JON HELGASON/Arizona Daily Wildcat This 70 year-old boojum tree standing in the Joseph Wood Krutch cactus garden will likely be joined by younger boojums when the garden is expanded as part of the Alumni Heritage Plaza. The gardenâs three rare boojums were briefly jeopardized early this semester when one proposal for the new plaza recommended moving the garden to the front of Old Main, a transition that would likely have killed the trees.

Students rallied around keeping desert environment in campus center

The historical cactus garden and its three 70-year-old boojum trees survived a scare earlier this year when plans to create a grassy plaza to honor UAâs alumni threatened to move the garden and potentially kill the rare trees.

The proposal to move the Joseph Wood Krutch cactus garden to its original location near Old Main to make room for the Alumni Heritage Plaza sparked an outcry from concerned environmentalists on campus,

A recent plan will maintain and expand the garden, adding new plant life offering more shade to students, new paths on the Mall and will include four fountains between the Student Union Memorial Center and the Administration building.

But that decision came after weeks of protest in which garden-backers accused UA President Peter Likins of a lack of interest in the environment and Likins told protesters that they misunderstood his stance on the future of the garden and the plaza.

Cactus garden supporters rallied to ask Likins and the Arizona Alumni Association to maintain a more natural, desert environment after plans to transfer the garden to make room for the Alumni Plaza sparked concern that the three 70-year-old boojums might not survive the move.

More than 2,000 students signed a petition in favor of preserving the last remaining portion of the historical cactus garden on the UA Mall.

During the controversy, Likins was unable to open his e-mail without being bombarded with messages regarding the cactus garden and the three boojum trees.

At one Student Advisory Council meeting, Alumni Association President Sandy Ruhl was asked a question about the boojum trees and said not even to say the word ãboojum.ä

Once the Alumni Association decided to incorporate the cactus garden into their plans, a working group was put together to decide the future of the garden.

That group came up with plans to alter the garden by relocating some plants to the Old Main area and supplementing those plants with more Sonoran Desert flora.

David Duffy, director of Campus and Facilities Planning, stated in a press release that the proposed change is ãa light intervention to enhance the current gardenä that would not alter the natural environment of the garden.

With the size enhancement and incorporation of the garden, Kay Brown, Alumni Association board member, and incoming Associated Students of the University of Arizona President Doug Hartz are satisfied with the results.

ãWhen I went in, I didnât want anything taken out, but what I realized was that it would make it more aesthetic to the educational value and the historical significance,ä Hartz said. ãAdding in plants will give it the general theme.ä

ãI think the results are excellent, a win-win situation for everyone,ä Brown said. ãThe enhanced size will help enhance the importance of the rare species protected on the Mall, and I think it will be a significant addition to the plaza.ä