Graver Arboretum
All you need to know about this precious natural laboratory that is used as an outdoor classroom by science students and open to the public during daylight hours.
About Graver Arboretum
For more than 40 years, Dr. Lee and Virginia Graver, nature lovers and conservationists, painstakingly cleared overgrown briar patches, dense brush areas, and woods to create an environment conducive to growth for wildflowers, ferns, rhododendrons, and native and rare trees, including more than 150 species of conifers. The result is a beautiful 63-acre arboretum which the Gravers generously donated to Muhlenberg College in 1994.
College Field Studies
Graver Arboretum is used as a field station for biology and environmental studies classes at Muhlenberg, including courses on botany, ecology, and physiology.
College Research
Muhlenberg students are involved in research at the arboretum and have opportunities to study the plants, animals, and habitats found at Graver. Examples of student research include evaluating insect and plant interactions, monitoring amphibian reproduction, surveying aquatic ecosystems, and using Geographic Information System technology to map arboretum specimens.
Collections
- Conifers (Abies, Cedrus, Chamaecyparis, Juniperus, Metasequoia, Picea, Pinus, Taxodium, Thuja, Tsuga, and others)
- Wetland plants (obligate and facultative)
- Wildflowers (including fall wildflowers)
- Rhododendrons
Conserving Graver
It was the long-term vision of Lee and Virginia Graver that the arboretum be protected, preserved, and used for educational purposes.
To ensure its long-term care and upkeep, the Gravers established an endowment fund for the arboretum in 1995. This endowment fund guarantees that future generations of Muhlenberg students, faculty, and friends can enjoy the splendor of this precious natural laboratory.
Graver Arboretum is also part of several municipal open space preservation plans, including the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plan, the Two Rivers Area Greenway Plan, and Bushkill Township’s Official Map.
Directions
The arboretum, at 1581 Bushkill Center Road, Bath, Pennsylvania, is a 45-minute drive (21 miles) from the Muhlenberg campus.
Take Route 22 to 512 North. (From Allentown, take Route 22 East; from Bethlehem/Easton, take Route 22 West.)
Follow for approximately 11.3 miles; turn left at the traffic light (Exxon station) onto Bushkill Center Road.
At the white church, bear left.
The entrance to Graver Arboretum is on the left, approximately 0.6 miles ahead.
Please park in the gravel lot located behind the barn.
Support Graver Arboretum
Gifts in support of the Lee and Virginia Graver Arboretum can be sent to The Graver Arboretum, c/o Muhlenberg College Office of Advancement, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, PA 18104.