The Salisbury Idea
The Salisbury Idea is a project intended to realize the vision of former Whitewater Normal School President Albert Salisbury to plant every kind of tree, shrub, and forb that will grow in our climate on the school grounds. The current project scales down this ambitious vision to locating and identifying every tree species native to Wisconsin on the UW-Whitewater campus and if it does not exist, embark on a tree planting campaign to ensure this representation exists somewhere on the main campus property. This project also recognizes the contribution of Joseph J. Chopp, a former Biology professor that was instrumental in preserving the historic arboretum areas and other campus beautification efforts. The project also honors other contributors throughout our campus history that worked to beautify our campus grounds.
Through this project, we pursued the following goals that followed the theme of the University's Sesquicentennial in 2018:
- INSPIRE greater academic integration and exploration of nature with our campus grounds as a "living laboratory" while celebrating our campus origins and history.
- ENGAGE a variety of academic and administrative departments, student organizations, campus committees, and community groups in tree planting efforts.
- TRANSFORM our two historic arboretums into interactive gathering spaces that are supportive to local wildlife.
Through a partnership with the UW-Whitewater Geography, Geology and Environmental Science Department, an intern created a tree inventory by mapping locations for over 1,700 trees on campus with notes on species, condition, and diameter at breast height (DBH is used to estimate age). Facilities Planning and Management staff will use this tool to monitor tree health and maintain tree canopy through a planned tree replacement program. Denser areas of trees are not currently mapped.
An interpretive sign about the history and link to a self-guided digital tour or Story Map is located in the heart of Salisbury Arboretum. This collection of specimen trees is primarily situated in the historic arboretums on the original Normal School grounds, which stretches back along the glacial drumlin that runs through the center of campus.
The Sustainability Office also offers periodic tours of the original Normal School Grounds as part of the ongoing summer Campus Garden and Landscape Tours series. The tours integrate historical details and a number of historic photos show various historical perspectives of the Normal School Grounds and Old Main building over time. Guided tours for campus or community groups can be arranged by contacting the Sustainability Office. All images were generously provided by the UW-Whitewater Archives & Area Research Center.