August 26, 2020

 Media Contact:
Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, 509-682-6436
Joan Qazi, WVC sustainability coordinator, jqazi@wvc.edu

This month, the Arbor Day Foundation recognized Wenatchee Valley College as a 2019 Tree Campus USA. Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation, honors colleges and universities for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

WVC was one of only two community colleges in Eastern Washington to earn this title. WVC earned this recognition by forming a faculty/student/community committee, developing a plan for tree care on the school’s two campus locations, documenting expenditures on campus tree management, holding an Arbor Day event and conducting a service learning project.

WVC’s service learning project was part of the Smithsonian’s “Fossil Atmosphere” project that is being conducted nationwide to collect ginkgo leaves so scientists study how the cells have changed over time by comparing them to fossilized samples. Ginkgo leaves were collected from the ginkgo tree on the Wenatchee campus. The knowledge gained from this work will help climate scientists learn more about CO2 concentration in the atmosphere over time.

WVC plans to earn the title, which will be renamed Tree Campus Higher Education, again next year.

Learn more about sustainability at WVC at wvc.edu/Sustainability. Learn more about Tree Campus Higher Education at arborday.org.

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu.

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses:

• To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu.
• To request disability accommodations: Director of Student Access, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.