The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
May Luncheon speaker
Peter Moe, the interim director of the University’s Landscape Arboretum spoke at the May, 2016 luncheon and annual meeting. He presented the saga of the famous Honeycrisp apple including the fact that it is being used globally as the parent stock for the breeding of many new apples. Minnesota has bred not only apples but the Northern Lights Azaleas and hearty grapes that thrive in our cold climates. Peter has led the Arboretum’s 20-year plan to protect its boundaries and develop new exhibits including the Visitor Center and the Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center. His slide presentations about Minnesota apples and grapes are linked below.
May 2016 Luncheon Speaker
Tue, May 24 2016, 11:30am
Campus Club ABC
Wrap up the year’s activities with UMRA’s Annual Gala, election, and special speaker
This year’s program for the UMRA annual meeting spotlights one of the University’s most delicious and delightful discoveries— “Apples and Grapes for Cold Climates.” Our guide will be Peter Moe, from the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The Arboretum is an internationally recognized treasure of the University of Minnesota and of our region, and is in the forefront of research on the probable effects of climate change.
Peter is currently serving as the interim director of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Since 1991, he had directed the University of Minnesota Horticulture Research Center, which is managed as part of the Landscape Arboretum within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences. This world-renowned facility is the headquarters for the U of M woody plant and fruit breeding research projects and has introduced many hardy and high-quality plants including the Honeycrisp and SweeTango ™ apples; Marquette and Itasca grapes; and the Northern Lights Azalea.
In recent years, as director of Operations and Research at the Arboretum, he has also had a lead role in the design, construction, and operation of most of the new developments at the Arboretum including the Maze Garden, Prairie Garden, Shrub Walk, Visitor Center, and Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center, which will open in September 2016. He has been a leader of the Arboretum’s 20-year plan to protect its boundaries and has worked to raise funds and to purchase adjacent land to add more native forest and wetlands, as well as farm fields that will be used for new plant collections, research plantings, and ecological restorations.
Peter earned both his B.S. in Horticultural Science and Master of Agriculture degrees from the U of M. He lives in Chanhassen with his wife, Susan (B.S. Horticulture, 1979), and two dogs and enjoys gardening, travel, and bird watching. Peter and Susan have three adult children, who all graduated from the U of M.
—Steve Benson, Program Committee
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.