Crosby Arboretum director to speak

The director of the Crosby Arboretum, a South Mississippi nature center that recently became a part of Mississippi State, will make an Oct. 23 presentation on campus.

Larry G. Pardue, executive director, will lead a multi-media presentation that introduces faculty, staff and students to the resources available at the arboretum, named by Garden Design Magazine one of the best public gardens in the nation.

The 7 p.m. event in 301-302 Colvard Union is open to the public.

"We will do a slide presentation that focuses on the history of the arboretum, as well as its future," Pardue explained. "Nathan Williams, a student in the Art Department, also will present an interactive Quicktime video tour of the arboretum," he said.

"It should be a terrific presentation," he added.

The regional native-plant conservatory, located in Picayune, comprises more than 1,000 acres in seven natural areas, supporting more than 700 species of indigenous trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers.

"It is a world-class facility that represents the flora and fauna of the Pearl River Basin," said Cameron Man, head of landscape architecture and an arboretum board member.

"The presentation will be an informational meeting for the university and local community to learn how this facility will be incorporated into the educational and research mission of Mississippi State," he said.

Among separate natural areas are a 20-acre savanna, a 5.5-acre wetland, and a 30-acre woodland. Central to the arboretum is Pinecote Pavilion, the only Mississippi building to have won the American Institute of Architecture's AIA Honor Award for Design Excellence. It was designed by Fay Jones.

The arboretum now is incorporated into the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine and is a part of the Coastal Research and Extension Center.