KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Undeclared freshman Shelley Preston, right, adds her name to a petition on Friday afternoon as Joe Liesz, director of the 4-H youth foundation, looks on. The petition will attempt to halt the movement of the Joseph Wood Krutch cactus garden.

Moving trees, cactuses could jeopardize their health, protestors say

Nearly 30 members of the UA community protested Friday in front of the Administration building in support of preserving the Joseph Wood Krutch cactus garden.

The University of Arizona Alumni Association has proposed to build the Alumni Heritage Plaza on the Mall, which would require rare boojum trees to be transplanted near Old Main.

However, moving the trees would be a major risk to their health, several protesters said.

Wolfgang Golser, UA alumnus and research specialist for Speech and Hearing Sciences, said the protesters' primary objective was to keep the garden in its position because of the chance of the plants dying when moved.

"I love the outdoors and have taken a deep interest in plants," he said. "The cactus garden should be a part of the plaza rather than risk moving it."

Joe Liesz, executive director of the 4-H youth foundation, said the trees have important historical value because they were among the first to have been moved from Mexico and were planted around 1929.

"The trees could be here long after the bricks and mortar of the buildings on campus are gone," he said. "These trees could live for another 500 years."

Golser said the trees are educational, especially because of their central location on campus.

"The garden is educational, and classes often visit it for instructional purposes," he said.

Catrin Gersdorf, a visiting scholar studying desert literature, said the cactus garden was named after one of the most prominent Southwestern nature writers.

"I'm supporting the natural aspect of the garden and also its cultural importance," she said. "The garden is an important cultural entity and part of the city's history."

Jay Rochlin, associate director of the Alumni Office, said no design for the Alumni Plaza has been finalized and planners are still looking for alternatives to moving the garden.

Rochlin said the three main alternatives for the garden are moving it, not touching it or modifying it to be more accessible to the community.

Friday, the association brought a boojum tree specialist to campus from Phoenix to examine the garden.

"We expect to receive a report by late next week with information regarding the possibility of the garden being left in its position or moved," Rochlin said. "We will share the report with anyone interested."

A representative from the Alumni Association will attend next week's Associated Students of the University of Arizona meeting to speak informally about the project and get student input.

"We're not presenting a final design· we're interested in hearing how the students use the Mall," he said.

Liesz said he would like to see the garden remain where it is and hopes it can become part of the plaza's design.

"It is very easy to incorporate the garden into the plaza and make it the heart of the UA community," he said.