Johnson City Resident Helps Cazenovia Achieve Arbor Day Foundation's "Tree Campus USA College" Designation

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CAZENOVIA, NY (05/07/2010)(readMedia)-- The Arbor Day Foundation recently honored Cazenovia College as a Tree Campus USA college for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.

On the recommendation of the College's Council on Long Range Planning, Stefan Opalenick, superintendent of grounds, and Thad Yorks, associate professor of environmental science, prepared and submitted the required tree care plan. Yorks said, "Students in our Field Botany class helped lay the groundwork last fall by mapping trees on the main parts of campus and reviewing tree care plans from other institutions."

Aimee Sosenko of Johnson City, N.Y., who recently completed her sophomore year in the College's Environmental Studies Program, was in that group and serves as the student representative on the required Tree Care Committee. She says, "I am glad to be a part of Tree Campus USA; this experience will help me spread awareness about how important the environment is. My hope for the future is that more people get involved with this program so that we can continue on the path to a healthier planet."

"I had never really thought about the trees around campus until I took a field botany class last fall semester," says Sosenko. "I learned so much about the different trees around campus that when Dr. Yorks asked me to help map the trees on campus for Tree Campus USA, I was thrilled. I was expecting it to be a challenge to do the mapping, however I just had to identify the types of trees around the campus and mark them on a map, something I found to be thoroughly enjoyable. I learned what trees we have, and how to manage them. The project gave me an extraordinary opportunity for work experience."

For the tree care committee, Sosenko focused primarily on mapping the trees, while her fellow committee members put together a proper tree care plan with the assistance of Opalenick.

Sosenko is specializing in environmental biology, and is leaning toward working in conservation or wildlife management. "I have a long way to go before I decide," she says. "I plan on going to graduate school; by then I'll know where my true interest lies."

In order to receive Tree Campus USA status, Cazenovia College met the five required core standards of tree care and community engagement: establishment of a campus tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree-care plan; verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan; involvement in an Arbor Day observance; and the institution of a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.

"The Tree Campus USA program will have a long-lasting impact at Cazenovia College as it engages college students and local citizens to plant trees and create healthier communities for people to enjoy for decades to come," said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "The school will benefit from exceptional tree-care practices on campus as it works with tree-care professionals in the community to improve the tree canopy in Cazenovia."

Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, honors colleges and universities and the leaders of the campus and surrounding communities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship. Tree Campus USA is supported by a grant from Toyota.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at www.arborday.org. The foundation launched Tree Campus USA in the fall of 2008 by planting trees at nine college campuses throughout the United States. More information about the Tree Campus USA program is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.

PHOTO: Students and staff at Cazenovia College took part in an Arbor Day tree planting on Nickerson Street, maintaining its status as a Tree Campus USA, so named by the Arbor Day Foundation for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.

Taking part in the planting were (l to r) Stefan Opalenick, superintendent of grounds; Dr. Sue Berger, executive vice president; Jeff Slocum, plant operations manager; Aimee Sosenko, an environmental studies student who led the College's tree care and planning effort; Christian Heberle, facility engineer and management officer; and Thad Yorks, associate professor of environmental science, along with other students (wielding shovels in the background.

Photos by Tasha Johnson

Cazenovia College, named one of "America's Best Colleges" by US News & World Report, is a small, independent, co-educational, baccalaureate college. Located near Syracuse, N.Y., Cazenovia College offers a comprehensive liberal arts education in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their professional fields. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.

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