The University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum consists of 1,200 acres of restored and remnant prairies, savannas, wetlands and woodlands that provide a window into the natural heritage of southern Wisconsin before European settlers arrived in the 1830s. Visitors can explore the plant communities of the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden, use miles of roads, trails and footpaths, and visit the lawns and paths of the Longenecker Horticulture Gardens, a 60-acre site containing displays of labeled trees and shrubs from around the world. In 1934, Aldo Leopold dedicated the Arboretum as an experiment to reconstruct a sample of original Wisconsin. Many of its ecological communities are restorations, including Curtis Prairie, the oldest restored prairie in the world. The Arboretum remains a work in progress and a subject of constant study by University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty, students and visiting scholars working to restore the extraordinary plant and animal diversity that was once commonplace, while thousands of schoolchildren, teachers, families and individuals visit each year to enjoy and study this outdoor research site.