West Texas A&M University is now a Tree Campus USA campus.
WTAMU announced that it has received the Tree Campus USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation. WTAMU is home to more than 500 trees that provide shade around the campus.
WTAMU is planning to celebrate the designation in September. The occasion will also see 25 new trees planted on campus in conjunction with the Chapman Forestry Foundation and the Texas Forest Service. West Texas A&M University received the designation of Tree Campus USA, after fulfilling five requirements laid out by the Arbor Day Foundation. Those requirements include: having a campus tree advisory committee, a campus tree care plan, a campus tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, an Arbor Day observance and a service-learning project.
The designation comes following the University's decision in 2011 to begin improvements to the trees on campus. Today, West Texas A&M University joins several community colleges and universities across the country in holding the Tree Campus USA designation.
Dr. Walter Wendler, president of West Texas A&M University reacted to the news of the designation positively, saying, "We are so proud to be designated as a Tree Campus USA. West Texas A&M University is home to a beautiful campus, and that is in large part to the canopy of green that shades our buildings, lawns and gathering spaces. I am grateful to those who work so hard as stewards of the environment to make sure our trees continue to grow and thrive for generations of WTAMU students."
