Ijams Propagation Site and Memorial

Who We Are
We are four students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville who have partnered with Ijams Nature Center  to raise money to build a memorial propagation site. This is a place where pollinating plants can have a safe place to grow and proliferate. We want to help Ijams because of their compassion to honor one of their employees and because of the joy that Ijams spreads throughout the community.



Ijams was founded in 1910 by Henry Ijams as a bird sanctuary. Since then, it has grown to become a leading wildlife haven and environmental learning center. Ijams’ vision is “through direct experience with the outdoors all people will appreciate and care for the natural world.” They succeed in this through scout and school programs, family events, and activities such as hiking and swimming.


What We Need
Recently, a valued employee Peg Beute (middle), who was a naturalist at Ijams for over 20 years, passed away. She taught hundreds of people about pollinators, native species, how to cook using produce from a home garden, and much more. She loved her job and took great pride in teaching others. This propagation site is a dedication to her hard work and passion for Ijams. 

We hope to raise $1,000 so Ijams can make improvements to their greenhouse to serve as the location for the propagation site. They plan to add raised flower beds and gardening plots. It will also include native grasses, flowers, and shrubs in restoration efforts to create more meadows, grasslands, and wetland/erosion control areas.

We, in joint effort with Ijams, also want to add art structures from a Knoxville artist as pollinators to help enrich the site and provide educational significance. These pollinators will help visitors learn how animals help flowers reproduce. This will include, for example, hummingbird feeders that Ijams can also use for their annual hummingbird festival. 


How it Helps the Community
With your donation, we will be able to help Knoxville environmentally and artistically. The project will bring back native species to aid pollination in order to help support the surrounding flora and fauna. The site will stand as another alluring part of Ijams Nature Center for visitors to enjoy. Knoxville artists will also get the chance to display their artwork at the site in a meaningful and educational setting.

How Else You Can Help
If you are unable to make a monetary contribution, don’t worry! There are other ways you can help our initiative. A great start would be to share this campaign with your friends, family, and co-workers or on social media. Ijams always appreciate volunteers,  or you can sign up for their newsletter  to receive updates. Following them on Facebook  or Twitter  is beneficial too. 

For more information about Ijams Nature Center, you can visit their website here and learn about events, programs, and sign up to receive emails from them. 


Like our campaign on Facebook too!