The Yampa River Botanic Park operates due to generous contributions from members, donors, sponsors, and grants. The Botanic Park is an innovative, perhaps unique, experiment in the private/public development and maintenance of a public botanical garden. The land was donated to the City of Steamboat Springs in 1992 by founders Bob and Audrey Enever. The Botanic Park is managed by an Association and receives no public money. The City of Steamboat Springs supports the park in many nonmonetary ways. Your gift to the Park is a gift to the community and its guests. The opportunity to enjoy gardens, birds, animals, programs, events, and performances at no cost. All contributions are tax deductible.
Membership
Yampa River Botanic Park Members receive the following benefits:
- Personalized membership card
- Park sticker
- Discounts on special events
- Subscription to and recognized in the newsletter
- Tour offering to see the native Trillium bloom
- Annual Meeting/Report Celebration with a catered buffet and wine
- Member’s Only hours at the Spring Plant & Fall Bulb & Peony Benefits
- Reserve facilities
- As a member of the Yampa River Botanic Park, members enjoy benefits of The American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program which offers free admission and/or additional benefits at more than 345 gardens throughout North America and the Caribbean, including the Denver Botanic Gardens. Click here for a complete list of reciprocal gardens: https://ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/rap/
- The Americans Public Gardens Association offers our new members to select either Better Homes and Gardens or Martha Stewart Living magazine for a complimentary one-year subscription.
Membership Levels:
Individual – $40
Family – $60
Business – $100
Or mail a check to:
Yampa River Botanic Park
PO Box 776269
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477
Donations
All donors who contribute over $40 are enrolled in our membership program.
Donations at a Leadership Level offer the opportunity for a memorial, honorarium, or tribute.
Leadership Giving Levels:
Columbine – $100
Trillium – $250
Sunflower – $500
Shooting Star – $1,000
Sego Lily – $2,000
Forget-Me-Not – $5,000
Penstemon $10,000 +
Matching Gifts
You may be able to double your donation if your employer has a matching gift program. Many employers will match donations dollar-for-dollar and sometimes make contributions for volunteer hours contributed to an organization. And in some cases, this applies to retirees as well. Inquire with your employer and if you have a matching gift program, please contact the Botanic Park office to learn how to double your donation!
Sponsor Opportunities
Yampa River Botanic Park has many opportunities for giving and acknowledging loved ones.
Bench Sponsorship. Most benches in the Botanic Park are sponsored. There is the opportunity to sponsor the five remaining benches in the Amphitheater in the Children’s Garden. These durable, recycled plastic benches are available for sponsorship at $5,000 each. A brass plaque with your name and a message will be placed on the bench for ten years.
Annual Garden Sponsorships cover the maintenance of a specific garden for one season. The garden you choose will have a sign with your name. The cost is $1000 per year and includes annual membership. Please contact the office to learn which gardens are available.
Tree and Shrub Sponsorships are available for the existing trees and shrubs at the Park. The cost varies from $300 – $2,000. A small (3” x 1.5”) tag is placed on the tree or shrub for the life of the tree. Emma Friedland, Lead Horticulturist, will schedule a Park walk to help you pick the perfect tree or shrub.
An Endowment Fund has been established at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. If you are interested in contributing to the long-term sustainability of the Park, please contact Jennifer MacNeil, Executive Director. There is also a Capital Development fund used only to upgrade or redesign gardens and to provide capital improvement for the Park.
For more information about giving opportunities, please call the Botanic Park’s office at 970-846-5172 or email office@yrbp.org
Corporate Sponsorship
The Botanic Park is eager to work with local businesses to help grow the Park and in return, provide exposure to the thousands of visitors to the Park each year. Additional giving opportunities are available for corporate sponsors to sponsor a program or event including the Fairy Garden House Contest, Speaker Series, and Glow in the Park.
Sponsors receive recognition including:
- Featured as a sponsor on our website and social media channels
- Your logo featured in all print publications including newspaper ads and fliers around town
- Listed as a sponsor on all event signage
- Listed as a donor in the Newsletter distributed to all of our members
To learn more and get involved please contact Jennifer MacNeil, Executive Director.
What We Do With Your Donations
The Botanic Park is open from early May to late October, daily, and no admission is charged. Most programs and events in the Park are free to visitors thanks to contributions and community partnerships.
We educate the community about plants that thrive in the challenging environment of the Yampa Valley. Most plants are labeled with scientific and common names.
Each summer one or two gardens are re-designed and replanted, as well as improvements made to the infrastructure. These projects are paid for by grants and capital development funds, supported by members.
Volunteer with Friends of the Botanic Park
Friends of the Botanic Park is a group of volunteers of the Yampa River Botanic Park who collectively help to sustain the gardens and the association by maintaining world-class display gardens, improving the visitor experience, and raising the funds needed to support the organization through fun and innovative programs and events. Orientation and training are provided for all volunteers. The following are the different roles you can play to help, and you can choose more than one! Please email Sandi Molen for more information about Friends of the Botanic Park.
- Gardeners – Under the guidance and supervision of the Lead Horticulturist help with general gardening tasks including planting, pruning, seeding, fertilizing, top dressing, soil conditioning, watering, pest control, and weed control. Interested volunteers may assist with plant labels and plant inventory.
- Event Assistance Volunteers – Assists on the day of special programs and events to support the event and assist participants including Passport Through the Gardens, Music on the Green, Glow in the Park, and the Annual Bulb & Peony Sale. Volunteers may choose one or more events.
- Event Planning Volunteers – Serves on a team with Park staff and board members to plan and execute special programs and events including Passport Through the Botanic Park, Spirng Plant Benefit and the Annual Bulb & Peony Benefit. Volunteers may choose one or more events.
- Garden Greeters – Welcomes visitors at the Park’s main entrance to assist with wayfinding, general information, and dynamic conversation.
- Guided Tour Guides – Tour guides lead visitors on tours throughout the Park highlighting the Park’s history, individual gardens, plants of interest, wildlife, sculpture, and general information.
Gardeners meet Wednesdays at 9 am. Space is limited to 10 volunteers per shift. Tools are provided but you are welcome to bring your own. Bring a hat, sunscreen, and water. Meet at the shed. If you would like to volunteer in the gardeners, sign up here: https://signup.zone/yrbp-volunteers
Garden Sponsorship
Sponsor a garden with your time. There are a number of gardens within the Botanic Park where sponsorship is covered by 100% volunteer maintenance. A sponsor must commit to, at minimum, weekly maintenance of a garden to a standard established by the Horticulture Committee in order to maintain sponsorship. Sponsors are recognized with a sign at your garden and in our newsletter.