Wildlife Photograph

Ijams celebrates milestone

Friday May 21, 2010
We honor our roots, Ijams family legacy 1910-2010


Come celebrate with us!

This year marks the 100th anniversary  of  the Ijams Family Legacy. Although the property became a public nature park in 1965, the impact of the Ijams Family dates back to 1910 when they settled here.  A visual history of the Ijams family, plus snapshots of the development of the park over the years, will be showcased in a book to be published by Arcadia Publishing and in a new photography exhibit opening May 21. The following day, we will host a special Founder’s Day event for the general public on May 22. Further details will be provided in the next newsletter.

In preparation for the May celebrations, the Visitor Center exhibit area will be undergoing a series of renovations. We apologize in advance for the dust and drapery covering existing exhibits, but I hope you will appreciate the end result. In addition to the new Ijams Family Legacy exhibit, other improvements include the completion of the solar energy exhibit, Conservation Cottage enhancements, a revised tree cookie exhibit, plus an evocative mural by artist, Walt Fieldsa. Walt is a talented local artist who painted the cypress swamp diorama featured in the Lost Species exhibit. The mural is intended to evoke the spirit of the land before it was settled, hundreds of years prior to the Ijams family moving here.

Thanks again for being a member of Ijams and helping build a foundation  of support for the next 100 years. I hope you will plan on visiting Ijams during the spring to see the new changes and pick up a copy of the book.

- By Paul James, Executive Director

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