Rockford arboretum plans to build treehouses

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - An arboretum in northern Illinois hopes to draw new interest by building treehouses where visitors can climb into the branches for better views.

The (Rockford) Register Star reports (http://bit.ly/1Q6NLcu ) the treehouse initiative at Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Rockford coincides with efforts to offer more family-friendly activities.

Three treehouses would be built at the arboretum, which is owned by Forest Preserves of Winnebago County. Leaders will discuss at a meeting next month the possibility of hosting a treehouse design competition for architects.

Klehm Executive Director Dan Riggs says an aging observation tower at the arboretum will be retrofitted as one of the treehouses. Two others would be built in the children's garden.

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com