UC Gets Some Green To Make Some Green

It is really a win/win situaiton. The Borough of Collegeville gets more "green." The students at Ursinus provide stewardship for the community. The Perkiomen Creek gets a healthier watershed.

According to a recent announcement from the college, over $8,000 was given to the school in order to promote adding trees and shrubs to the college's campus and nearby Hunsberger Woods.

"TreeVitalize, through the Montgomery County Conservation District, has approved a grant for $8,104 to fund forest enhancement and restoration in Collegeville Borough’s Hunsberger Woods open space area, the 27-acre wooded natural area that the College jointly owns with the Borough of Collegeville," said a recent release from the school.

Funding for the grants are a result of a partnership between the Conservation District, the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, as well as AQUA.

"We are excited to continue ecological enhancement and stewardship efforts in Hunsberger," said Associate Professor Patrick Hurley, who will incorporate the planting as part of his fall “Forests and People” class.

Hunsberger Woods is operated by the borough's Parks and Recreation Department. 

"[The land was] offered to the Borough by the Hunsberger family, the long time owners of the property," said the Woods website. "In 1996, the park was acquired using Montgomery County Open Space Funds and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Funds."

According to Ursinus, this is a great way to tie in the local high school students, as well. According to the Ursinus release, the project builds on ongoing partnerships between the Ursinus Environmental Studies Department, Pennsylvania Horticulture Society and Perkiomen Valley High School.

“This includes ongoing and ad hoc cooperation with the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy and other regional projects, both through education-oriented work and on-the-ground stewardship contributions by Environmental Studies students at all levels,” said Hurley.

For more on the new grants, visit the Ursinus web page here.