By Rachel Morse, Staff Writer
Students, officials and administrators are assisting to preserve and improve the university’s natural beauty.
The “Beautification Project” is an ongoing plan for the enhancement of the campus grounds, overseen by a committee composed of various university departments, said Tony Stancampiano, assistant professor of biology.
The project’s main goal is to teach students the importance of individual conservation efforts.
“We are trying to reinforce to the conservation biology students that if no one does anything, then there’s a problem,” he said.
The Grounds Committee, which was created in Fall 2011, has engaged in a variety of conservation projects, including establishing the school as a member of Tree Campus USA, Stancampiano said.
The Arbor Day Foundation awarded the university the title after it met the organization’s criteria.
“You can’t just cut down trees willy-nilly,” he said. “Every tree removed requires two more trees put in.”
Another element of the project includes the placement of nesting boxes around campus, Stancampiano said. It’s purpose is to provide songbirds with nesting areas, which Stancampiano said are becoming less available.
“That’s part of the beautification process,” he said. “If you provide them with an opportunity, then things will happen.”
About 15 to 20 boxes were placed around campus, Stancampiano said.
Creating the nesting boxes has helped develop the “synergistic” element of the project by combining the efforts of people and multiple organizations, Stancampiano said.
Involvement has come from campus faculty, administration, Student Government Association, students from a variety of majors, and outside landscaping companies, such as Turf Appeal and Big Tree Planting.
“Conservation biology is all about helping to reduce extinction, even in a really tiny way,” Stancampiano said. “It takes an accumulative effort to do that.”
Meredith Glover, environmental studies junior, said she participated in the creation of the nesting boxes.
Students researched to determine what specific types of birds the boxes would attract.
“If we want to be a truly ‘go green’ campus we have to do more than just conserve our energy,” she said. “We have to bring in the wildlife.”
Future goals for the project include representing all the native Oklahoma trees within the university, finding ways to provide more water for the grounds and creating a butterfly garden, Stancampiano said.
“Certainly everybody wants a beautiful campus,” he said.
Stancampiano said, even though a worldwide conservation problem exists, Oklahoma City residents have begun increasing conservation efforts.
“I think people are starting to realize that everyone’s got to do their part, and things don’t happen fast overnight,” he said.
For more information about the university beautification project, click here.
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