By Nate West
Assistant News Editor
St. Bonaventure has been named a Tree Campus USA for the second consecutive year.
The Arbor Day Foundation awards this to 115 colleges and universities across the nation. It is supported by a grant from Toyota Motor Corp.
Rob Hurlburt, associate director of facilities for maintenance, said there is a lot to do in order to be recognized as a Tree Campus USA.
“To receive such recognition, we must annually submit an application, which includes documentation of having met the core standards: maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated expenditures for campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and sponsorship of student service-learning projects,” Hurlburt wrote in an email.
St. Bonaventure is one of six colleges in New York State to receive the award. Unlike Tree City USA, which has been around for several years, The Arbor Day Foundation formed Tree Campus USA in 2008.
“The concept of establishing, documenting and submitting our compliance to the standards for recognition was begun here in 2009,” Hurlburt wrote.
Hurlburt, also chair of the campus tree advisory committee, sends out the application every year.
Emily Deragon, Student Government Association (SGA) vice president, said the SGA works hard to get trees in the ground on campus.
“Each year, we try to plant at least one,” she said. “This year there will be a few planted.”
The SGA has helped efforts to help make the campus greener. It chartered Tread Lightly, the campus environmental group ,and offers them support.
“SGA has gone paperless at all our meetings, and, of course, we work with the Tree Campus USA committee to plan events and educate students on the importance of going green,” Deragon said. “We are also working on composting, which has been in the works for about two years.”
The SGA and Hurlburt say they are hopeful to get multiple trees in the ground. It’s still undecided where or how many will be planted.
“Two years ago, we planted one in front of the library,” Deragon said. “Last year, a tree was planted near Shay/Lo, and this year blue spurs were planted across campus at various locations.”
Deragon urges anyone interested in getting involved with the environment on campus to join Tread Lightly.
westnl11@bonaventure.edu
