The plantings that surround the Batie Science Center are the fulfilled dream of instructors, Dave Martin and Greg Garman in the Biology and Botany departments at Centralia College. In honor of Rufus Kiser, a botany and zoology instructor for 32 years at the College from 1941, who established the Centralia College Herbarium with 8,000 mounted sheets of plant samples from across the country. This herbarium has been enhanced with the outdoor plantings begun in 1992 and dedicated to remember Rufus Kiser's career at the College.

The three sections of the Kiser Northwest Gardens represent the primary plant zones of Washington state. One may observe these plantings and know typical form and character of plants of the coast, the mountains, or eastern Washington. Such a collection of gardens is unique for any college in western Washington and represents a special teaching tool and community demonstration for garden lovers. Seeing these plants all in one location is a memorial to the many years of Kiser's teaching his first love of botany.

As you walk through the gardens imagine these same plants on craggy cliffs in the subalpine garden to the north of the Science Center. These hardy plants struggle with a short growing season, high winds, and summer droughts. And yet they are beautiful and bright to attract high mountain pollinators like colorful humming birds or buzzing bumble bees.

The gardens to the west of the Science Center represent a lowland coastal forest typical of western Washington, and one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. The Sitka spruce is a wonderful wood that makes pianos sound just right, and airplanes fly with wooden structures that are strong and light weight.

On the south side of the Science Center Building stand among the trees and shrubs of the dry eastern slopes of the Cascades. These plantings, like the juniper, aspen, and lodgepole pine represent the diverse eastern Washington landscape. Enjoy these gardens and watch them grow and change over the seasons, and remember this special tribute to a great teacher at Centralia College.