Ode to the Arb

Story and Photos by Hilary Nichols

When you step through the wrought iron gates along Geddes Boulevard into the hushed shady entrance of Nichols Arboretum, between a wide pea-stone path to the left and a thin deer trail to the right, sits the first bench to welcome you. Benches are placed along the river side, on overlooks, in meadows, along trails, in the Peony gardens, and in countless shaded areas throughout this 128-acre preserve, inviting anyone to rest and take in the grand expanse of nature.

As a land gift from Esther and Walter Nichols to the University of Michigan, with the stipulation that it be used as a botanical garden, Nichols Arboretum was designed by O.C. Simonds in 1907. Commonly known as The Arb, this preserve is at the heart of what makes Ann Arbor so wonderful. Over 400 species, including 110 species of trees, secures our claims to the name ‘Tree Town.’ Everyone in Ann Arbor has a story about the Arb.

“I love that it is so close but so far removed from the city sounds. Surrounded by these tall trees, you are within steps but also a world away from the hustle of city life,” said college student Josie Fairbanks.

“I love all the bird calls we can hear from the marsh birds below to the ones swooping overhead. We were just deciding which Arb animal we would want to be, one of the chipmunks or that bunny,” college student Maysen Gaulin pointed to the bunny hopping across the path.

“There is so much space to walk my dog. We love to come and make friends with all the dog lovers,” visitor Sam Gross told me.

“We come here to sing and to feel embraced by nature, like home, in Senegal,” said Fatima Diaw. Her friend and voice teacher, Fanta added, “I come to write songs and sing in a safe and inspiring space. I feel grounded here. You get back to who you are in nature.”

“It is so peaceful and protected. I come to meditate. You can join us,” said Jayme as her meditation group gathered to sit on the stone steps of River Front Landing.

Robert Grese, Professor Emeritus of Environment and Sustainability served as the director to the Arb and Matthai botanical gardens from 1999-2020. When the University shared their 2050 transportation plan that included an elevated monorail, called The Campus Connector, between North and Central campus to pass through the Arb, Grese reacted.

His nine-page letter to former President Ono is a deep history lesson and love letter to the Arb. The proposed transportation construction threatened the very fragile and crucial ecosystem of one of the biggest parks and hearts of Ann Arbor with its 3.5 miles of intricate trails, uplands, wetlands, river access, the peony gardens, the meadow, and annual events such as the Shakespeare at the Arb series. Professor Grese is passionate about this preserve. He shared “The construction of such an intrusive undertaking puts the very heart of our city in peril.”

With his depth and detail of knowledge, Professor Grese left no stone unturned as he cited the impacts of past construction projects. “Were this to happen...this would permanently damage this cherished part of our University’s and City Parks’ heritage, affecting the experience of the approximate 350,000 visitors…looking for a quiet, restorative place to counter-balance the stress of life.”

“Immediately I gathered my friends,” said Rita Mitchell when she received the news from Bob Grasse last July. “These are the people you want in your corner. I knew we had to do something, and I knew my friends would react the same way,” she reported. She held strong feelings about The Arb. “It is almost like walking through a magical door,” she said. “This wonderfulness. There’s a feeling of openness and an abundance of intricate sounds around me that is rare in a city.”

“Rita and I work on so many different campaigns to try to protect our world,” concerned citizen Lynda Asher said. “No one person can do everything, but everyone can do something. Put your foot in the game, or what is the point? Are you part of the community? Do you actually care?”

Asher has cared about the Arb ever since she first arrived in Ann Arbor in the 1970s. “I had never been to the Midwest, ‘the God-forsaken Midwest,’ as my family called it. On day three I met my neighbors. “Let’s take you to the Arb, you will love the Arb’ they said. I was in awe. It has always been this magical place to me.” It is how she gauges potential friendships. “Their reaction to The Arb is a required value, they have to agree that this is a magical place,” Asher added.

At an initial meeting at Argus Farm Stop, “Up came Sarah Nisbet overhearing our efforts,” Mitchell recalled. “She joined in with us. Along with Megan Rose Simms they took on the title, ‘Five Angry Women.’ Together they crafted the language and put up a call for action to collect signatures to support their “Save the Arb’ campaign on the public platform Change.org.

With over 9,700 signatures the University took notice. In their June 6, 2025 update, the University published “What about the Arb? The university is dedicated to the preservation of the Nichols Arboretum which, for more than a century, has been nurtured and appreciated as a special and unique natural community resource. For these reasons, U-M plans to only consider potential routes that would not pass through the Arb.”

Rita Mitchell gushed, “We were ecstatic to read this. But I would like to be certain that the city and the University will work together to fulfill this statement. We need to confirm a commitment to the protection of all property that is identified as the Arb into perpetuity.” The fight continues. This sentiment to save the Arb may be as longstanding as the Arb itself.

“It should be kept so that it might become a haven of quiet one hundred years from now when our rich native flora will have become a thing of the past in most places.” This was from Professor Tealdi’s response to a proposal to turn the Arboretum into a winter sports complex. Wilfred B. Shaw, notes from an Advisory Committee on University Arboretum, 1934

“As more and more of the natural beauties of Michigan are destroyed by commercialexploitation, the value of the Arboretum will become more apparent, and the vision of the donors and the far-sighted policy of the Board of Regents of the University and the City of Ann Arbor in preserving and developing it will be appreciated more widely as time goes on,” wrote Aubrey Tealdi, Michigan Alumnus, 1922.

“We humans are under a lot of pressure right now. When we talk about the environment we work to protect the habitat for animals, birds, and insects. But we must remember, we humans are part of the environment, too,” poet and dance instructor Megan Rose Simms said. “The Arb has a fragile eco system that includes us. There are those that walk in contemplation from the hospital across the road, the medical staff, and students, too. We don’t know how much people may need this refuge of peace and healing in a critical time.”

“When collecting signatures, everyone had a story,” Rita Mitchell shared. “’That’s where I had my first kiss’ or ‘I proposed to my wife there.’ It is one of the best resources we have,” she said.

Environmentalist, educator, and townie, Nate Ayers agrees. “All good vibes in Ann Arbor start and flow from the Arb.”

Celebrate Professor Grese’s love for the Arb by reading his letter here: drive.google.com/file/d/1hIEIokzgacvh2TvleqGyZtLSF_PMp8aj/view

And view the ‘Save the Arb’ petition on Change.org at chng.it/VRjF6KVb69.

Want to help keep the Arb a place of quiet comfort? Send an email to: Universtiy of Michigan Regents at umregents@umich.edu, or the Ann Arbor City Council and Mayor at citycouncil@a2gov.org, or the Ann Arbor City Administrator, Milton Dohoney at mdohoney@a2gov.org.

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