Clark College to celebrate Arbor Day; second consecutive Tree Campus USA designation

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The Arbor Day Foundation has named Clark College a 2011 Tree Campus USA for its commitment to effective community forestry management. This is the second consecutive year that the college has been honored.

The achievement will be recognized on April 11 as part of the college’s Arbor Day celebration. The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 10 a.m. at Clark’s Oliva Family Learning Center. Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.  Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

Following a brief ceremony, the college will receive a 2011 Tree Campus USA plaque.  It will be accepted by Clark College Vice President of Administrative Services Bob Williamson. Youngsters from Clark’s Early Learning Center will then participate in a ceremonial tree planting.

Clark College President Robert K. Knight said, “All of us at Clark College take great pride in our beautiful campus in Vancouver’s Central Park.  Our groundskeepers and staff do a wonderful job of protecting and enhancing that environment for our students, faculty, staff and visitors. This award reflects their hard work and dedication.  It is richly deserved.”

Tree Campus USA recognition is presented for dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, Clark College achieved the designation by meeting the required five core standards for sustainable campus forestry: a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.



“Students throughout the country are passionate about sustainability and community improvement, which makes Clark’s emphasis on well-maintained and healthy trees so important,” said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “By achieving Tree Campus USA recognition, Clark College will continue to set an example for other colleges and universities and give students a chance to give back to both their campus community and the community at-large.”

Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. Tree Campus USA is supported by a generous grant from Toyota.

During 2011, the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota helped campuses throughout the country plant 30,000 trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities have invested more than $22 million in campus forest management. More information about the Tree Campus USA program is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization of one million members with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, Southwest Washington is one of just a dozen areas in the country in which a government, utility and institution of higher learning have all received Tree USA designations.