With great sadness, we announce the passing of Denver Botanic Gardens’ CEO, Brian Vogt.</p> Brian, CEO of the Gardens since 2007, was an exceptional leader, mentor and friend. The Gardens would not be the thriving hub of enlightenment, healing and connection without Brian’s passionate and dedicated vision. We are grateful for the many years he gave the Gardens, and his imprint will help us flourish for years to come.</p> Most of Brian’s dreams for the Gardens have come true - chief among them was making it a “garden for all people” - in the words of Brian’s close friend and former board chair Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis. Board of Trustees Chair Mary Lee Chin said, “Brian’s influence on Denver Botanic Gardens was deep and lasting, shaping its growth and beauty for nearly two decades. His legacy will continue to inspire all who walk these paths. ‘Onward’ was more than just one of his favorite sayings—it was a testament to his spirit and optimism. That spirit will be carried forward in all the Gardens does.”</p> “Brian was one of the true visionary leaders in our community,” said Deborah Jordy, SCFD Executive Director. “All that is great about Denver Botanic Gardens owes its origin to his boundless optimism and bottomless kindness. It is hard to come to terms with the loss of someone so fundamental to the fabric of our metro area. But, as was Brian's way, he has quietly but steadfastly left us all a legacy of grace, beauty and connection that will stand for generations.”Our thoughts are with Brian’s family and all those that he impacted throughout his life.</p> While we are heartbroken, Brian would have wanted us to find a path forward, and the Board of Trustees appointed Director of Marketing and Social Responsibility Jennifer Riley-Chetwynd as interim CEO.Jennifer said, “Brian will be profoundly missed. We will strive to maintain the standard of excellence he has built, working in partnership with the Gardens’ board and staff.” </p> Gifts to the Gardens in Brian’s honor can be made here</a>. </p> </p>
Join your community in documenting biodiversity during the 10th anniversary of the City Nature Challenge! City Nature Challenge is a yearly event for folks in cities all over the world to observe and document biodiversity in their own backyards. Originally started as a friendly competition in California, the global challenge has grown to include more than 500 cities across more than 50 countries. To participate, people take photos or record sound during the observation phase of any organism – plant, animal, insect, and more – on iNaturalist. This is followed by a short identification phase – where a community of naturalists work on identifying the species observed. </p> The City Nature Challenge 2025: </strong></p> Observations: April 25-28</li> Upload and Identification Phase: April 29 – May 5</li> </ul> Denver Botanic Gardens is the lead organizing institution for the Denver-Boulder metro area, which includes the counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. All iNaturalist observations of wild species made during the observation period and uploaded before the end of the Identification phase are automatically included in the 2025 CNC iNaturalist project</a>. If you do not live in the Denver metro area or another participating city, you can still participate by joining the Global Project</a>. </p> For 2024’s global challenge, there were almost 2.5 million observations of over 65,000 species made by 83,000+ people from over 500 cities in over 50 countries around the world. Almost 4,000 of those species are considered rare, endangered, or threatened. The leading city for numbers of observations, species, and observers was La Paz, Bolivia with 165,000+ observations of more than 5,000 species!</p> In the Denver-Boulder metro area, more than 4,500 observations were observed by nearly 400 people of almost 1,000 species! We even had 73 research-grade observations of 10 species that are listed as rare, endangered, or threatened by NatureServe or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This effort to observe biodiversity further enhances our understanding of species distributions. For example, a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Denver found the first record of a parasitic orchid species </a>(striped coralroot, Corallorhiza striata</em>) at our own Chatfield Farms bioblitz! </p> Participate by exploring your local area using iNaturalist on your own, with friends & family, or by signing up for a local bioblitz. Learn more</a> about community science at Denver Botanic Gardens on our website. Stay tuned for updates regarding local bioblitzes. </p>
