a pleasure to serve as the
Garden's Interim ED during this exciting time.
 APRIL 16
Upper Garden Opens
The long-anticipated opening of the Upper Garden took
place on a beautiful spring day. Returning and first-time
visitors poured in non-stop to see the results of a project
six years in the making, and they were not disappointed.

As spring gave way to summer, the colors changed, the

pollinator meadow filled in, and the Garden settled into a
natural rhythm. The arrival of autumn brought with it
brilliant reds and golds in the tree canopy and another
transformation of the pollinator meadow. By the end of
2021, nearly 40,000 visitors will have discovered that
Leach Botanical Garden truly is

"a place like no other."

Horticulture
The Hort Team was excited to welcome visitors to the As fall comes to a close and we head into
new garden spaces and pleased that they have been winter, the gardeners are finishing up fall
overwhelmingly well received. Even in its first year, the planting. A new design for the Rock
Pollinator and Habitat garden was overflowing with Garden was installed with a variety of
seasonal color. Views from the Aerial Tree Walk have interesting alpine plants, many of which
been incredible throughout the year, with the newly were grown on-site over the past couple
planted native understory filling in rapidly. of years. The horticulture team is also
busy planning for all sorts of fun and
A wet winter led to soggy and water-saturated soils at exciting additions to the landscape for
the beginning of this year. Plant losses were observed in 2022, so keep coming back to see what’s
the Pollinator Garden due to a plant palette that leans in store!
much more towards drought tolerant than water-loving.
Thankfully, replacements were procured and planted in
early fall and have had a nice temperate season to settle
in.

Locals are likely well aware of the record-breaking heat

wave Portland experienced in June. Despite this, not a
single plant was lost due to the extreme weather. The
combination of copious shade, diligent watering, and a
garden comprised largely of natives and other resilient
plants meant that the extent of damage was relegated to
scorched leaves and tip dieback on a few plants. The
plants recovered quickly, and we are hopeful that there
was no long-term damage due to the added stress.
 “On a personal level the garden has been a place of Education Program
healing and respite. Whenever I come to the garden,
no matter how I'm feeling, I leave feeling a little more
grounded and connected to presence. I've facilitated Leach Garden’s visitors find respite from the stress and trauma
mindfulness workshops at the garden and witnessed of the modern world in our pollinator garden, woodland slopes,
what it feels like when my community has a safe tree-ringed meadow and rippling creek. Unexpected wildness in
space to just be. I wholeheartedly believe that's what
our outer SE community surprises and delights first time
the garden is to the community— a safe space, a place
where we can be curious and connected to each other visitors and long-term friends alike. It also lowers blood
and to nature .” pressure, slows heart rates and calms frayed nerves. In short,
nature is good for us.
— Vanessa Grant Coats, The Blueprint Foundation
Program Coordinator
All of our educational programming, whether designed to
improve mental and physical health or not, provides benefits by
immersing participants in nature. Recognizing how important
JoAnn Vrilakas

this is for the entire community, this year we increased the

number of night hikes, forest bathing walks, and mindfulness
workshops with our Back 5 Restoration Project partners and
we are initiating an outdoor preschool program.
JoAnn Vrilakas

Throughout 2021, the Education Program focused on

maintaining and building relationships and collaborative
projects that make Leach Botanical Garden a dynamic asset for
our community. What follows is a brief update on these efforts.

BACK 5 ACRES COMMUNITY HABITAT

ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
The Back 5 Project is thriving. Together with The Blueprint
Foundation, African Youth & Community Organization, Wisdom
of the Elders, Johnson Creek Watershed Council, Portland
Parks & Recreation, and Portland's Bureau of Environmental
Services (BES), we’re removing nuisance species, adding native
plants, monitoring change, and providing meaningful
educational experiences.

We’ve held 76 educational, workforce development and

JoAnn Vrilakas

volunteer events totaling 924 hours in the restoration site.

JoAnn Vrilakas

ROSE CDC’S LENTS YOUTH INITIATIVE

This year we partnered with Green Lents, Johnson Creek
Watershed Council, and Portland Parks and Recreation through
a grant awarded to Lents Youth Initiative by the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife’s “Oregon Conservation and

JoAnn Vrilakas
Recreation Advisory Committee.” In late spring, we introduced
38 interns to the garden with 3 evening tours, followed by 2
days of educational events, including macroinvertebrate
surveys, native plant identification, pollinators, and community
science. From June to mid-August, the youths worked
throughout the city in community based organizations, including
4 interns at the Garden. LYI does a fantastic job setting these
young adults up for success.

New Initiatives
OUTDOOR PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
Being physically active outdoors in nature lowers stress levels in
young children and even helps them to concentrate and stay on
task in other learning environments. We are putting this
understanding into practice through our new partnership with
Oregon's Health & Outdoors Initiative and Willamette Valley
JoAnn Vrilakas

Partnership which is bringing two David Douglas High School

nature-based preschool classes to the garden each month and
providing a 10 hr./week intern to support the program.

2021 BRIDGE ENGINEERING PROGRAM

City Nature Challenge Through a happy confluence with J’reyesha Brannon, Portland
Results NAACP Branch 1120, Environmental Justice Committee Chair,
and Senior Engineering Associate for City of Portland, BES, The
Portland-Vancouver: Blueprint Foundation and Jill Betts, our Back 5 geologist
• 6,002 observations of plants and wildlife
educator, we’re working on engineering curriculum for Black
• 981 species
youth to be involved in the process of designing a permanent
• 473 people participating
replacement for the Garden’s pedestrian bridge. Program
Worldwide, there were: planning is in the early stages, but topics will include the role
• 1,270,767 observations culture plays in these types of projects, river morphology, the
• 45,399 species flood regime of rivers, and analysis of the strengths and
• 52,777 people participating weaknesses of various bridge design options.

This was an amazing and rewarding effort,

2021 CITY NATURE CHALLENGE
uniting observers from all over the world
in adding the most CNC observations ever
This annual worldwide community science event was created
to iNaturalists's community science and organized by community science teams at California
database. Academy of Sciences and Natural History Museum of Los
Angeles County. This year Leach Garden, together with a
coalition of partners, organized the first ever City Nature
Challenge for the Portland-Vancouver area.
Visitor Services
In 2021 we launched our first official Visitor Services
35,859
Department. In addition to admissions, Visitor Services staff Number of visitors in the
serve as the Garden's "front desk," orienting visitors,
answering a myriad of questions, and handling class and event
first six months
registration and memberships. The team was ready to go on after opening
day one, undaunted by the challenges of new software and
the ever-changing Covid protocols. Now, as the busy season
winds down, it is rewarding to reflect on the past year. 43+
Thanks to funding from Portland Parks and Recreation, we Number of states
welcomed over 35,000 individuals for free in the first six (+D.C.) represented by
months after opening. Visitors flowed through the entrance
visitors who made
plaza from over forty different states, while many nearby
neighbors discovered the Garden for the first time—delighting advance reservations
in the fact that this magical place exists right in their
neighborhood. Nearby Assisted Living groups and daycares
brought new guests young and old to explore the gentle
pathways. It was a summer to learn and share discoveries with
our guests, as we all witnessed the ever-changing waves of
new flowers in the pollinator garden and the wildlife settling
back in after construction.

Along with the opening of the Upper Garden development

project, we established a formal membership program. Since
April, 219 new members have joined the garden and our
longtime Friend Members continue to show their support. Our
members this year not only provided financial funds that
helped with our daily garden operations and programing but
they served as our ambassadors to the garden, bringing friends
and family to visit. We could not have finished out the year
strong without their support.
 Rentals and Events
Rentals and events are a significant source of operating revenue for
Leach Garden, so this year we were pleased to see the rental program
begin to recover after the devastating impact of Covid in 2020. Leach
Garden hosted 20 large scale rentals from May through October, utilizing
all areas of the garden. We also were the venue of choice for other
smaller rentals, such as elopements, training sessions, photo shoots, and
retreats. Inquiries have increased and we are steadily booking 2022
dates and have started a waitlist for 2023. This is a much rosier picture
“Heartfelt thanks to Leach Botanical than last year at this time.
Garden for your enthusiastic support of
our concert, “Crossing Paths.” Thanks to We were fortunate to have two Lents Youth Initiative Interns join our
the Garden community for their interest,
team this summer and are pleased that they plan to return next year.
swelling our audience to a capacity crowd;
Garden volunteers for their help on
concert day; and especially, rental Despite all this, the season had its challenges due to the ups and downs
coordinator Kit Cummins for cheerfully of the pandemic. Several rentals were canceled and refunded 100% due
attending to our needs throughout the
to Covid, while many others were postponed or needed extra meetings
production. You all made a difference, and
along with our performers and (of course) and walkthroughs to discuss safety. We are pleased to report that we
composers, made it one of our best held all events in a safe manner with no known Covid cases or
concerts ever. outbreaks.
— Cascadia Composers

Events
While some Garden events were postponed due to the pandemic, we
were pleased to be able to hold our first Farm to Table dinner this year
to raise money for replacement of the pedestrian bridge over Johnson
Creek. Our new partnership with the non-profit Cascadia Composers
kicked off with their ticketed concert in September. Three different
composers were showcased in different garden settings. At 185, it was
the Garden's largest event attendance since reopening the upper garden.
And, happily, our continuing partnership with Lilla Lit will resume in
December, 2021 in conjunction with a Solstice Celebration.
Dale Shetler
Volunteer Program
This spring we began welcoming back volunteers who were
furloughed because of COVID. Many returned in new
capacities, helping to greet and orient visitors, answering
questions, and providing access to the south side of Johnson
Creek. As we moved into summer, volunteers began offering
tours and this fall and winter they will team up with staff in
the Visitor Services kiosk. Throughout the pandemic, our
gardening volunteers continued their regular schedules,
providing essential support and extra hands to stay on top of
Annie Winn

the maintenance demands the new garden areas require. All

the while, the Back 5 volunteers continued their heroic work
battling the blackberries and supporting the project's
educational program.

Volunteers will contribute over 3,600 hours by end of this

year. That number represents more than 65 individuals who
give generously of their time and talents. The garden is well-
maintained, the gift shop is open and welcoming, noteworthy
events have taken place, visitors are greeted and welcomed,
and the garden hums along successfully each day in large part
due to the contributions of our amazing team of volunteers.

The Gift Shop

In response to Covid, the Gift Shop was closed for several
months. But our Volunteer Services Manager, Annie Winn,
created a service window and found a way to move some of
the merchandise outdoors, allowing the shop to reopen this
spring. Many new products have been added and we are on
track to make this a record year with sales topping $56,450
Annie Winn
Annie Winn

in the first 10 months of 2021. The excellent selection of

unique and locally sourced items has made the shop a
popular garden destination.
FY 2020-2021 FINANCIALS
The Covid epidemic continued to impact revenues this year, making it
impossible to hold revenue-generating events in the first half of the year
and creating uncertainty and other challenges all year long. Once again,
we are grateful for our generous supporters who stepped up to help. We
were also fortunate to obtain a second Paycheck Protection Program loan
from the Small Business Administration which helped ensure that we did
not have to lay off staff just as we were reopening the Upper Garden.
This year we received $424,000 in grant funds for the Upper Garden
Project. Those funds, along with the $665,633.00 we raised earlier for
the project, were all transferred to Portland Parks & Recreation during
the 20-21 fiscal year.

TOTAL
REVENUE

TOTAL
EXPENSES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS COUNCIL OF ADVISORS STAFF
Irene Bowers, President Mike Abbaté Eric Vines, Interim Ex. Director
Mike McKeel, Vice President Mike Lindberg Kit Cummins, Rentals Manager
Mary L.K. Davis, Secretary Patrick R. O' Brien Michael Cummins, Facilities Maint.
Tom Bland, Treasurer Josephine Pope Adam Hart, Horticulture Manager
Gay Greger Dean Runyan Scott Hoelscher, Head Gardener
Bob Hyland Zari Santner Melissa Manuel, Propagation &
Lina Ma Kim Silva Design Horticulturist
Sue O'Halloran Ali Smith, Operations Manager
CiCi Polson Tamra Tiemeyer Visitor Svcs. Mgr.
Dale Shetler JoAnn Vrilakas, Education Manager
Francheska Snyder Annie Winn, Mgr. Volunteer Svcs.

Most of the photos in this year's

report are the work of Tamra
Tiemeyer, Leach Garden's multi-
talented Visitor Services Manager. A PLACE LIKE NO OTHER
Other photos are credited as
appropriate. 6704 SE 122nd Avenue Portland, OR 97236
www.leachgarden.org [email protected]
503-823-9503

Operating in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation