Arboretum a hidden treasure

For those who may not know, the John C. Gifford Arboretum is a little piece of green heaven on campus. When you’re running the loop past the entrance to Richter and you see all of those little signs that say “Arboretum,” well, that’s it.

After two years of passion and hard work and who knows how much money, the university has declared the arboretum “restored” in wake of the hurricanes that ravaged it in 2005. (Hurricanes as in the natural disasters Katrina and Wilma. not your peers.)

But before it can even be enjoyed in its new state by current students and incoming freshman, a road may be built to join parking lots on campus. There is no question that the internal road is needed to deter traffic away from major streets surrounding the university, but it seems counterintuitive to spend time and money on something that will be reversed by construction in the next couple of years.

The arboretum is one of UM’s hidden treasures and should be promoted more thoroughly on campus before it is potentially defaced by a concrete jungle. In light of our “Green U” campaign, it seems only appropriate to plant more trees and build fewer things. But with the road already in the works in conjunction with Coral Gables, we can only hope that its planners have the foresight and respect to make sure that the road does not detract from the beautification and lushness of campus.

But if they don’t (as government officials sometimes do not) and they ultimately take away from our foliage-friendly arboretum, they should make up for it elsewhere on campus. Like where the new Rat is being built. riiight.

Editorials represent the majority view of The Miami Hurricane editorial board.