Kent State University's Geauga campus in Burton got an early start on its Earth Day celebration April 19 with exhibits, make and take projects and…
Kent State University’s Geauga campus in Burton got an early start on its Earth Day celebration April 19 with exhibits, make and take projects and a tour of its greenhouse and future outdoor perennial garden.
Visitors learned how to repurpose plastic buckets into efficient patio planters for growing tomatoes and other vegetables.
They also learned how to make a birdfeeder from plastic pop bottles.
In the greenhouse, 200 tree seedlings and hundreds of milkweed plants were growing in a cooperative venture with Geauga Park District.
The seedlings, including sugar maple, beech, hickory, oak and the shrub-like spice bush are slated to be planted at Orchard Park in Chester Township near what was the fifth hole when the park was a golf course.
“The park is undergoing a reforesting project with one fairway per year being replanted for at least the next 10 years,” Park Biologist Paul Pira explained. “The seeds were harvested from our own parks, making them a good match for the local soil and climate.”
To date, about 2,000 large trees, 6- to 8-feet-tall have been planted at the park, Pira said.
The milkweed plants grown in the greenhouse were headed to The West Woods Nature Center and Big Creek Park’s Donald W. Meyer Center where they were given to visitors at the parks’ Earth Day events 10 a.m to 5 p.m. April 22.
“Milkweed is essential for monarch butterflies,” Pira said. “Their numbers are declining sharply. We think part of it is because of the use of pesticides in farming, such as Round Up, that kills vegetation including milkweed. We are encouraging people to plant little plots of milkweed in their yards throughout the county to help nurture this year’s crop of butterflies.”
KSU’s Earth Science student organization, the Gaia Society, and faculty hosted Saturday’s celebration. Gaia is another name for Mother Earth. The group has 44 members throughout KSU’s campuses and 10 at the Burton campus.
Geology professor Sue Clement showed visitors plans for a large perennial garden that will be installed in mid-to-late summer after the new entrance to the main building is finished.
“The garden was designed by a Willoughby landscape design firm, but we’re hopeful that the students will help us plant it,” she said.
Carol Gardner, a special assistant at the Burton campus, said the garden is a component of the campus’ 50-year anniversary celebration.
She also pointed to the partnership with the park district.
“It evolved from conversations about how we could help each other,” she explained. “The campus greenhouse had not been utilized in the way it was initially intended over the last few years. This project rejuvenates its purpose.”
The partnership is not limited to the greenhouse.
Pira said the park district has a plan for the campus, including plantings and trails throughout the 87 acres of forests, wetlands and streams. He said the park district is also teaming up to offer student internships in the parks.
