Mimicking the work of an industrious beaver, the beaver pond water features at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are a totem for the symbiosis between ecosystems and their inhabitants. As the beaver works to alter the environment by building a dam and lodge, he creates a habitable ecosystem for many other species to enjoy. So too, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is a human-cultivated refuge for alpine plants and the many species who benefit from them. The current beaver pond restoration project is an effort for this kind of inter-species stewardship.
Built and cultivated to emulate the alpine environment, for Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, water is a central element of both design and integrity.
The beaver pond water features, in particular, help to define the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens as a peaceful replica of the mountain environment within the heart of Vail. The northern beaver pond is the first water feature a guest encounters when they enter through the Gardens’s upper entrance. Tranquil and reflective, the pond creates an atmosphere of reverence, calm, and attention for the visitors it greets.
This summer, a restoration of the beaver ponds will ensure the longevity of their role as focal points within the Gardens while improving their efficiency for the conservation of water, helping the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens to hone its sustainability efforts.
As it is integral to the survival of alpine plants, water is inherent to the mission of Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Water conservation is close to the heart of our efforts: both in terms of the Gardens’s waterwise horticultural practices and in our team’s educational efforts to inform the public who enjoy the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens on a daily basis.
The beaver pond restoration project will reduce water loss while mitigating the volume of water necessary to operate the features. In so doing, the restoration of the water features will transform their impact by decreasing their water usage, and mitigating the frequency of their maintenance work.
The restoration will also improve the beaver ponds’ aesthetic and environmental impact. By adapting the new construction materials to the local ecosystem, the renovated beaver ponds will more closely mimic the natural world, becoming ecosystem and geologically appropriate. This deliberate construction process will allow the beaver pond water features to align with the ethos of the surrounding gardens.
At bottom, the current restoration of the beaver pond water features will propel the water features—and the Gardens more broadly—on a path towards sustainability and longevity. Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are currently fundraising for this restoration effort. Give today by clicking here.
For more information on fundraising for the beaver pond restoration project and how you can support the gardens, contact director of development Melissa Ebone at melissa@bettyfordalpinegardens.org.
