Lately they’ve been covered in snow, but the trees on campus should be at their full potential by spring, thanks to Creighton’s efforts to maintain an environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing campus.

Those efforts haven’t gone unnoticed – the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Creighton as a “Tree Campus USA university,” one of 19 in the nation, said Mark Derowitsch, Public Relations manager at the Arbor Day Foundation.

The Arbor Day Foundation began its Tree Campus USA program in October 2008 to recognize the best practices in campus forestry throughout the United States, Derowitsch said.

“We just wanted to use this program as a way to honor college campuses who took care of their trees.”

Creighton had to meet five foundation-defined standards to become a Tree Campus USA university. The university had to establish a tree advisory committee; devise a campus tree-care plan; dedicate annual expenditures to campus tree care; observe Arbor Day; and create a service-learning project for students, Derowitsch said.

“I am indeed pleased that Creighton’s efforts have been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation,” said University President the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., in a press release. “Creighton is committed to being a good environmental steward as well as to creating a pleasant and stimulating environment for our community.”

Derowitsch said the recognition is an honor for Creighton.

“They’re one of only a handful of colleges and universities in the country that were named a Tree Campus USA university in 2008. It says a lot for the campus – that they provide opportunities for their students to learn about the environment, to learn about protecting the earth and for planting trees,” Derowitsch said.

To uphold the Tree Campus USA status, Creighton has to reapply each year for admission into the program.

The service-learning project can take any form, as long as it “engages students in the importance of planting trees,” Derowitsch said.

Creighton’s Tree Campus USA application cited the university’s self-guided campus tree tour, sustainability week and the James R. Russell Child Development Center’s “Nature Classroom” as ways for students to get involved in environmental issues on campus.

“The goal of the Russell Center’s Nature Classroom is to help the children who attend acquire a deep understanding of the natural world and become an adult who values and nurtures the earth,” said Connie Shonka, director of the Child Development Center. “We intend to help families understand the importance of providing their child with opportunities to connect with nature outside the Center.”

The Nature Classroom was built with a grant from the Hitchcock Foundation, the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Research that included design work by a landscape architect, equipment for the classroom and training for teachers. The Nature Classroom will be available to the university’s Education and Science students, Shonka said.

Jessica Heller, Creighton’s tree specialist who applied for the Tree Campus USA program, could not be reached for an interview.