CSC wins award from Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
The Chadron State College arboretum is the recipient of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s 2010 Affiliate Site Award. The award is presented to recognize public gardens that “demonstrate excellence in collection development, maintenance practice and community engagement.”
Chadron State College and its 281-acre campus have been affiliated with the statewide arboretum since 1978. In recent years, it has undergone a transformation under the direction of Blair Brennan, CSC facilities coordinator, and Lucinda Mays, campus horticulturist.
Those who nominated CSC said the campus has become “one of the most important teaching landscapes in the region by selecting plants that add beauty, demonstrate adaptability to the climate, and offer social and historical connections to both native and emigrant peoples of the region.”
CSC also was recognized for its emphasis on water conservation, reflecting the natural beauty of the surrounding Pine Ridge region, and for restoration efforts following the 2006 wildfire that burned the wooded hills south of campus.
Brennan and Mays used the tree loss as the incentive for a massive tree planting effort in which hundreds of volunteers planted more than 50,000 new trees. The area is being used as a resource for evaluating how grasslands and woodlands recover from fire damage.
Category: Campus News