PULLMAN – Representatives of Native American tribes will join WSU officials, employees and students in a formal public ground breaking for the WSU Arboretum and Wildlife Conservation Center at 3 p.m., Thursday, April 22. Directional signs will be located at the intersection of Grimes Way and Airport Road on the east edge of the Pullman campus.
Phase 1 of the project focuses on creation of about two miles of trails as well as construction of a “Gathering Circle,” a meeting place in the heart of the arboretum.
The project is a direct outgrowth of WSU President Elson S. Floyd’s vision and leadership, said Dan Bernardo, dean of the WSU College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences.
“He understands the value this kind of facility will have not only for Washington State University, but also for the community at large and for our entire state, for generations to come,” he said.
In 2007, Floyd provided an opportunity for a 100-acre arboretum to be established on the Pullman campus. WSU Capital Planning and Development coordinated a planning committee to develop a master plan for a site that has been managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more than 60 years.
The site and vision has expanded to 170 acres and includes facilities for grizzly bears and wild herbivores. It plans for a biodiversity center, an outdoor raptor amphitheater, trails and demonstration gardens as well as the Gathering Circle.
At the ground breaking, Bernardo will outline a vision for how the center will strengthen the academic mission of the university.
Sam Penny, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe, will be a featured speaker, and Horace Axtell, Nez Perce tribal elder, will give a blessing of the land. The Spirit of the Renegade drummers will perform.