F "Carl Fenner, who took over the (Parks) Department from Bancroft, spent the first three decades of his career as assistant city forester. In his 39 years with the department, Fenner played a major role in shaping the park system and in developing a tree care program. He started the program in 1932 after driving his Model-T to Washington, D.C., to view its tree-lined avenues, each featuring a different species. During the Depression, Fenner had more than 500 men planting 3,000 trees a year with pick axes and shovels under federal work programs. By the time Fenner retired in 1962, 93 percent of Lansing's streets were lined with trees.

Fenner's legacy will include not only the trees, but the arboretum that bears his name on East Mt. Hope Avenue. He planted the park as a nature-lover's paradise. The 120-acre farm land was purchased in 1952 by the city for $60,000 firm Scott Turner, a former resident who operated an engineering firm in New York City. Turner was the son of James M. Turner, one of Lansing's first settlers, who owned the 1,200 acre Springdale Farm along East Mt. Hope Aveneue. In the 1920s the area had been planted with white, red, Austrian and Scotch Pines, spruce, tamarack and other evergreens. Development of the park began in 1958 and it was open to the public in august of 1959. Part of the land is used to grow hay for the Potter Park Zoo. The park offers several nature trails, a nature center and education programs." (pg. 100)