For the past year, the Lake Forest College Campus Sustainability Committee, along with several of the school’s faculty members, has begun working on a new project for Middle Campus: a naturalized prairie. The goal of the project is to cultivate an area using a myriad of native plant species to show what the area’s natural, pre-settlement landscape looked like.
James S. Kemper Foundation Professor of Liberal Arts and Business Jeffrey Sundberg is one of the many participants in this project and wishes to increase student environmental awareness and appreciation for the naturalized prairie project. “We hope that this new area, in the middle of campus, will inspire people to think about different types of landscaping, different types of plants, and the different types of nature around us,” Sundberg said.
Though the project is still in its early stages, students may soon see the changes occurring on Middle Campus and find opportunities to help with the naturalized prairie. “We’ve probably had around 30 students participate so far, digging up sod, planting trees and putting in bark chips, putting in plants, watering, and weeding,” Sundberg said. “We hope to include a lot more students, as well as faculty and staff, in the coming years.”
Currently, the College has a restoration area behind the Johnson Science Center. However, the naturalized prairie project for Middle Campus will help the school further support environmental awareness and the goal of having a “greener” campus.
The naturalized prairie project will have similar benefits to the restoration area that exists behind the Johnson Science Center. Students and faculty will have an area on Middle Campus for course-related projects, individual student research, and, above all, a spot to relax and enjoy Lake Forest’s natural ecosystem. With spring in full bloom, the prospect of an additional location on campus to enjoy nature and the pleasant weather is certainly appealing.
Though the naturalized prairie is not yet completed, students can look forward to seeing more progress in the upcoming fall term. In the meantime, students can still take advantage of the springtime atmosphere by enjoying the restoration area behind the Johnson Science Center or the Middle Campus quad.
Sundberg’s recommendation for springtime nature appreciation? “Look at the trees, the clouds, the flowers, the insects, the birds—it’s fun to talk to students about nature around us, because some notice a lot of things and some think nature is snow, mud, grass and squirrels. Watch how the trees change over the next two months. Check out the spring wildflowers in the area behind Johnson. Walk barefoot in the grass and go scratch your back on the bark of a big oak tree, like the bears do. It’s an amazing feeling.”
