Three long-serving staff members retired from the National Arboretum in 2021.

We'd like to thank Chris Carley, Joan Feely, and Kevin Tunison for their incredible service and contributions to the National Arboretum.

Chris Carley was heavily involved in incorporating Arboretum collections into the American Public Gardens Association's Plant Collections Network, ultimately elevating the maple, magnolia, and oak collections as national collections.

Joan Feeley shined a light on native plants at the Arboretum through her work curating Fern Valley, restoring Springhouse Run, and organizing of the Annual Lahr Native Plant Symposium.

Kevin Tunison oversaw major changes in the Arboretum's plant records system. His work recording, mapping, and databasing thousands of records are central to the Arboretum's role in plant conservation.

We are grateful for the passion and dedication Chris, Joan, and Kevin each brought to their work at the National Arboretum. We will miss seeing them regularly at the Arboretum but wish them well in retirement.

The National Arboretum welcomes John Shearin to the gardens team this week as an Agricultural Science Research Technician. John will work in gardens and collections throughout the Arboretum. He has extensive experience in both nursery and research settings, including at the Arboretum's Research Unit in Beltsville, MD. Welcome to the team, John!

Even in the cold of winter, eyes will soon turn to the Arboretum's mating pair of bald eagles to see if they will produce an egg this year.

Last year, a new female took up residence in the nest above the Azalea Collections with the male eagle known as Mr. President. This female was known as V5 since she was the fifth adult to visit the nest that year.

In mid-December though, the American Eagle Foundation officially renamed her LOTUS, or Lady of the US. Watch last year's spring Digging In episode to catch up on the eagle drama.

To make maple syrup, you need maple trees — lots and lots of maple trees. But what do you do from there?

Join the U.S. Botanic Garden and U.S. National Arboretum on Friday, January 14th at 12 PM for a free virtual program about the history, production, and biology of maple sugaring. Learn also about the maples found in both the USBG's and USNA's collections.

Government employees can support FONA by donating through the Combined Federal Campaign. Federal civilian, postal, and military members have until January 15, 2022 to pledge their support for the 2021 campaign. FONA's CFC number is 81610.