Press Release

June 8, 2020

Dear Friends and Supporters of Tyler Arboretum:

Although Thanksgiving is several months away, Tyler has many reasons to be thankful this week. On behalf of our staff and Board of Trustees, I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your patience, understanding and support these past couple of months as Tyler mapped out a safe, responsible and thoughtful reopening plan.

I also wanted to share just a few brief examples of the magical moments that YOU made possible this month:

• HB 2564 – a new bill introduced by State Representative Chris Quinn to specifically reopen arboreta and public gardens – is now in Committee. It is imperative that we continue the push for legislation that recognizes institutions such as Tyler as safe venues for passive outdoor recreation, particularly in the event that a subsequent mandatory shutdown order is issued in response to COVID-19. Thank you for your continued advocacy efforts to ensure that state representatives support the bill.
• It was a fantastic experience to reopen the gates on June 5th and see so many friendly smiling faces enjoying a stroll at Tyler on a picture-perfect day! We are looking forward to welcoming back our volunteers following similar safety protocols in the weeks ahead.

Our team is working hard to re-open the trails as quickly as possible (…the recent string of back-to-back storms have created an unexpected setback) and offer additional time slots in an effort to increase access for the general public.

Options for early bird and night owl admission during the week are also under review.

• Special thanks to the sponsors of Tyler at Twilight who generously stepped forward to support our mission even though we were not able to celebrate in person this year.

If you are able to do so, please join us in supporting the vendors and local restaurants – DiFabio’s, Iron Hill Brewery, Jeffrey A. Miller Catering, Jimmy’s BBQ, Justine’s Cuisines, La Porta, La Belle Epoque, Margaret Kuo’s, Pinnochio’s Pizza, and Scooped! — that have been so supportive of Tyler over the years.

• And, finally, thank you to the families who have generously donated their summer camp refunds to Tyler. It was a pleasant surprise to receive your letters sharing the fond memories campers have regarding their experience at Tyler and how anxious they are to return in 2021.

I hope that you continue to stay healthy and enjoy some time outdoors!

Sincerely,

Mandy Santiago
Executive Director

P.S. Please stay safe. If you need any information about COVID-19, please call 1-877-PA-HEALTH or visit health.pa.gov.