2007 – Preserving the Legacy, Growing Toward the Future

With the completion of the Centennial Plan in 2007, Hoyt Arboretum Friends (HAF) put in place a detailed plan to realize the original founders’ vision for Hoyt Arboretum. Charting a course toward Hoyt’s centennial year, 2031, the plan sets forth specific goals and objectives to increase funding and build community support.  As it is carried out, the plan will sustain and improve the Arboretum’s world-class collections, increase access, learning and research opportunities and establish a model of environmental best practices for a public garden.

2007 was a year of growth and progress on many major fronts.  With resources from both the public sector and generous donations from HAF members and donors, new trees were planted, Phase II of the Redwoods Plan was completed, the Interpretive & Wayfinding Master Plan was begun, Phase I of the Conifer Collection Restoration Project was completed, Winter Garden Irrigation was begun and the Arboretum joined with other organizations to form the Washington Park Alliance.

 
TREES AND PLANTS

 New Plants

Hoyt Arboretum is one of the few places on earth where such a wide variety of trees and plants can be grown.  As part of the ongoing effort to educate the community about the irreplaceable value of plants, and to continue the legacy of the original designers and planters, 92 plants were added to the Hoyt Collection in 2007.

New Collection trees of particular interest are:

Sorbus commixta
Japanese mountain ash

This plant was collected on Mt. Chiri in South Korea.  An elegant small to medium-sized tree that may be single or multi-trunked, Sorbus commixta has very striking autumn colors and fruit.

 
Betula calcicola

A  small tree from the birch family, Betulaceae, was collected at 10,800 ft. from the sunny limestone cliffs of Xien Ren Dong in Yunnan, China.  It will ultimately grow into an eight-foot, multi-stemmed small tree.

 
Hydrangea serratifolia

Collected by Daniel J. Hinkley in 1998 in Parque National Puycheue, Chile, this specimen is a broad-leaved evergreen with stiff and leathery leaves setting off white flowers.

 
Juniperus squamata
Himalayan juniper

Collected in 1995 at 13,450 ft. elevation in  Nepal, this species of juniper is native to the Himalayas and China.

 
Paulownia kawakamii
sapphire dragon tree

This unusual species possesses the same fast growth rate as the Japanese empress tree.  It has enormous leaves, up to two feet and its tubular lavender flowers develop from cinnamon colored buds that are attractive in Winter.  Paulownia kawakamii is native to Taiwan and is currently threatened by habitat loss.

 The vast majority of all new plants added to the Collection were grown from seeds collected in the wild.

Portland Parks’ staff and volunteers continued to care for the trees, trails and facilities at Hoyt in 2007.  Special maintenance of the Magnolia area and around the Stevens Pavilion this year was provided and financed through HAF’s Gardener Initiative, which is supported solely by donors and members.

Irrigation Project – Phase II

In 2007 the second phase of the Irrigation Project, funded by the members of Hoyt Arboretum Friends and Portland Parks & Recreation, was begun in the Winter Garden.  The Winter Garden is a formal garden area in Hoyt Arboretum containing a concentration of winter interest plants suitable for small gardens.   Many of the trees in the Arboretum Collection, including some in the Winter Garden, receive rain during the summer in their natural environments and will benefit greatly by having water in summer.  Irrigation will eventually result in an upgrade in the quality of the Collection generally – a clear benefit for visitors, scientists and researchers.

Phase I of the Irrigation Plan was successfully completed in the Magnolia area in 2006 and already there has been an appreciable difference in the health and appearance of the trees in the Magnolia Collection.

The Irrigation Plan took over a year to design and will take at least another five to ten years to fully fund and bring to completion.  The combination of donor contributions, planning by the partnership between Parks and Hoyt Arboretum Friends and project management by Parks staff makes the construction of this very valuable asset possible.  In addition, as members and donors invest more in Hoyt Arboretum, the Parks bureau and City Council have sought to match this increased community investment resulting in more funding for the Arboretum from the City of Portland’s budget. 

Redwoods Renovation – Phase II

The first steps to renovate the beloved and majestic Redwood Collection in Hoyt Arboretum were taken in February of  2007.

Among the very first trees planted at the Arboretum in 1931 were coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) that had been grown from seeds starting in 1914.  By 1931 when they were planted, the seedlings were four to six feet tall.   A large number of specimens were planted in a rather small area between Fairview Blvd. and Burnside and most are now over 150’.  To keep the collection strong and vibrant, thirteen trees were removed in order to create sufficient growing space for the healthier trees.   This “weeding out” process, intended by the original planters to occur at regular 10-year intervals, has never been implemented until now. 

Phase II is part of a larger renovation project to restore the Redwood Collection to full health.

Conifer Collection Restoration Project – Phase I

Hoyt Arboretum’s Conifer Collection restoration project, Phase I, was completed in 2007.   Over the next three years, Arboretum staff will continue to work to renovate an 18-acre section of the 77-year-old Conifer Collection – improving the health of trees and the quality of the watershed.

The project’s first phase focused on the understory of the Conifer Collection.  Phase II will focus on Johnson Creek and the banks adjacent to it. 

Hoyt staff worked with the City’s Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) to remedy some of the less-than-ideal environmental conditions in the Conifer area by removing trees and invasive plants and shrubs that take valuable water, nutrients and light away from the conifers.  During Phase II restoration crews will re-vegetate the area with native shrubs and ferns.

The majority of the tree and shrub removal took place in the fall and winter of 2007 when native plants were dormant.  Re-vegetation work will begin in 2008 and will take several seasons to establish.

The first trees planted in Hoyt Arboretum in the 1930’s were conifers.  Today this arboretum has one of the largest collections of distinct species of conifers in North America.  The original planters intended that the conifer collection be maintained like a garden, with “weeding” and thinning occurring at regular intervals.  However, due to inadequate funding and staffing, the collection has had very little professional care over the years.  Now, Hoyt Arboretum Friends and Portland Parks & Recreation are making it possible for the conifers to receive some of the maintenance and attention long deferred.

House for Summer 20^th Anniversary

In 2007 artist Helen Lessick, Hoyt Arboretum Friends, and the Regional Arts and Culture Council sponsored a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Lessick’s living tree sculpture, House for Summer.   Located on a grassy knoll on the south side of the Arboretum, this birch “tree house” has long been a special place for children, neighbors and regular Arboretum visitors.

RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION

Hoyt Arboretum gives scientists and students access to specimens that are not available anywhere else in North America.  The 187-acre living museum is home to more than 8,000 trees and plants representing over 1,000 species (plus more than 600 cultivars) from around the world.   More than 60 species displayed at Hoyt are endangered in their native habitats. 

National Maple Collection Designation

In 2007 the Acer (Maple) Collection of Hoyt Arboretum was granted North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC) full member status as a participant in a multi-site Acer Collection. The NAPCC, a program of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA)  is a network of botanical gardens and arboreta working to coordinate a continent-wide approach to plant germplasm preservation, and  promote high standards of plant collections management.   

As one of only eleven national collection-based institutions to receive this designation, Hoyt Arboretum is a significant participant in the national effort to collaborate on the ex situ preservation of plants.

Participating institutions commit to holding and developing a collection of documented living plants according to professional standards of collections management. They share collections information with other institutions to compare holdings and to identify duplications and gaps. This approach makes efficient use of available resources, strengthening collections through combined collaborative activities.

NAPCC Collection holders make germplasm available for selection and breeding, taxonomic studies, evaluation, utilization, and other research purposes. NAPCC Collections may serve as reference collections for plant identification and cultivar registration.

Plant Database

The Arboretum’s plant database, which contains information on the origin, history, growth, health and location of the individual specimens in the collection continued to be maintained and updated by staff and volunteers in 2007.  In addition, significant upgrades are now in process with the eventual goal of having collection records fully accessible to scientists & students around the world via the website.

Rainfall Interception Study

Mitch Bixby, a graduate student at Portland State University, began a multi-year study of Rainfall Interception by Open-Grown Douglas Firs in Hoyt Arboretum.  Mitch’s team hypothesizes that Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas firs) that are open-grown (not grown directly adjacent to another tree) can intercept a larger quantity of water than Douglas firs that are grown in a closed canopy forest-setting (close to or adjacent to other trees).  To date, most rainfall interception studies have been conducted in closed-canopy forest settings and these data may not be as applicable to storm water reduction efforts in urban environments as data collected from trees that are open-grown and better mimic trees grown in the urban forest.  Hoyt Arboretum was chosen as one of Mitch’s test sites because the Arboretum has healthy, open-grown Douglas-firs and also has research support facilities for weather station set-ups and storage for research related material.  So far Mitch’s team has preliminary data that suggests that rainfall interception rates for open-grown Douglas-firs are actually higher than previously published rainfall interception rates from closed canopy forests.  This study will continue through this Spring. 

 Research Update

Glenn Kohler an OSU graduate student, who conducted a portion of his research at Hoyt Arboretum completed his thesis in March of 2007.  Glenn’s research focused on identifying predators of the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.  The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (a fluid-feeding insect) is a native of Asia, is found across North America but only causes serious problems in hemlock tree species in the East. Scientists believe it has been around considerably longer in the West, where hemlocks have more natural resistance and there are also a wider range of predators that appear to help keep the pest under control.  For his project, Glenn sorted through dozens of species and thousands of predators in work at 16 sites in Oregon (Hoyt Arboretum being one of them) and Washington to identify species that attacked the Adelgid and, more importantly, favored it.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Website

In 2007 the capacity for online giving as well as more in-depth information was added to the new website (launched in 2006).  The website is updated on a regular basis. A variety of audiences -  HAF members and supporters, visitors, renters, families, students and scientists -- can easily access the information they need.  Visitors to the website can download maps, get directions and plan a trip to the Arboretum.  Information about research and conservation, learning opportunities and the tree collections can be found on the website, as well as many beautiful images of this special place.

Events

Partnership Events

Events in 2007 included several partnerships between Hoyt Arboretum Friends and other organizations designed to bring opportunities to their members and the general public.

Columbia River Orienteering

Orienteering is a race using map and compass skills.  In March of 2007 the Columbia River Orienteering Club and Hoyt Arboretum Friends partnered to bring orienteering to the Arboretum.  The objective was to provide a fun outdoor experience for CROC members and the public and also to help scouts fulfill their merit badge requirements.

Bamboo Festival

The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the American Bamboo Society and Hoyt Arboretum sponsored a Bamboo Festival on Saturday, July 14, 2007.  This free event was open to the public and was held in the Stevens Pavilion at the Hoyt Arboretum. Plant and merchandise sales as well as demonstrations of bamboo uses continued throughout the day.  Experts well-versed in bamboo horticulture were on hand to answer questions and speak about all aspects of bamboo --  from ornamental uses to ways in which bamboo can be used as a sustainable building material.

Arborists in the Arboretum

Skilled arborists from throughout the region donated their services to help maintain the health of the Hoyt Arboretum plant collections on a Saturday in September 2007, as they have every year since 1986.  Members of the public were invited to observe.

 Members Only Events

New Member Tours with Jim Gersbach

In 2007 new members of HAF were invited to attend two special tours of the Arboretum with local tree expert Jim Gersbach.     

Jim has been a Hoyt Arboretum volunteer guide for more than 15 years and is a past HAF board member.  He is also a volunteer tree planting crew leader with the urban tree planting organization Friends of Trees (FOT), and has served as their board president in the past.   In 2005 he won the prestigious Bill Naito Community Trees award for his work with FOT creating the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum.

The first tour was given in May 2007and the second tour was given in conjunction with Arborists in the Arboretum Day, September 8, 2007.  Such topics as Arboretum history, the scientific importance of the collection, the provenance of the Arboretum plants and how trees can be used to teach natural history, biography, the history of science and folklore were covered.  Current members were also welcome to attend these tours.

Free Day at the World Forestry Center

HAF members enjoyed free entry to the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum on April 21, 2007 in celebration of Earth Day.

Arbor Day

In April 2007 Hoyt Arboretum Friends, and others of Oregon's tree-loving and environmental stewardship organizations, participated in the Arbor Week Community Fair at the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum presenting tree and earth-friendly activities & information.

Meet the Trees

During weekends in August 2007, HAF provided maps and information about trees, an activity map just for kids and free lemonade to hundreds of visitors.  The children’s activity map, developed and printed specifically for this event has been so popular that it is now carried in the Visitor Center as part of the inventory of educational brochures.

Winter Walkers

For all our visitors who like to explore the Arboretum in winter, Hoyt Arboretum Friends offered coffee, cocoa and cookies in the classroom on several days in November 2007.  Membership Director Jeannie Covell was available to answer questions and speak about the Arboretum programs.

Portland Parks and Recreation Classes, Tours and Programs

Hoyt Arboretum continues to be an attractive site for classes studying trees and nature, adults wanting to learn more about specific species of trees and/or Oregon natural history, and families wishing to combine exercise with learning more about their environment.   In 2007 Portland Parks’ Environmental Education Department offered guided tours, classes and camps at the Arboretum for school groups, adults, and families.

Green Walks Tours

These tours consist of a walk for about 1.5 hours with a naturalist pointing out seasonal observations and describing natural history.  Some groups add to their experience with stewardship activities later, such as studying the impact of ivy and removing it from a specific area.  In 2007, tours were given monthly from April through October.

 Summer Nature Camp

 Nature Day Camps are offered to youngsters between the ages of 5 and 14 during the summer months.   The camps are a first-hand experience with nature through hiking, scientific observation, forest crafts and story-telling for students ages 5 to 13.  Each child spends 30+ hours a week at camp.  Four week-long sessions were conducted in Hoyt Arboretum in 2007.

Ladybug Walks

Preschool children participated in several one-hour guided walks in the Arboretum in 2007.  Techniques necessary for developing good observational skills were practiced.

 
Newsletters, Newsflashes and E-Mail Alerts

In 2007 HAF members received information on new trees planted, programs and projects, staff awards, conservation efforts, and member opportunities throughout the year.

In an effort to reduce the amount of paper used and pieces of mail sent, members  received  one newsletter and four smaller “newflashes” in 2007 and were encouraged to sign up for an e-mail list to receive HAF news electronically .   

Wayfinding and Signage Plan - Phase I

A master plan for directional and interpretive signage throughout the Arboretum was begun in 2007.  HAF and PPR staff worked with consultants on Phase I of this plan which establishes a foundation upon which the planning decisions will be made.  Eventually, the implementation of this plan will lead to vastly improved trail markers, interpretive signs and orientation for visitors.

VISITOR SERVICES

Over 350,000 people visit the Arboretum each year.  Hoyt Arboretum Friends continues to provide services, education, interpretation and enhanced experiences for the many visitors wanting to know more about the Arboretum.

 
Maps and Brochures

This year more than 55,000 educational brochures and maps were distributed to the public through the Visitor Center, trail boxes in the Arboretum, Portland Oregon Visitor Association and other outlets.

Visitors can obtain a variety of educational brochures, route maps and other materials in the brochure boxes and in the Visitor Center during Visitor Center hours.  Volunteer greeters are also on hand in the Visitor Center to answer questions, help interpret the collections and sell items in the gift shop.

 Some of the free materials available through the Visitor Center are:  “The Language of Plants”, “Conifers of Hoyt Arboretum”, “Rentals”, “Native Tree and Shrub Walk”, “Winter Walks”, “Experience Fall”, “Celebrate Spring ”, “1-Mile Walk in Hoyt Arboretum”, 2-Mile Walk in Hoyt Arboretum”, “4-Mile Walk in Hoyt Arboretum”, “1-Mile Walk for Strollers and Wheelchairs”, “Hoyt Arboretum Arborist Partners”, “Walking in Washington Park”, “Washington Park”, “Meet the Trees” (children’s activity map) and the Plant Inventory Guide.  Some of these are now on the Hoyt website as well.

Funding for some of the brochures and maps was donated by the following organizations:  

Anne A. Berni Foundation
Pacific Power Foundation
Trust Management Services
U.S. Bank Foundation 
Witham & Dickey 

 Arborist Partners Brochure

A brochure is now available to explain the work of the certified arborists who partner with and work in Hoyt Arboretum and is updated as new arborist members join the program.  This brochure, “Hoyt Arboretum Arborist Partners” is available in the Visitor Center or by request for those needing information on tree care and arborist services.

Plant Inventory Guide

Each year a new list of all the species of trees planted in the Arboretum is published and distributed through the Visitor Center.  The plant inventory guide includes the names (Latin and common), locations, size, year planted and number of each of the species of trees in the Hoyt Collection.

Library Books

Thanks to the generous contributions of our members, the following new books were added to the Hoyt Arboretum library in 2007. 

Visitor Center 10th Anniversary Celebration

Since its dedication on April 6, 1997 the Visitor Center has been the focus for visitors from around the world who seek information about the Arboretum's world-class tree collection.  Staffed by the volunteers and employees of Hoyt Arboretum Friends, the Visitor Center has a small gift shop, brochure racks both inside and out containing information about the Arboretum's trees and trails, as well as a research library in the Bill deWeese classroom.  Funding for the construction of the Visitor Center was provided by the members of Hoyt Arboretum Friends.

To mark this important anniversary, cake and coffee was served in the classroom for HAF members, donors and the general public on Saturday, April 7, 2007.

A special thank-you to our generous donors for all their contributions to the continual improvement of the Arboretum!

 FUNDRAISING AND FINANCES

2007 Income

2007 Expenses 

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers have been involved with Hoyt Arboretum since 1976 and continue to enhance all aspects of Arboretum operations.  In 2007, volunteers and the HAF Board of Directors contributed substantially in the areas of gardening, special events planning and staffing, Visitor Center staffing, surveying, database maintenance, marketing, strategic planning, development, fundraising and public relations.

Since the Arboretum’s collections of more than 8,000 trees representing over 1,600 taxa are so unique and valuable, garden work must be carefully planned and supervised by Arboretum staff.  The staff limitations that make volunteers so essential at the Arboretum also unfortunately restrict the capacity to work with large numbers of volunteers.  However, this year, with the addition of Portland Parks and Recreation staff member Steve Morgan (Horticulturist), another crew of Saturday volunteer gardeners was added to the existing dedicated group of long-time volunteers.   In addition, several volunteers came on temporarily to scan the hundreds of slides in the Arboretum slide collection so the images can now be more easily used in publications and other educational materials.   The Friends group is constantly working to increase funding for the Arboretum so that we can hire sufficient staff to work with every person who would like to volunteer with the trees and plants. 

In addition to regular volunteers, groups such as the Bonneville Power Administration and the Arborists in the Arboretum contributed many hours of gardening, pruning and trail maintenance during organized work days.

List of 2007 Hoyt Arboretum Volunteers

In Memorium

William J. Sauerwein passed away March 5, 2007.   Bill was a forester for the Soil Conservation Service for 36 years and a beloved member of Hoyt Arboretum’s venerable Tuesday Crew  .  He is survived by his wife, Margaret; sons Mark and Brian, 6 grandchildren and one great grandchild.  We will miss him very much.

Requests for Photos and Stories

Volunteer help comes in many forms.  This year in response to a request made to members for photos, stories and poems about or inspired by the Arboretum, several submissions were made.  In turn those were used in  Hoyt publications and on the website.  Thank you to all those who contributed to the enhancement of Hoyt’s educational materials!

WASHINGTON PARK ALLIANCE

 In 2007 Hoyt Arboretum joined with the Oregon Zoo, the Portland’s Children’s Museum, the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum, the Portland International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden to form the Washington Park Alliance.

In addition to addressing the logistical and financial concerns of Washington Park, the Alliance seeks to provide greater access and educational opportunities for visitors from around the world.

Toward that end, in 2007 a park-wide Washington Park brochure was developed and a Washington Park website was launched - www.washingtonparkpdx.org.

SUPPORTERS AND FRIENDS

Greater support means more beautiful and visible trees, more learning opportunities for all ages, and better access to the collection for scientists and conservationists around the world.  Thanks to all the friends of Hoyt Arboretum!  Together we are making a difference in enhancing and maintaining this valuable “living museum” for future generations.

2007 HAF Donor List

                          ELECTION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Annual Meeting of Hoyt Arboretum Friends

Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 6 – 6:30 PM at Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center

Directors and officers for 2008-2009 will be elected by Hoyt Arboretum Friends’ members at the Annual Meeting.  You may submit your ballot by mail, drop it by the Visitor Center anytime prior to April 16^th, or bring it to the Annual Meeting.  The Annual Meeting will be immediately followed by a Board of Directors meeting.

Hoyt Arboretum Friends Board of Directors Ballot - 2008

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION

 Leslie Campbell

With a degree in Geology from California State and training in landscape design from the Royal Horticultural Society in Somerset, England, Leslie is a landscape designer with her own company, Habitat Landscape Design.  She says she “seeks to create places of beauty, comfort, enjoyment and peace. “  Leslie has also found those compelling qualities at Hoyt Arboretum and served as a Visitor Center volunteer for the past three years. 

Bryan Geon

By day, Bryan is an attorney with his own practice.  The rest of the time, Bryan juggles parenting with his passion for visiting botanical gardens and arboreta all over the world.   Bryan’s book Spendid Pathways: A Tour through the World’s Finest Botanical Gardens will be published soon.   He is also the author of Newcomer’s Handbook for Moving and Living in Portland.

 Al Glowasky

Running and walking the trails at Hoyt is one of the reasons Al and his family value living in Portland.  Al is a Managing Director with the investment firm of Sandler O’Neill based in San Francisco.  Al has extensive Board experience including helping shepherd OMSI through its challenges in the 90’s.

 Josh Hinerfeld

Josh is the CEO of Organically Grown Company, the largest wholesaler of organic produce in the Pacific Northwest.  Previously, Josh worked with the Oregon nursery industry through his consulting firm, Cambrium Strategy.  In his personal life, he is an avid gardener, bee-keeper, parent and active in his community as a volunteer. 

Marilyn Lindner

Drawn to Portland by her husband’s work at OHSU, Marilyn quickly immersed herself in her neighborhood around the Arboretum and chaired Hoyt’s 75^th anniversary party in 2006.  In addition to raising her daughter, Marilyn is an interior designer with SmithCFI.

Margot Voorhies Thompson

Co-founder along with her husband of the Neskowin Valley School, Margot has said, “Our children need to see their parents in the grip of fine ideas, enthusiasm and the determination to work for the benefit of others.”  Margot has lived this creed as parent, educator, school founder & fundraiser, and now devotes most of her time to her art (painting, printmaking, calligraphy) and her work as a trustee of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens in Florida and Hawaii. 

CANDIDATES FOR RE-ELECTION

Gary Hartshorn

As CEO of the World Forestry Center, Gary is helping to create collaborative programming between the Forest Discovery Museum’s indoor exhibits about the world’s trees and forests and Hoyt’s outdoor experience of the living trees.   Gary’s passion for trees has guided his distinguished career as a researcher and consultant in Costa Rica’s tropical forests for 20 years, as President of the Organization for Tropical Studies based at Duke University, and Chief Scientist for the World Wildlife Fund.   (3^rd term)

Susan Koe

Prior to becoming a full-time parent, Susan worked as a journalist with United Press International.  Susan is a Portland native.   She and her family are avid users of our regional and statewide greenspaces.   She is also dedicated to early childhood development initiatives in our region and environmental issues.  (3^rd term)

Maggie Kean

Along with her Burmese mountain dog, Maggie has spent many hours on Hoyt’s trails.  Along with parenting two young children, Maggie does business consulting following up on her career as a management consultant from Booz Allen & Hamilton.    In addition to her Board duties for Hoyt, Maggie spearheaded creation of a Children’s Map of the Arboretum which has been a hit with visitors of all ages.  (2^nd term)

Susi Stevens

For Susi’s family, the Arboretum is a place where the generations, past and present, come together.  Susi’s father-in-law, Bill Stevens, walked everyday for years at Hoyt.  His widow, Andree Stevens, rebuilt the picnic shelter (now known as the Stevens Pavilion) in his memory.  Susi and her family also value regular walks in the Arboretum.  Along with her husband, Susi owns and operates AdMail, serving Portland businesses and non-profits with direct mail needs since 1914.   (2^nd term)

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION AS OFFICERS

Maggie Kean, President

(see above)

Josh Hinerfeld, Vice President

(see above)

Jennifer Blair, Secretary

After a career that started with teaching English in Japan and then led to the re-insurance business, Jennifer has devoted herself for the past few years to raising her two young children.   During schooldays, Jennifer tries to fit in runs in the Arboretum while weekends often find her with her family on walks on Hoyt’s trails.