Mission Statement

The mission of the Holton Eco Preserve and Accredited Arboretum is to maintain a natural oasis in a developed area, with an assortment of bushes and flowering plants but mainly of trees native to southwest Florida or compatible with this area without being invasive. This land was gifted to our campus in 1997 and for two decades it has been an eco-preserve. It inspired a curriculum for children called “Earth Wonders.” We now would like to see it flourish to a larger audience as an arboretum where visitors can work on scientific projects, meditate, or participate in educational projects directed toward the young.  

Purpose Statement

The seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism is “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Part of our responsibility as UU’s is to provide a space where this principle can thrive, and where the interconnected web can be strengthened. The role of trees is crucial to this web as they provide habitat and sustenance to wildlife and release life-sustaining oxygen into the air. We feel that this is social justice issue – justice for future generations.  We often say, “The true meaning of life is to plant a tree in whose shade you know you will never sit."