LJS: Morton Statue Will Greet U.S. Capitol Visitors

From a recent issue of the Lincoln Journal Star comes a report that a bronze statue of J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day, will stand in the new Capitol Visitor Center in Washington:

BY ASTRID MUNN / For the Lincoln Journal Star
WASHINGTON — A bronze statue of Nebraska’s Julius Sterling Morton — founder of Arbor Day — will be one of the first figures greeting the public when the Capitol Visitor Center opens in December.

The sculpture was one of 24 statues moved out of the Capitol and into the new center, which is designed to bring visitors out of the elements and into a 580,000-square-foot arena where they can eat and view historical exhibits before touring the Capitol itself.

Because the Capitol’s statue collection was beginning to look cramped now that all 50 states have donated two statues each, moving Morton’s statue should be considered an upgrade rather than a demotion, said Terrie Rouse, the center chief executive officer.
“We have shifted the statues to where they can be better appreciated,” she said.

If Morton was competing for attention in the Capitol, he doesn’t have to anymore.

The statue, which shows Morton with a sapling at his feet, stands in the lobby a few steps beyond the security check. In Morton’s left hand is the “History of Nebraska,” which he began to edit in 1897.

“Here at the foundation, we’re excited that many more people will become familiar with J. Sterling Morton and his visionary perspective on conservation here in America,” said Woodrow Nelson, vice president of communications for the National Arbor Day Foundation in Nebraska City.

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Tree Planting at Jackson State University

Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi was the site of the fourth event on the National Tree Planting Campaign, which kicks off the Arbor Day Foundation’s newest initiative, Tree Campus USA. 

October 28 was perfect for planting trees—sunny, cool, and full of energy from students ready to make their mark on campus. 

We opened the event with presentations from Arbor Day Foundation, Toyota and Jackson State University representatives, as well as members of the community.  All expressed their appreciation for the gift of 100 new trees for the Jackson State University campus and their excitement about being recognized as one of the first Tree Campus USA universities in the country, and the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) institution to receive this recognition.  Sr. Vice President, Troy Stovall received the Tree Campus USA recognition plaque and flag for the university. 

Many students had never planted a tree before and learned a lot about the process.  One student commented on how much work it really took to get it planted correctly, but was looking forward to coming back in the years to come to see how well it had grown.  And that’s the important part about these events—connecting students with their environment to foster the growth of the next generation of tree stewards. 

Thank you to all Jackson State volunteers and especially to the administration and facilities departments for all their work in planning and facilitating this event!  Go Tigers!

-Mary Widhelm

Another successful Tree Campus kickoff: VTU

This fall, the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota are visiting college and university campuses across the United States to kick off Tree Campus USA, a new program designed to engage students and their host communities to establish and sustain healthy community forests. This week, Arbor Day program assistant Mary Widhelm reports on the tree planting kickoff at Virginia Tech University.

Well we had another great tree-planting event take place at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, VA on October 21st!  Over 150 students, administration, and community volunteers showed up to help us put ninety nine new trees in the ground and recognize Virginia Tech as the third Tree Campus USA university in the country.

The event started with a ceremonial tree-planting in front of the university’s new Holtzman Alumni Center followed by the presentation of the Tree Campus USA plaque and flag, received on behalf of the college by various members of the facilities department, faculty, and students.  Dr. Eric Wiseman, Assistant Professor of Urban Forestry, shared with the attendees that of all the things they do at Virginia Tech, “planting trees on campus will be one of the longest legacies that you will have here.”

After the ceremony, the students and other volunteers were off digging holes and planting trees!

The ambiance of the area was just exhilarating as students grabbed their shovels and started digging holes and putting trees in the ground.  For many this was their very first time planting a tree.  One student said how much he was looking forward to coming back to campus in twenty five years to see how “his tree” had grown.  Mary Ambler, Virginia Tech’s student representative on the college’s Tree Advisory Committee and an Environmental Policy and Planning major couldn’t stop expressing her excitement and appreciation for the gift of trees the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota gave to the university.  “This is just so exciting receiving these trees and getting to be a part of this planting event!  Thank you so much for being here.”

And thank YOU to the Virginia Tech team that worked so hard to organize this successful event, which will make the campus more beautiful for years to come.

Stay tuned for updates about our next events at Oregon State and Jackson State University!

- Mary Widhelm

Tree Campus USA Tour: Northern Kentucky University

This fall, the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota are visiting college and university campuses across the United States to kick off Tree Campus USA, a new program designed to engage students and their host communities to establish and sustain healthy community forests. Today, Arbor Day program director Michelle Scribner reports on the first kickoff event last week, at Northern Kentucky University.

The Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota officially launched the new Tree Campus USA program on October 16 with a tree planting event at Northern Kentucky University!

The Northern Kentucky University Norse were terrific hosts and very excited to be recognized as one of the first Tree Campus USA colleges in the nation.  The University met all five standards of the Tree Campus USA program and Dr. James Votruba, University President, accepted the Tree Campus USA plaque and flag on behalf of the college.

What better way to kick off a program that encourages best tree management practices and engages students in the care of their campus trees than by adding some more trees to this growing campus in Highland Heights, Kentucky – just Southeast of Cincinnati.  Over 40 tulip poplars and yoshino cherry trees were planted near the entrance of the college and just adjacent to the new Welcome Center.  These trees will be a beautiful addition to welcome students, faculty, and visitors as they enter the NKU campus.

The day before the event, we were given a tour of the campus.  They have just started an arboretum by Lake Norse and are making great efforts to add “green” to the campus which has historically been very concrete.  The efforts are definitely paying off as we witnessed numerous students gravitate towards the more landscaped areas.  Who wouldn’t want to catch up with studies or relax between classes in an area where there are more trees!

The tree planting event at Northern Kentucky University was the first of nine that will be held throughout the country  to celebrate the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota’s Tree Campus USA initiative.  To learn more about this new program that honors colleges and the leaders of their surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and promoting environmental stewardship, visit arborday.org/treecampususa.

- Michelle Scribner, Program Director, Arbor Day Foundation

Kicking Off the Tree Campus USA Planting Tour

Beginning this Thursday, October 16^th, the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with Toyota Motor North America, Inc. will kick off its Tree Campus USA Tree Planting Tour with the first celebration taking place at Northern Kentucky University.

Over 75 universities applied to be a part of this campaign and only 9 were selected to receive up to 100 trees each to plant on their campuses this fall.  These universities and their coinciding tree planting event dates include:

·         Northern Kentucky University – October 16

·         Virginia Tech – October 21

·         Oregon State University – October 23

·         Jackson State University – October 28

·         University of Texas at Austin – October 30

·         Arizona State University – November 7

·         University of Nebraska, Lincoln – November 12

·         University of California, San Diego – November 12

·         University of Michigan –TBA

The reason behind these celebrations is the Arbor Day Foundation’s announcement of its newest initiative, the Tree Campus USA program, which will recognize college campuses that are committed to planting, maintaining and celebrating trees.

“We are pleased to team up with Toyota and kick off the Tree Campus USA program by honoring Northern Kentucky University as a Tree Campus USA university and by holding nine tree-planting events across the country,” said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “This program will have a lasting impact because it will encourage students and local citizens to work together to create healthier communities for everyone to enjoy. It will also foster better tree-care practices, and will connect students and campus leaders with tree-care professionals in their community.”

Tree Campus USA recognizes the best practices in campus community forestry throughout America. The aim of the program is to honor college campuses and the leaders of their surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship.

Check back in the next weeks for updates, pictures, videos, and stories from the upcoming planting events.  With more than 1000 trees being planted and hundreds of students and community volunteers involved, there are sure to be exciting things occurring!