The Nannen Arboretum located on the Town of Ellicottville property at 28 Parkside Drive is operated and maintained by the Nannen Arboretum Society, a 100% volunteer organization. The society is incorporated in the state of New York as a non-profit corporation. Membership in the society is open to anyone who desires to support the arboretum’s mission, “to afford the community an area of nature appreciation, environmental awareness, education of the natural world and natural resource management in plant selection”. Membership is comprised of a Board of Trustees plus additional society members/volunteers. Currently there are 10 society members/volunteers on our membership list in addition to the 7 trustees. The Board of Trustees has a business meeting on the second Monday of the month and all members/volunteers are invited to participate in the weekly work day on Monday mornings. Attendance at works days averages 1.7 of the 10 members/volunteers. We are in need of additional society members/volunteers.
We are seeking people or groups to volunteer at the arboretum by adopting an area and maintaining it throughout the season, generally May through October. Please review the following information and let us know which area you would like to adopt. We will provide orientation, training and tools to assist you in nurturing your adopted area. Send your choice of area to adopt to pkerl7@gmail.com
Areas seeking adoption and their needs are:
| Area | Needs |
| Patio Garden | Watering, weeding, edging, mulching garden area, wood chipping path within garden area, thinning perennials, pruning shrubs, cutting back perennials in fall. |
| Building entrance gardens |
Watering, weeding, edging, mulching, thinning perennials, pruning shrubs/trees, cutting back perennials in fall. |
| Arboretum entrance | Watering, weeding, edging, mulching |
| Chapman area |
Weeding bricks, weeding paver stones and under benches. Garden to right of walk: Watering, weeding, edging, mulching, thinning perennials, cutting back perennials in fall. |
| Northrup Area |
Spreading wood chips in seating area. Watering planters. |
| Herb Garden |
Review past efforts and plans and determine if and how the Herb Garden can be maintained with minimal man power. |
| General area | Weeding under/around benches, rocks, under trees |