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Botanic Garden

Fiscal Year 2001 Budget Estimate

BOTANIC GARDEN MISSION STATEMENT

Cou The United States Botanic Garden is an institution of public education dedicated to demonstrating the aesthetic, cultural, economic,
therapeutic and ecological importance of plants to the well-being of human-kind. The U.S. Botanic Garden carries out this mission by:
Presenting displays of plants, exhibitions, and a program of educational activities; promoting botanical knowledge through the
interpretation and display of a collection of plants; and fostering plant conservation by acting as a repository for endangered species.
Uniquely situated at the heart of the U.S. government, the Botanic Garden seeks to promote the exchange of ideas and information relevant
to this mission among national and international visitors and policy makers.

RABIC A botanic garden at the seat of government was the dream of several founders of the nation, including George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison and the U.S. Botanic Garden can trace its history to these early plans. The main location, at First Street and
Maryland Avenue, S.W., includes the Conservatory and two acres of outside grounds. The Conservatory is the primary area for display
of tropical and subtropical flora and serves as the focal point for orienting visitors to the botanic garden. Just before it closed for renovation
in 1997, it was one of the most visited in the nation, attracting students, scientists, plant enthusiasts, and members of the general public.
There is no charge for admission. Across Independence Avenue is Frederic Auguste Bartholdi Park, an outdoor display area. The Botanic
Garden's administration building is located in the park. The three acres directly west of the Conservatory is slated to become the National
Garden, a privately funded project approaching the construction stage of development. The D.C. Village Production Facility, located just
off Shepherd Parkway in Anacostia, includes 34 greenhouse bays and a large support facility with offices, outdoor growing fields, cold
frames, warehouse space, and maintenance shops. This appropriation provides for the care and upkeep of the Conservatory, Administration
Building, Bartholdi Park, the plant collection, the gardens and grounds, the Production Facility at D.C. Village and the new National
Garden.

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The Architect of the Capitol has served as Acting Director of the United States Botanic Garden since July 3, 1934. The Architect is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the garden and for any construction, changes, or improvements made to the garden. The Architect performs his duties in connection with the garden under the direction of the Joint Committee on the Library, which is charged by law with control over the garden.

The United States Botanic Garden is comprised of four related operations. First, the organization maintains a large public

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Botanic Garden

Fiscal Year 2001 Budget Estimate conservatory. One of the largest structures of its kind, the Conservatory, which opened in 1933, is now closed for renovation. When it reopens in the fall of 2000, it will display tropical and subtropical plants from around the world organized into beautiful elaborately themed exhibits which are designed around focal areas of interest to the public, e.g., a rainforest, a desert, and an ancient primeval forest. Two galleries will become large display halls used to orient the public to the Botanic Garden and to interpret the contributions of plants to the natural world and to human civilization.

Second, the Botanic Garden displays temperate plants on its outdoor grounds. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi Park, across Independence Avenue from the Conservatory, is a garden demonstration landscape. Just over an acre in size, the park contains many theme gardens, each of a size and scale suitable for the urban or suburban home site. The gardens illustrate design principles and display outstanding and unusual woody and perennial plants. Changing seasonal display beds feature eye-catching combinations of annuals and perennials. The focal point of the park is the historic Bartholdi Fountain, named for its creator, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, designer of the Statue of Liberty. A second outdoor display area will be the National Garden, scheduled to open in late 2001. A privately funded project, the National Garden will showcase outstanding native plants from the mid-Atlantic region and the United States, as well as a rose garden to feature the National Flower, a First Ladies Water Garden, a butterfly garden, the Senator John Heinz Environmental Learning Center, and a small amphitheater.

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Third, the Botanic Garden presents a full slate and variety of public programs for adults and children about plants and their significance. Offerings include classes, special exhibits, seasonal floral displays, lecture series, informational brochures and other publications, school programs, public tours, and off-site presentations. Public programs are expected to expand with the opening of the privately funded Senator John Heinz Environmental Learning Center, the first and only facility at the Botanic Garden designed specifically for educational programming.

The fourth major responsibility of the Botanic Garden is the production of plants at, and maintenance of, the D.C. Village Production Facility. The facility includes approximately 85,000 square feet (about 2 acres) under glass and a 26,000 square-foot support facility. All of the plants used in the Conservatory and Bartholdi Park for seasonal exhibits, special displays, and plants for replacement or additions to the permanent display collections, are grown at the facility. Areas of the greenhouses are also dedicated to growing plants for Congressional offices and functions. Special projects now ongoing at the Production Facility include growing and propagating rare and unusual plants that will be used in the Conservatory and National Garden exhibits.

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• Includes Obligations from Prior Year "No Year" Authority.

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