The walk — the university’s official Arbor Day event — was part of a week of Earth Day festivities. Some of the walkers visited the Earth Day Fair at the conclusion of the route, while others continued across the street for an impromptu hike at Sleeping Giant State Park.

In addition to the fresh air and exercise, walkers were treated to lots of fun facts and figures from their tour guide, Sarah Lawson, assistant professor of biology and the driving force behind the university’s steadfast commitment to upholding the designation of Tree Campus Higher Education institution as recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Only four universities in Connecticut hold this distinction. To achieve it, Quinnipiac had to meet five core standards for sustainable campus forestry: a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for the tree program, an annual Arbor Day observance and student service-learning projects.

“Without Sarah and her work, this wouldn’t be possible,” said Bethany Zemba, vice president for strategy and community relations and President Judy Olian’s chief of staff. “If you ask her students, she is recognized because she’s so approachable and she does really take the work that she does around environmental science and puts it into practice. The students really recognize this as something wonderful that Sarah does here on campus.”

The native trees are all identified with signs featuring QR codes that allow the curious walker to further investigate each species. But with Lawson leading the way, walkers learned about how white cedar trees, which are located near the Rec and Wellness Center, were used by Indigenous people to make a tea for treating scurvy, and how oak trees feed over 400 species of caterpillar.

The walking tour concluded at the Albert Schweitzer Institute, home to the six themed beds and 300 native species of plants comprising the university’s native pollinator garden. Among the dignitaries to participate in the walk were Sean Grace, chief of staff for the town of Hamden, and tree committee members Courtney McGinnis, professor of biology, and Luis Arata, professor of modern languages and president of Sleeping Giant Park Association.

Also in attendance were members of Bobcat Stride, a senior walking program.

“The presentation today was really nice,” said Kathy Kordek. “[Sarah] was clearly so knowledgeable. It was never boring. And now we have the map, so when we come back to campus we can do the same route.”

The Tree Campus Higher Education initiative aims to reduce energy consumption, increase carbon dioxide absorption through tree planting, improve mental health for students and employees, and offer tree-related service-learning opportunities for students. Quinnipiac students and faculty demonstrated this commitment by planting trees and flowers at the Albert Schweitzer Institute and Eli Whitney Park in Hamden on Arbor Day 2023.