BILL REQ. #:  S-0564.1 

Read first time 01/13/09.   Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation.

     AN ACT Relating to enhancing the natural resource collections at the Washington park arboretum; adding new sections to chapter 28B.20 RCW; creating new sections; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that the Washington park arboretum is the official arboretum of the state of Washington. The University of Washington and the city of Seattle cooperatively established the arboretum in 1934, with Seattle holding title to the property and the University of Washington designing, developing, and managing the arboretum and botanic garden. The arboretum is a central component of the University of Washington botanic gardens, along with collections in the Union Bay gardens, around the center for urban horticulture, in the Union Bay natural area, and in the Otis Douglas Hyde herbarium.
     The legislature finds that the Washington park arboretum contains a dynamic collection of trees and other woody plants that are hardy in the maritime Pacific Northwest. Collections are selected and arranged to display their beauty and function in urban landscapes, to demonstrate their natural ecology and diversity, and to conserve important species and cultivated varieties for the future. There is no fee for admission to the arboretum, allowing everyone to enjoy and learn from its collections.
     The legislature also finds that the Washington park arboretum holds one of the most prestigious plant collections in the world. The arboretum consists of approximately twenty thousand trees, shrubs, and vines, of which over ten thousand are catalogued. The collection includes approximately four thousand six hundred different species and one hundred thirty-nine endangered species. Collections include rhododendron, azalea, mountain ash, pine, spruce, cedar, fir, crabapple, holly, magnolia, camellia, and Japanese maple. The arboretum's collection of oaks and maples is the richest in the nation, and the conifers, hollies, and magnolias also rank among the nation's finest collections. The arboretum displays ninety-five percent of its holdings, whose estimated value is almost eighty-two million dollars.
     The legislature further finds that the Washington park arboretum's mission is to serve the public, students at all levels, naturalists, gardeners, and nursery and landscape professionals with its collections, educational programs, interpretation, and recreational opportunities. Therefore, the legislature intends to provide additional tools and resources to the University of Washington botanic gardens as it preserves and provides public access to the important educational, recreational, social, and cultural state resources that the arboretum and other botanic garden collections have to offer.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28B.20 RCW to read as follows:
     It is the goal of the legislature that the Washington park arboretum's collections, exhibits, and facilities be preserved, maintained, and presented in a manner befitting one of the world's most prestigious plant collections. Therefore, the Washington park arboretum must strive to:
     (1) Enhance public appreciation for the aesthetic diversity of temperate wood plants;
     (2) Educate the public and regional school population about urban landscape use and the natural biology of temperate wood plants;
     (3) Conserve and keep healthy both natural and cultivated woody plants to preserve diversity for future appreciation;
     (4) Maintain and enhance collections, exhibits, and facilities to create the best possible ambiance and visitor experience; and
     (5) Cooperate with local, regional, national, and international entities that have a similar mission.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28B.20 RCW to read as follows:
     The University of Washington botanic gardens endowed curatorship is established within the University of Washington to support a staff position within the botanic gardens, which currently falls under the college of forest resources. The purpose of the endowed curatorship is to ensure that perpetual funding exists for a botanic gardens curator who shall focus on: (1) The preservation, maintenance, and presentation of the botanic garden's collections; and (2) the goals established for the Washington park arboretum in section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 28B.20 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The University of Washington botanic gardens endowed curatorship account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All moneys appropriated by the legislature for the University of Washington botanic gardens endowed curatorship or to the account must be placed in the account. The state treasurer must release money in the account according to the procedures set forth in subsection (2) of this section. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.
     (2) Until June 30, 2014, the state treasurer must release one million dollars from the University of Washington botanic gardens endowed curatorship account to the University of Washington board of regents for inclusion in the University of Washington consolidated endowment fund when both: (a) The University of Washington board of regents requests that the funds be released; and (b) the University of Washington demonstrates to the treasurer that it will match the state funds with an equal amount of funds contributed by nonstate sources for the University of Washington botanic gardens endowed curatorship. The state and nonstate moneys must each be placed in the University of Washington consolidated endowment fund. The University of Washington may not invade the principal invested for the botanic gardens endowed curatorship. Distributions from the consolidated endowment fund resulting from this investment must be used solely for purposes of the University of Washington botanic gardens endowed curatorship.
     (3) The state treasurer must transfer any funds remaining in the University of Washington botanic gardens endowed curatorship account on July 1, 2014, to the general fund.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   (1) The department of natural resources' natural heritage program shall host a working conference on the future of arboretums and botanic gardens in Washington. The objective of the conference is to explore the current status of arboretums and botanic gardens in the state and develop strategies to sustain and enhance these important scientific, educational, and recreational resources.
     (2) The natural heritage program shall work with appropriate arboretums, botanic gardens, and interested public and private entities in preparing for and conducting the conference. To enhance the effectiveness of the conference and its products, the natural heritage program shall seek to frame issues and outline options through issue summaries and preliminary meetings with appropriate entities.
     (3) Among the topics that the conference should address are:
     (a) The challenges currently facing Washington's arboretums and botanic gardens, including funding, maintenance, and collections management challenges;
     (b) Strategies arboretums and botanic gardens might adopt to address the identified challenges; and
     (c) Recommendations on ways the legislature, state agencies, and local governments might assist arboretums and botanic gardens address the identified challenges.
     (4) The natural heritage program shall schedule the conference at a time sufficient to prepare a summary of the conference proceedings and recommendations for submission to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 15, 2009.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   The sum of one million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, from the general fund to the University of Washington botanic gardens endowed curatorship account created in section 4 of this act for the purposes of this act.