News Releases
USM Signs Environmental Agreement,
Completes Public Arboretum
USM will celebrate the upcoming Earth Day by joining an international effort to “create an environmentally sustainable future” and by planting the final tree in the USM Arboretum.
USM President Richard Pattenaude, joined by new University
of Maine System Chancellor Joseph Westphal, will sign the
international Talloires Declaration in a public ceremony scheduled
for 1:30 p.m., this Friday, April 19, on the lawn adjacent
to Russell Hall, Gorham. Pattenaude will then plant the 86th
and final tree in the USM Arboretum, officially opening it
to the public.
The Talloires Declaration was created when college presidents throughout the world gathered in Talloires, France to spell out key actions universities should take to create a sustainable future. Since then, other campuses have signed on, agreeing to increase awareness of environmentally sustainable development and to educate for environmentally responsible citizenship.
The ice storm and microburst of 1998 destroyed 175 trees
on USM's Gorham campus. Many of those trees were 75 to 120
years old. To compensate for the extensive loss, USM arborists
began to plan for the restoration of campus landscaping. With
the assistance of faculty and others, and the support of a
Maine Forest Service Grant, 300 trees were replaced. The USM
Arboretum, which is designed to include a wide diversity of
species and provide a botanical teaching tool for USM students
and local communities, features 86 trees. Members of the public
and the campus community are invited to take a self-guided
walking tour of the arboretum.
For more information on a self-guided walking tour of the Arboretum, call Professor Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh at 780-5361 or John Waters of USM’s Department of Facilities Management at 780-5226.
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