Native Plants
National Organizations Directory
As a service to the public, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center collects information on native plant societies, conservation groups, governmental agencies, botanical gardens, arboreta, and other plant-related organizations throughout North America. Click here to add your organization to the directory. Affiliates are organizations that partner with the Wildflower Center to encourage the preservation and use of native plants in different regions of the country.
National AIDS Memorial Grove
Address: 856 Stanyan Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Region: California
Phone: 415-750-8340
Fax: 415-750-0214
Web: www.aidsmemorial.org
Organization Scope: National
Organization Type: Arboretum
Services this organization provides
- Work on restoration projects
- Wildflower or native habitat display on property
- Open to the public
- Membership program
Native Plant Focus: The 7.5-acre site in Golden Gate Park was selected in 1991. At that time it was an overgrown and unused area of the park. For the past 12 years we have worked to clear and replant many of the trees and shrubs with a specific focus on plants native to the Northern California coast. The vast majority of the labor required to care for the memorial is provided by volunteers under the guidance of one full-time gardener.
Description: The National AIDS Memorial Grove, located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, was conceived in 1989 by a small group of local residents representing a community devastated by the AIDS epidemic. Searching for a positive way to express their collective grief, they envisioned a serene, natural setting where people could come to remember lives lost to AIDS. Today, this unique 7.5-acre memorial honors all who have confronted this tragic pandemic – those who have died, and those who have shared their struggle, kept the vigils, and supported each other during the final hours. This once neglected area of parkland has been lovingly transformed through countless hours of volunteer labor into a true national treasure. The Grove is an award-winning example of civic beautification; combining both public and private sectors in urban-park restoration and promoting AIDS awareness. Most importantly, the Grove is a place of healing for the thousands of visitors and volunteers that spend time here each year. In October 1996, Congress and the President of the United States approved the National AIDS Memorial Grove Act, which designates the Grove as the nation’s first AIDS memorial; a status comparable to that of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Mount Rushmore, and the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. This official designation proclaims to the world that there is a dedicated place in the public landscape where anyone who has been touched by AIDS can find comfort, grieve openly without being stigmatized, and experience feelings of hope that nature can often inspire.
Last Update: 2003-12-12
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