Naples Botanical Garden, Inc.

Causes: Arts & Culture, Botanical Gardens & Arboreta, Education, Environment, Natural History & Natural Science Museums

Mission: The mission of Naples Botanical Garden is to serve the community by connecting people and plants through display, education, conservation, and science. The Garden''s vision is to create a world-class subtropical/tropical garden paradise that combines delightful, exotic, cultivated gardens with beautifully restored natural habitats. Once complete, the Garden will provide current and future residents of Southwest Florida--and the many visitors to the region--with limitless opportunities for learning and enjoyment. The Garden started as a grassroots movement in the early 1990s. The organization incorporated with the IRS with 501 C (3) status in 1994. In March 2000, a $5 million gift from the Kapnick Family and the Kapnick Family Foundation resulted in the purchase of the current 170-acre site. Located at the corner of Bayshore and Thomasson Drives and sandwiched among the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, Naples Bay Estuary, the 10,000 Islands and the Big Cypress Reserve, the Garden''s 170 acres of undeveloped land and lakes is home to seven distinct natural Florida habitats. From marsh to mangrove to scrub, the land is a microcosm of the south Florida environment. A converted strip mall on the property was transformed into an administration/education/facility rental building. The Garden''s guest experience began in spring 2003 with the opening of a one-acre prelude garden (today, known as the Tropical Mosaic Garden, and winner of an Association of Professional Landscape Designers award). In November 2005, a 5,000-square-foot butterfly house & aviary were opened, followed four months later by the 33-acre Vicky and David Byron Smith Uplands Preserve. The Garden''s attendance levels grew to roughly 30,000 visitors per year. Today, Naples Botanical Garden is undergoing a dramatic expansion. On June 1st 2008, it closed its grounds to general visitation for safety reasons, and heavy construction equipment is now on the developable (due to the density of invasive plant species such as Melaleuca) areas of the site, preparing them for five new gardens and visitor facilities. The master site plan includes preserve areas, a mosaic of themed cultivated gardens designed by a "Dream Team" of internationally acclaimed landscape architects, a children''s garden, lakes and lagoons, special event areas, a visitor center and a Garden cafe/ exhibit space. Sustainable design and green building practices are being incorporated into architectural plans to achieve a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating. It is currently anticipated that the Garden will reopen in its expanded form towards the end of 2010. The completed site will also include a research and education facility jointly created by Florida Gulf Coast University and Naples Botanical Garden. The facility with its adjacent 170-acre outdoor plant laboratory will provide unique research and education facilities for educators, researchers and students from SW Florida and beyond, as well as a superb venue for the Garden''s own learning programs. Records of the Garden''s living plant collections and the 27,000 plant specimens contained within its Herbarium (The Herbarium of Southwest Florida) will be made available via the Internet to interested parties in this country and abroad. Once complete, Naples Botanical Garden will be one of the world''s premiere subtropical/tropical botanical gardens. It is expected to be the most visited attraction in Southwest Florida with a projected 141,000 visitors in the first year following the Grand Opening. Naples Botanical Garden will enfold its guests in the wonder, beauty and drama of the plant world, demonstrate how plants and animals are inextricably linked, inspire people to become more responsible stewards of the natural world, and become a treasured community and family gathering place for festivals, holidays, and celebrating milestones.