Robert Arneson Park
Tree Davis is partnering with the City of Davis to explore the concept of converting portions of Robert Arneson Park into a “Climate-Ready Landscape.” The park borders the intersection of Moore Boulevard and Bonnard Street in the Wildhorse neighborhood. Before we proceed with the conversion, we want to make sure that we have the input and support from the Wildhorse community and Robert Arneson Park users. Continue to read below to learn about the project and how you can share your feedback about it.
Climate-Ready Landscapes
Climate-Ready Landscapes are spaces that are visually vibrant, drought tolerant, water thrifty, and support local nature. Tree Davis partered with the City of Davis to convert much of the greenbelt between White Sands and Shasta Drive into a Climate-Ready Landscape, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to create similar spaces in other parts of Davis. Ultimately we see Climate-Ready Landscapes as a model for how communities like Davis can embrace a more sustainable approach to our green spaces.
A pollinator gardens at the Tree Davis Memorial Grove in West Davis
We hope to bring Climate-Ready Landscapes to Robert Arneson Park by taking portions of the park that are underutilized and transform them into pollinator gardens and mini-forests.
Pollinator gardens are spaces that are designed with plants that provide food, shelter, and important resources to bees, butterflies, birds, and other wildlife. We have been careful about species choices of plants, largely based on research from the UC Davis Arboretum as well as at the Memorial Grove in West Davis and N Street Park in Davis Manor. The shrubs and plants that we select for these spaces are attractive to pollinators, beautiful to look at, and highly compatible with the growth of young trees in the area.
The mini-forests will be groves of “Climate-Ready Trees” that are well adapted to the current and future conditions in Davis, so we anticipate they will be providing great shade for many years to come. We intend to use alternative groundcovers for these trees to maximize tree health, combat invasive weeds, reduce water use, and sustainability, Click here to learn more about Climate-Ready Landscapes and Tree Davis projects.
Our hope at Robert Arneson Park is to make this a beautiful space for the community without taking away the core qualities or functionality of the park. We intend to keep existing lawn, shrubs, and trees, while enhancing unused edges of the park with groundcovers, pollinator-friendly plants and trees. See our proposed plan on the map below.
For more information about this project, please contact Tree Davis’ Executive Director, Torin Dunnavant, torin@treedavis.org, (310)717-1831.
FAQs
Why is Tree Davis doing this project?
Tree Davis is committed to creating beautiful spaces for the community that are sustainable and able to withstand the changing climate long-term. We have previously completed Climate-Ready Landscape transformations at our Tree Davis Memorial Grove in West Davis and N Street Park in Davis Manor. Both of those projects were done in partnership with the City of Davis.
How is this project being funded?
This project would be funded by donors. All support towards this project is greatly appreciated. Potentially we will seek outside grant funds and/or receive staff support from the City of Davis for small portions of the project. Funding would cover all costs related to planning, plants and materials, and ongoing care for the spaces into the far future.
What is the process for approval?
If we receive support from residents of the community and park users, we will ask for the go ahead from the City of Davis Parks Department, the Parks Commission and City Council. If we get the thumbs up from all of those groups, we will move forward with the concept.
What is the timeline for this project?
There is still a lot of planning and preparation to do for this project, but we are thrilled to get started. If all goes according to plan, we anticipate being able to start work as early as Fall 2024 and complete the transformation as early as Fall 2025. After the transformation is complete, Tree Davis staff and volunteers will continue to maintain the space into perpetuity.
How will the park changes impact people that use the park?
We plan for the changes to occur in phases, and with very limited interruptions for park users. Since the spaces that we are looking to change are not spaces that are regularly used, we project little impact to folks that use the park.
Can I participate with the planting and care?
Absolutely! Please let us know about your interest, and we will reach out as we get closer to this becoming a reality. We would love to see nearby residents making this own through their input and their stewardship.