A Note from the Dean of Land Resources
This year marks the 125
th
anniversary of Warren Wilson College, the 147
th
American Arbor Day and the 49
th
Earth Day. Amazing things can happen when dedicated people take the time to plant and nurture a seed! Along with the establishment of the Asheville Farm School in 1894 on a plot of land in the Swannanoa Valley, came the first growing season of what is now widely known as the #1 College Farm in the United States. The 1930’s saw students tasked with “tidying up” the campus officially become the Landscape Crew, now carrying out duties ranging from arboriculture to designing pollinator gardens and habitat restoration. In 1978, not long after the first Earth Day got underway on college campuses across the nation, Warren Wilson College’s deep commitment to the planet was codified with the establishment of the Environmental Studies Department – one of the earliest in the country. At the same time, the College Forest was established for ecosystem protection, teaching and recreational opportunities and to provide resources for the College. Not to be outdone, the gardeners on campus broke ground on the College Garden in 1981 creating what is now both a major source of food for our cafeterias and a place of learning and inspiration for countless school children across the county. Our history and traditions of tending the land and honoring the earth run deep and are an integral part of our identity. New leadership at the College has strengthened that commitment and our faculty, staff and students will continue to work alongside the greater community in finding solutions to the current challenges that face our region and our planet. We hope you will join us in this endeavor now, during Earth Week and in the many years to come.
