Northern Illinois University - Norther Yearbook (DeKalb, IL)

Page 33 text:

The planting ceremonies were held on Arbor Day, April 30, 1971. The trees were planted on the edge of a cornfield in the shelter belt, a narrow strip in a 30-acre site north of Stevenson South. The shelter belt is an outer pe- riphery of trees which will provide a buffer to help cut the wind along the road bordering the park. The purchasing of the trees was funded by the class of 1971 and the Ecological Park Fund initiated by the NIU foundation. An additional 200 trees, which failed to arrive on time for the first planting, were planted on Nlay 9. The Arbor Day plant-in was organ- ized by the Campus Environmental Committee iCECl, headed by Dr. David Piatak. A sub-committee was appointed by President Smith after he saw that both students and the general public were angered by the destruction of Montgomery Arboretum. Since the Plant-in, CEC members have been watering and pruning the plants as often as possible. The fight this summer against heat, a dry spell, and hungry rabbits at the park was not an easy job. Because of the condition of the trees at planting, and the late plant- ing for some of the species, about 202 of the trees did not survive. The park's fate was sitting on un- balanced scales. When Pres. Smith proposed the park, he assumed

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an attempt to build a new ecosystem When the sun rose in the east, spreading rays over the Northern campus, more than 400 students, faculty and DeKalb residents were gathered to greet the davvn and bee gin the planting of the new Eco Park. The crovvd vvas armed vvith shovels, buckets, vvater and more than 1,200 trees of a variety of species. Everyone vvas ready to plant Aspen, Spruce, Pine, Cran- berry, Red Oaks, Maple and shrubs. i iss Q 'Y s W J is xii 'N x All

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Eco Park cont'd that Northern owned the land. However, the NIU administrators discovered that Northern did not hold title to most of the land pro- posed for the Eco Park. They worked during most of the summer to secure title for the land, which was held by the Illinois Building Authority llBAl. After a series of meetings and con- frontations between the lBA and the Board of Regents, the owner- ship mixup was settled. By the end of the summer, committee mem- bers and administrators were able to begin plans for the future of the park. The formal dedication of the park was scheduled to take place on Homecoming weekend. And an- other plant-in was scheduled for the fall to replace some of the trees and shrubs that died over the summer. Eventually, Northern will have a large Eco Park, complete with a Ia- goon and walkways. This park will be used for instructional purposed by geology, biology and botany classes . . . and everyone who en- joys nature's beauty.