Hoyt Arboretum Friends brings people and trees together. We create meaningful learning experiences in a unique global tree collection that we nurture in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation.
Our Vision: Hoyt Arboretum Friends is an innovative leader in climate-forward place-based education. Our living classroom is a public refuge for global plant biodiversity that is a welcoming and accessible place for all people to connect with nature. The trails at Hoyt Arboretum are a gateway to discovery, where students, scientists and individuals from near and far are inspired to actively participate in tree conservation as we grow together towards a climate-resilient future.
Learn about our long-term goals in our five-year Strategic Plan.
Hoyt Arboretum grows through a longstanding partnership between Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) and Hoyt Arboretum Friends (HAF), a membership-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Through fundraising and volunteer recruitment, HAF enhances visitor experience and provides educational opportunities around the trees and collections in the Arboretum.
Hoyt Arboretum staff and volunteers run the Visitor Center, distribute literature, and help fund major projects. HAF volunteers maintain the trails and trees, provide tours and classes, and help to catalog the Arboretum’s collection.
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) Statement
Hoyt Arboretum is Portland’s museum of living trees. We’re proud to be a center for botanical education, conservation research, outdoor recreation, and family-friendly activity. Hoyt Arboretum is also a free public park where all people can take part in the mental, spiritual, and physical enrichment that green outdoor spaces can offer. We prioritize providing access and a welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds, so that no one is excluded from the health benefits and educational resources available at our park.
Hoyt Arboretum Friends is committed to placing Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion at the core of all we do. By doing so, we will forge strong connections between our global tree collection and staff, volunteers, and visitors of all backgrounds. We strive to strengthen the intersections between environmental protection and environmental justice for those who have been historically marginalized in outdoor spaces and the natural sciences.
To be more proactive in this role, Hoyt Arboretum Friends (HAF) pledges to operationalize our commitment to cultural competence and inclusion through the following actions:
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- Seek out partnership opportunities with educators and community groups that represent the varied identities – including (but not limited to) Black, Brown, and people with disabilities – that exist in Portland. Establishing stronger relationships with the Portland community not only supports our efforts toward inclusive programming, but also creates a pipeline that connects people of various demographics to our park, our staff, and our Board.
- Apply an equity lens to all HAF operations and communications. HAF will evaluate all levels of the organization in order to stay true to our Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion commitments, from the language found in job descriptions and volunteer recruitment materials to the measures taken to ensure program accessibility.
- Provide for Diverse, Equitable, Accessible, and Inclusive learning opportunities at all levels of the organization. Staff and volunteers will be supported in seeking culturally-competent training. Programming that highlights the intersections of society, botany, and conservation for our visitors and volunteers will be supported and encouraged.
- Review and update the above commitments on an annual basis. As our knowledge and experience increase, the actions that keep us in alignment with our values will evolve as well.
HAF staff have been learning and applying principles of Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion to our programming gradually over the past few years, but there is more that we must do. We now join together with our Board of Directors and commit our organization to the above-mentioned principles and actions to ensure that Hoyt Arboretum is accessible and welcoming to all people.