Holden Arboretum to focus on visitors, science and community in 2026
Published by: The News-Herald
By Bryson Durst
Original article found here
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a series looking at what Lake County communities, agencies and school districts experienced in 2025 and what is facing them in 2026.
Holden Arboretum is planning to bolster its status as both a public attraction and site for scientific research in the coming year.
Over the past year, the Kirtland-based Arboretum introduced new seasonal exhibits and continued research and partnerships to support forest resilience, said Holden Forests and Gardens President and CEO Ed Moydell. Along the way, it faced an increased demand for its science and conservation work and federal funding uncertainty.
Moydell said in an email that the Arboretum “achieved several milestones that strengthened its leadership in conservation, research and public engagement” in 2025.
The Visiting Experience
Holden launched the new Flora Finder tool with maps of the Arboretum, Cleveland Botanical Gardens and David G. Leach Research Center in Madison Township. Moydell said that the web tool allows users to see the plants on Holden’s campuses and also helps with plant care, documentation and research. It is available at holdenfg.org/flora-finder/.
Visitors could also check out the new Skeleton Grove art installation in the fall or walk the four miles of Pierson Valley trails, which marked their first year of public access.
The Arboretum welcomed 158,000 visitors for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, Moydell said. More than 15,000 students visited on school group trips.
While there was a “dip in visitation” early in the year because of weather, the spring Forest Forms and fall Skeleton Grove exhibits “helped re-engage visitors and drive attendance,” he added. Visitation was higher than expected on some October weekends.
For 2026, Moydell said that Holden Arboretum is looking to be “a preferred destination for leisure time” with “engaging, welcoming experiences that invite individuals and families to relax, explore and spend meaningful time connecting with nature.”
Efforts to achieve that goal will include opening the full Pierson Valley trail system, which will include an additional 2.5 miles of trail, he said. The Arboretum is also working with a community partner for a summer art installation, “with the potential to include a meaningful community engagement component.”
It will also start work this spring to develop an interpretive master plan, which will define what themes the Arboretum wants to communicate to visitors and how to communicate those themes. The project will be connected to future map and wayfinding improvements, and he said it is being funded by a $118,000 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant.
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