New Director Charts Klehm’s Future

New Director Charts Klehm’s Future

By Peggy Werner

As the executive director of Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden, Alex Mills wants to care for the plants, shrubs and trees around him, but he also wants to plant seeds in the minds of visitors, young and old, to grow their appreciation for nature and what Klehm holds in store for them.

Mills, 32, holds a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois and is an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist. He most recently served as Neighborhood Services Manager and Community Development Director for the city of Freeport. Last summer he stepped into the position previously held by Dan Riggs, who retired in mid- June after almost six years at the helm of the 33-year-old organization.

“I really feel I’ve spent my entire career preparing for this position,” Mills says. “Everything seems to have led me here. I feel ready and able to help take Klehm to the next level of awareness and bring even more people here to visit.

“I’d like to see more feet on the ground, day in and day out. Volunteers and others have worked so hard to make Klehm what it is today. I want to see more people here for visits and programs, returning again and again, becoming members and volunteers, realizing what a terrific resource and treasure the arboretum is for the community.” he says.

First on his agenda has been the completion of the large water feature at the Nancy Olson Children’s Garden, which will be celebrated with a grand re-opening this spring. Mills has also helped Klehm to secure several grants to help continue growth and improvement, expanding the unique collection of trees and plants while also extending outreach to the community. One grant will support engaging volunteers and planting a large number of trees on Alexander Mills the property this upcoming Arbor Day, while another grant awarded by the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois will help Klehm improve its engagement with the Latino community.

Whether people want to get away from it all and have a quiet walk among the trees or need to plan a large celebration in recognition of a milestone, Klehm is a great option, he says. Mills also intends for there to be a strong focus on programming in 2019 and beyond, with more classes and educational opportunities offered consistently.

Klehm is maintained as a 155-acre living museum with gardens and rare trees for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of all. It’s a private non-forprofit membership-based organization, supported through dues, donations, sponsorships, grants, fundraisers and subsidies, in partnership with the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County. Landscape architect William Lincoln Taylor established the site as a nursery around 1910, which explains the many rare, now-mature trees on the property. His experimental plantings include trees found nowhere else in Illinois, some of which were never expected to thrive in our climate but have defied the odds for more than a century.

The Klehm family bought the nursery in 1968 and maintained it until 1985. Because they understood its horticultural value, they generously donated the land to the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District with the stipulation it be maintained as an arboretum.

Mills made his first visit to Klehm about 10 years ago. He was in Rockford helping to conduct an inventory of trees on city streets, making note of tree species, ages and sizes, in anticipation of the arrival of the destructive Emerald Ash Borer.

On a side trip to Klehm, he discovered the uniqueness of the arboretum. On another trip, he was able to spend even more time, paying more attention to the people of all ages walking around, enjoying the grounds.

Mills grew up in Georgetown, Ill., and remembers being outdoors most of the time, roaming the woods and taking part in conservation programs at a nearby forest preserve. While in college, he owned his own forestry business creating management plans for landowners, and he later started his own tree care company that focused on tree health, rather than just tree removals.

Mills’ wife, Jessie, is a veterinarian practicing in Orangeville, Ill. The couple has two children, John, 6, and Samantha, 1.

“We have a lot going on here at Klehm, and I want to build on that. I’m ready to raise our profile to the next level and invite even more people here to explore what a special place this is,” he says. ❚

Alexander Mills