Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

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Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is a 14,000 acre (57 km²) arboretum, forest, and nature preserve located in Clermont, Kentucky (south of Louisville, Kentucky, United States).

Bernheim was founded in 1929 by Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, a German immigrant and successful brewer whose whiskey distillery business established the I.W. Harper brand. He purchased the land in 1928 at $1 an acre because most of it had been stripped for mining iron ore. The Frederick Law Olmsted landscape architecture firm started work on designing the park in 1931 and it opened in 1950. Bernheim Forest was given to the people of Kentucky in trust and it is the largest privately owned natural area in the state. Bernheim, his wife, daughter, and son-in-law are buried in the forest.

In 1988, at least one outside consulting firm was engaged and work on a new long-range plan for the forest was begun. One of the directives of the new strategic plan was to make the arboretum a primary focus. In addition, the forest decided to strengthen its research ties with institutions such as the University of Louisville. As a result, Bernheim Forest was re-named Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. However, most local visitors still refer to the property as "Bernheim Forest," and most (if not all) of the signage located along surrounding roads still refer to the old name. In recent years, Bernheim has developed a strong volunteer program, added frequent public workshops and classes, and successfully hosts several large public events each year. These include the annual ColorFest in October and a 5-mile (8 km) run/walk, also held in October.

Features and Offerings

Generally speaking, the property is divided into two areas--the arboretum and the natural area. The arboretum features formal and informal plant collections and various modern facilities, including handicapped accessible restrooms. Other arboretum features include numerous walking paths; a visitor's center, cafe, and gift shop; education center; and four lakes. The natural area contains most of Bernheim's hiking trails, and is primarily a beech-maple forest with access via paved roads. There are over 35 miles (56.3 km) of hiking trails and scenic fire-roads, including the 13.3 mile (21.4 km) Millennium Trail and the 3.2 mile (5.1 km) paved Hike-Bike Pike. One short trail, the aptly named Fire Tower Loop, leads to a metal observation tower that is often open to climb via stairs.

Bernheim is open daily from 7 a.m. until sunset, the exceptions being Christmas day (December 25) and New Year's day (January 1). The visitor's center, gift shop, and art gallery are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Activities one can engage in at Bernheim include walking, hiking, picnicking, birdwatching, bicycling, plant identification, photography, fishing, and special events. Although overnight camping was once allowed in a designated campground, it is no longer permitted. Bernheim is dog friendly (dogs must remain on a leash at all times, and are prohibited in certain areas). The education center offers programs for school and other groups (advanced reservations are required). A live wildlife exhibit area for orphaned and injured animals is maintained adjacent to the education center. In 2005, a new visitor's center was opened and is considered to be a revolutionary eco-friendly design. The center is constructed of recycled materials and has live plantings on the roof.

Bernheim offers memberships that include free year-round admission, discounts on educational programs, and subscription to a quarterly newsletter. As of January 2006, the least expensive memberships were $25 for individuals and $35 for families. For non-members, admission is free on weekdays, but a fee is charged on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays ($5 for each passenger car, mini-van, or motorcycle; $10 for passenger vans and recreational vehicles; and $20 for buses).

Arboretum

The property includes a 240-acre (0.97 km²) arboretum containing over 1,900 labeled species and cultivars of trees, shrubs, and other plants. The arboretum includes over 185 cultivars of American holly species. Other major collections include maples, crab apples, conifers (including dwarf conifers), oaks, buckeyes, ginkgoes, ornamental pears, and dogwoods. Specific attractions within the arboretum include the sun and shade trail, quiet garden, and garden pavilion. The original design for the arboretum was adopted in 1935, and has continued to be refined and improved over the years. In 1994, legislation was passed designating Bernheim as Kentucky's official arboretum. As is the case in most arboreta, the collection of leaves or clippings is not permitted.

The arboretum's holly collection is among the best in North America. It is officially named the Buddy Hubbuch Holly Collection, after Clarence E. "Buddy" Hubbuch, Jr. (deceased as of 2000), Bernheim's first horticulturist who oversaw the planting of the collection over his 33 year tenure. It contains more than 700 specimens representing more than 350 individual species and cultivars from all across the northern hemisphere. These include 176 American Holly (Ilex opaca) cultivars, 44 selections of Japanese Holly (I. crenata), more than 50 cultivars of deciduous hollies (I. decidua, I. verticillata, I. serrata, and hybrids), and 19 cultivars of Inkberry (I. glabra) along with many unique hybrids.

Isaac W. Bernheim's Vision

Some people intimately acquainted with Issac W. Bernheim's original vision believe the current strategic direction of the forest has grown significantly disparate from what was originally intentioned. Before his death, Bernheim laid out his goals for the forest in a letter to the trustees and directors of the I. W. Bernheim Foundation. That letter, dated August 30, 1939, set the following goals:

• No discussion of religion or politics, no trading or trafficking. . .
• No distinction will be shown between rich or poor, white or colored.
• My vision embraces an edifice, beautiful in design, which will rise at some carefully selected spot within the area. It may be made of marble or of native stone. . . . Within it there will be an art gallery . . . . Therein there will be busts in bronze of men and women whose names have risen to places of distinctive honor in Kentucky – a lasting and ever-present inspiration to the youths who gaze upon their faces.
• A museum of natural history containing specimens of every animal that is classified in the wild life of this hemisphere will be provided for.
• . . . a tall steel pole rearing its top far from the ground, and from it will float the American Flag, to be the center at intervals of patriotic gatherings, especially of children, who will be retold the story of liberty.
• To all I send the invitation to come . . . to re-create their lives in the enjoyment of nature . . . in the park which I have dedicated to the use of the people, and which I hope will be kept for ever free.

Bernheim was a true visionary, and he himself wrote that "nothing is static in this world." He understood the changing nature of the world, and the need for changing thought in the context of time. That being said, many of Bernheim's goals were very specific and clear, and transcend changing contexts. To date, no edifice has been constructed to honor famous Kentuckians. A wildlife museum such as was described by Bernheim did at once exist, but has been re-arranged in recent years to serve as an administrative/education center, and static wildlife exhibits have mostly been removed (in the forest's defense, many of the taxidermied exhibits were deteriorating). And, an admission fee has been established on weekends, which some argue is contrary to the vision that "no distinction will be shown between rich or poor" and that the forest "will be kept for ever free." Bernheim administrators have stated they interpret Mr. Bernheim's statement as being free from debt.

Bernheim's concept for an art gallery does, in large part, exist. The administrative/education center does host displays of local and regional artwork in various mediums. Bernheim also has an "Artist-in-Residence" program. This fellowship program typically offers housing and a stipend to artists who help promote the artistic aspects of Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. Artists are expected to interact with the public in workshops or gallery open houses. Past artists have worked in photography, paint, sculpture, and writing. Sculptures in metal, stone, wood, and other mediums are sprinkled around the forest property.

Bernheim wrote in his 1939 letter that "the grave has no voice." But, he went on to say "may I not express the hope and fervent prayer that my wishes outlined in its different sections be respected as much as humanly possible." In his 1929 autobiography, "The Closing Chapters of a Busy Life," Bernheim also wrote that "I am comforted in the firm belief that the good a man does lives after him."

See also

• List of attractions and events in Louisville
• List of botanical gardens in the United States

External links

• [Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest Official Website]

 

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