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Committee deadlocks on making High Plains Arboretum a state historic site after amendment reduces appropriation
Summary
Representative Nicholas presented House Bill 229 to fund and designate the High Plains Research Station and Arboretum as a state historic site; the committee adopted an amendment reducing the appropriation but the final do‑pass vote on the amended bill was tied and the measure did not advance.
Representative Nicholas presented House Bill 229 to the House Appropriations Committee, asking the Legislature to designate the High Plains Research Station and Arboretum a state historic site and to provide funding for initial rehabilitation and restart of the arboretum’s greenhouse and facilities.
Mayor Patrick Collins of Cheyenne told the committee that the site and its historic plant material — developed beginning in the early 1900s — played a critical regional role in identifying plants suited to the High Plains. "The High Plains Arboretum is an example of a place with an amazing story and a place worthy of preserving, conserving, and restoring," Mayor Collins said, describing the site’s ties to Civilian Conservation Corps projects and to statewide windbreak and nursery programs.
Jessica Friess, a horticulturist at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens who works part time at the arboretum, described the…
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