Dear members of the “Fullerton Arboretum Advocates” Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/377907969715782.

I hadn’t visited the Fullerton Arboretum since CSUF took full control, renamed it the CSUF Arboretum, and started charging $4 per hour for parking at the Arboretum lot on weekdays. Today, Friday, August 8, I visited the Arboretum for the first time in over 2 years. What I saw saddened me and confirmed the concerns I expressed previously.

There was hardly anyone there on a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon, with only eight cars in the almost empty parking lot. The weekday $4 per hour parking fee at the Arboretum lot, introduced in 2022 via the Park Mobile app, has led to the Arboretum being mostly visited on weekends, when it is often crowded. However, the daily fee on Saturday and Sunday will be $6 starting August 25, 2025, $9 starting in summer 2026, and $12 in July 2027. Click here to read CSUF parking information.

Earlier this year, I spoke with Council Member Dr. Shana Charles about the Arboretum. Besides being the Fullerton city council member for district 3 that includes the Arboretum and CSUF campus, she is also a full professor at CSUF. She happily noted, “Parking is still FREE at the Arboretum on the weekends!” This will no longer be the case starting August 25. Expect attendance at the Arboretum to continue to fall and its many benefits to the Fullerton community as a commons for people to visit and enjoy free of any fees on the weekend to expire. How sad for the people of Fullerton that this once great civic source of relaxation, recreation, education and family enjoyment will now be monetized and underutilized by its citizens.

The Arboretum didn’t look as nice or well-kept as I remembered. Besides a lack of visitors, the extensive lawn next to Dr. Clark’s house (Heritage House) was brown and mostly dead. Many of the surrounding citrus trees appeared to be under water stress, with their leaves curled up. I have 10 citrus trees in my yard, so I know what healthy, watered trees look like.

I was informed that the Arboretum’s long-time director had retired in January, and the position was subsequently posted but removed by CSUF, leaving it unfilled. This could explain the sad shape of the grounds. I asked if Dr. Clark’s House had been reopened for visitors or the many schoolchildren’s field trips I used to see there, and was told no.

The only good news I have to report is that Arboretum land was not taken for the massive expansion and building of student housing that is being added to the campus. It does tower above the Arboretum grounds, though.

I am writing to alert the people here who are still Fullerton Arboretum Advocates to what I saw and learned today after visiting the Fullerton Arboretum after a 2-year absence.

Sincerely,
Dr. Steve Chapin