Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Los Lunas arboretum open free to the public

Jackie Schlotfeldt News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jschlotfeldt@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas The largest botanical collection of oak species and Chihuahuan Desert native hardwoods in the United States lies right in Valencia County's own backyard. On Saturday, May 10, the public will once again be invited to the Arboretum Tomé's annual spring open house.

For the past 10 years, Michael and Kari Melendrez, the owners of this little piece of heaven on earth, have opened the Arboretum Tomé every spring for visitors to come in, relax and learn about the native trees and plants that are thriving there.

"It's getting to be such a big event," Michael Melendrez said. "People come from all over."

The arboretum will be open May 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Melendrez said they would have live music, lectures on soil building and landscape design, as well as information on the trees. He said they will also have different wildlife and business organizations in the organic sector set up that will offer additional information.

It was more than 20 years ago that Melendrez and his wife purchased the land the arboretum now sits on. Melendrez said first time visitors will get the chance to see what can be done with soil that was once toxic.

"You could barely grow a weed much less a tree," Melendrez said of the land years ago. "Today, we have made soil that is extremely healthy."

In fact, Melendrez said, trees are now naturalizing on the site (with no seeds being planted) and that is rare to see.

"All of this was done by restoring the biology of the soil using organic techniques and no chemicals," Melendrez said.

Melendrez also has some exotic trees in the arboretum, such as the Dawn Redwood, which was once thought to be extinct. The Redwood was found in a valley in China, and by the late 1980's only 33 trees were left.

Melendrez was able to get seed from these trees through the Chinese government, and some have reached 50 to 60 feet tall since being planted in 1993.

In addition to the numerous species of native oak, Melendrez also has bamboo thriving in the arboretum, which is a rapidly renewable resource that can be made into products such as flooring.

For Melendrez, the Arboretum Tomé is the proving grounds for what can be done on a piece of land that virtually had no chance of sustaining any type of plant life before the soil was remediated.

"It's real fun to see people enjoy it," Melendrez said.

As visitors make their way along the trails that wind through the lush, green property, signs will be on all the trees providing information on each of the species.

"Bring a picnic lunch and a folding chair and sit back and relax," he said. "There will be music — the kind of music you can lay back in the grass and close your eyes to."

For more information on the Arboretum Tomé, Trees That Please or Soil Secrets, visit www. soilsecrets.com

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