Volunteers to the Rescue: The Preserve at Vassar Gets New Trees
It’s a basic fact of nature that trees and other vegetation protect streams from damage caused by soil erosion. That’s why dozens of Vassar students and others in the local community were busy planting trees near the entrance of the Preserve at Vassar the week of September 18. The initiative will protect the Casper Kill, the stream that runs through this part of the Preserve.
“We need to provide a buffer for the stream, and the trees will also help foster animal habitat,” said Ethan Skuches ’22, Vassar’s Kenauk Conservation Fellow and an organizer of the project.
Preserve Director Keri VanCamp said the College used a $40,000 grant from a local conservation group, Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley, to purchase 40 trees with a diameter of two inches or more and 160 smaller ones for the project. More than 50 species of trees—maple, American boxwood, sorghum, and cockspur thorn, to name just a few—were selected to enhance the Preserve’s biodiversity, VanCamp said.
Two Vassar students who volunteered to plant some of the trees said they were glad to take part in the initiative. “I’m excited to be helping with a project that benefits land that’s an important resource for the entire community,” said Helena Lume ’27, of St. Paul, MN. “As I’m doing this, I’m imagining coming back to this meadow when I’m a senior and seeing how much the trees have grown and how the project is coming together to prevent erosion.”
Richard O’Brien ’27, of Northfield, NH, said he decided to volunteer as soon as he heard about the project from VanCamp. “I’ve always enjoyed being in nature, and I’ve done gardening with my mom since I was young,” O’Brien said. “It’s important work, and it’s fun, so of course I volunteered.”
The tree planting project is part of a comprehensive plan undertaken by the College to improve the entrance to the 500-acre Preserve, thanks to a major gift from the Class of 1971 Gateway to the Old Vassar Farm Fund. The gift will fund improved pathways; new pedestrian-safe paths to the Barns; modifications to vehicle traffic routes; and parking and signage to create a more welcoming entrance to the Farm and Preserve. VanCamp said the next phase of improvements will include the construction of a pavilion for picnicking and other gatherings by members of the local community as well as those from Vassar.