Nichols Arboretum caretaker Justin Heslinga heard a loud noise in the middle of the night Feb. 1, and woke Saturday morning to see significant vandalism had occurred throughout the Arb.
Three benches were pulled from the ground and tossed down the hill, the plexiglass on the door of the front kiosk was broken, trash, including a printer, was dumped in the valley, garbage cans were destroyed and fences were snapped off at the base.
The extent of the damage has not yet been determined, but Sarah Dunn, development generalist of Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA), says that this is the first vandalism in a long time that caused damage throughout the entire Arb. “In actuality it wasn’t a high-cost vandalism, but it’s more sad than anything that someone would do this,” she says.
At least one of the three benches will need to be replaced, Dunn says.
“What makes this so sad for us is that the vandalized benches were dedicated by community members to family and friends who have passed away,” says Karen Sikkenga, associate director of MBGNA. “This type of vandalism affects the entire community because this is a place devoted to our public. We all have a responsibility to make sure the Arb is taken care of.”
Vandals also struck the Arb in December, when members of a local fraternity visited in the middle of the night and cut off the top of a 25-foot white fir to use as a Christmas tree. Replacing an established tree like the fir would cost at least $7,500, Dunn says. After receiving an anonymous tip police found the vandal; his father told officers his son thought that the Arb was a forest, not a public space.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Arb caretakers are on duty every night monitoring the area, which is only open to the public from sunrise to sunset. No suspects have been found in the most recent vandalism.
Any information or suspicious persons should be reported to DPS at (734) 763-1131.
