Current Projects
Our work
Partnerships
We’re currently working with fellow non-profits, academics and a rich diverse group of volunteers to educate, restore and conserve.
We are committed to maintaining our natural resources for future generations to enjoy.
Sequoia Grove
Restoring milkweed habitat for endangered monarch butterflies.
Monarch Habitat
Restoring milkweed habitat for endangered monarch butterflies.
Founded
Before it was Heaps Peak, the piece of forest was abandoned by the U.S. Forest Service and surrounding community. By 1982, it had become an illegal dumping ground. Vehicles traveling the site destroyed sensitive root species and eroded the soil. Toxins from household waste spilled onto the ground and rusting refrigerators marred the landscape.
George Hesemann founded Heaps Peak Arboretum by securing permission from the Forest Service to manage the neglected land. He then founded ROWIA to support and care for it.
George Hesemann founded Heaps Peak Arboretum by securing permission from the Forest Service to manage the neglected land. He then founded ROWIA to support and care for it.
Volunteers Triumph
After August 10, 1982, ROWIA volunteers began cleaning and creating trails. Only four trees were removed to create the trails – the largest only six inches in diameter – and 175 new trees were planted!
Volunteers installed barbed wire around the perimeter to prevent trespassing and vandalism, and placed concrete posts in front to block vehicle access and discourage dumping. Cedars were planted in the old dirt roadways to help nature reclaim the routes.
At left: Arboretum Dedication and Opening to the Public in June 30th, 1984. At right: 1982 Heaps Peak construction.
At left: Arboretum Dedication and Opening to the Public in June 30th, 1984. At right: 1982 Heaps Peak construction.
Monarch Habitat
Restoring milkweed habitat for endangered monarch butterflies.
Founded
Before it was Heaps Peak, the piece of forest was abandoned by the U.S. Forest Service and surrounding community. By 1982, it had become an illegal dumping ground. Vehicles traveling the site destroyed sensitive root species and eroded the soil. Toxins from household waste spilled onto the ground and rusting refrigerators marred the landscape.
George Hesemann founded Heaps Peak Arboretum by securing permission from the Forest Service to manage the neglected land. He then founded ROWIA to support and care for it.
George Hesemann founded Heaps Peak Arboretum by securing permission from the Forest Service to manage the neglected land. He then founded ROWIA to support and care for it.
Volunteers Triumph
After August 10, 1982, ROWIA volunteers began cleaning and creating trails. Only four trees were removed to create the trails – the largest only six inches in diameter – and 175 new trees were planted!
Volunteers installed barbed wire around the perimeter to prevent trespassing and vandalism, and placed concrete posts in front to block vehicle access and discourage dumping. Cedars were planted in the old dirt roadways to help nature reclaim the routes.
At left: Arboretum Dedication and Opening to the Public in June 30th, 1984. At right: 1982 Heaps Peak construction.
At left: Arboretum Dedication and Opening to the Public in June 30th, 1984. At right: 1982 Heaps Peak construction.