Members of Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum (FOLA) elected two new members to the Board of Directors, each for a one-year term. Ray Vanaria, a Certified Public Account with the firm of Malesardi, Quackenbush, Swift & Co. LLC. was elected treasurer. David Kooistra, who worked in the past for the Wayne Township Department of Parks and Recreation to help manage Laurelwood Arboretum, was elected to the FOLA board and will serve as site manager.

President Alice Moskowitz presented outgoing board member Alex Fadynich and his wife Nancy with a Knippenberg Center patio paver in recognition of their many years of hard work and dedication to Laurelwood Arboretum. “Alex has been the site manager and on-the-ground construction worker, fixing bridges, walkways, machinery and pitching in to do whatever needed to be done,” said Moskowitz. “Alex and Nancy are the founders of Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum and longtime friends of Dorothy Knippenberg. We owe them both a debt of gratitude for their dedication and hard work.”

Moskowitz opened the meeting with a review of some of FOLA’s major accomplishments in 2015. These include the dedication of the Knippenberg Center for Education and the Native Plant Demonstration Garden, and completion of the Educational Greenhouse. “We now have an indoor space for programs and meetings. We have a dedicated greenhouse for horticultural displays and hands-on educational activities. And we have a Native Plant garden that serves as landscaping for the Knippenberg Center but has the educational purpose of teaching adults and children about the importance of native plants and their use in their home gardens,” she said. In addition, membership has grown to 343, the number of volunteers has increased substantially, and FOLA hosted a series of well-attended tours and programs.