If there was ever any question about how important the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden Grounds and Landscape Services team is to the overall beauty and safety of our campus’s environment, the answer was revealed during the almost three-week suspension of the group’s duties from mid-March through the beginning of April.

“Mother Nature took over while we figured out the safest protocols for bringing back our designated staff,” said Tyson Mantor, interim associate director.

Manicured lawns transformed to fields of knee-high grass, storm drains clogged, plants overtook sidewalks and the weeds grew like… well, you know.

Despite not operating at full capacity, this team’s conscientious efforts to protect our landscape assets and create a safe environment for the community have already restored the campus to a level worthy of their award-winning management practices.

“Our entire campus is a public garden,” said Kathleen Socolofsky, assistant vice chancellor and director. “We could not be prouder of their dedication and the work they perform to ensure this place is safe for the public while preparing for the return of our students.”

While students learn remotely, it is exciting to note that the campus’s athletic fields — soccer, softball, baseball, football and more — are being transformed in a manner that could not happen if they were here.

“When the students return, we want this campus to be even better,” Mantor said. “Providing renovated playing fields and a campus as beautiful as the one they left, are just a couple of the ways we hope to do just that.”