Category: Arboretum

Summer Fellowships 2025: Using Tread Management to Combat Against Trail Erosion

Posted on by Mia Pierce

This blog post is part of the ESC Summer Fellowship 2025 series. These fellowships provided funding for research projects related to the environment, sustainability and/or the Climate Action Plan. This post was written by Madi Magda, one the fellows of this past summer cycle.

Hey everyone, I’m Madi Magda! Since June, I have been working at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum, completing a variety of different tasks, including general trail maintenance, determining a potential reroute of Not So Magnificent Pines, replacing and putting in steps along the trails, and much more. Everything I did throughout the summer at the Arboretum only increased my interest in working in the ecology field post-graduation.

I had a lot of fun working with the rest of the Arb Crew this summer. One of my favorite shifts was with Tara and Tilly, where we were assigned to move bridge materials. It was a hilarious time moving these materials, but it was also a very rewarding shift at the end of the day because we managed to complete it despite facing issues along the way. One of my favorite parts of this job was telling people my job was to hug trees all day and see the pretty plants and animals. This was a great experience that I recommend to everyone, even if they are not in the biology field. It is a rewarding job that also allows you to be outside and work in nature.

Not only did I learn a lot and have a lot of fun with my fellow Arb Crew, but I also learned a lot about trail management that I had not known previously. This was very beneficial for me, as I am a senior and my Senior Integrated Project consists of using tread management to combat against trail erosion. There are a lot of different aspects of trails that I had not realized were used for erosion reasons or for structural reasons, and it allowed me to do my own research on this topic as well as teach people about it when they asked me.

When telling people what I do at the Arb and why I do it, seeing their reactions was rewarding on its own. They may not have understood what I do or why, but they knew that I was passionate about my job and that was what mattered to me.

Environmental Stewardship Center

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Summer Fellowships 2025: Summer Shepherding With Tending Tilth

Posted on by Mia Pierce

This blog post is part of the ESC Summer Fellowship 2025 series. These fellowships provided funding for research projects related to the environment, sustainability and/or the Climate Action Plan. This post was written by Grace Lounds, one the fellows of this past summer cycle.

For the past three summers now, Tending Tilth has taken on interns from K College to aid in sustainable sheep grazing. My name is Grace Lounds, and I am one of these interns! The other two this summer are Lauren Stallman and Gwen Crowder Smith, and together we have worked under Lauren Burns, getting gritty with plenty of hands-on farm work. This opportunity will likely be available to K College students in future years, so I wanted to share some of the valuable lessons I’ve learned (and the fun I’ve had) for anyone curious about sustainability, sheep, or maybe thinking about following in my footsteps!

About Tending Tilth and Sustainable Grazing

Tending Tilth is a contract-based sheep grazing business. This means that different clients hire us to bring sheep to their properties as an alternative to conventional machine mowing. Founded and operated by Lauren Burns, Tending Tilth functions year-round under her direction, with support from us summer interns.


The work we do has numerous conservational benefits for the ecosystems we graze. Sheep eat invasive species such as spotted knapweed, (as well as other unwanted plants like poison ivy), promoting native plant communities and biodiversity. Grazing also mechanically changes the landscapes we visit. When sheep graze, they trample down plants, stimulating plant growth, pressing dead plants into the soil, and pushing seedheads into the ground. This simultaneously presses their own manure into the soil, fertilizing the soil without harmful chemicals. Their urine also acts as a very nutrient-rich water resource for plants and microorganisms. Through these combined actions, (nutrient cycling, soil aeration, and organic matter incorporation), grazing helps build topsoil, promotes biodiversity, and strengthens root systems. Strong plant growth sequesters carbon and prevents drought.
Currently, Tending Tilth is working with GVSU Geology Department ‘s Professor Tara Kneeshaw to study soil health, proving that sheep grazing helps to sequester carbon. This is a study that will take 3 years, but preliminary findings already suggest that Tending Tilth’s practices enhance ecosystem health and contribute to climate change mitigation.

A Day on the Farm

Tending Tilth has about 80 sheep. Right now our sheep are split into two groups, the working group and the lambs, who are chaperoned by their grandmas and a couple male sheep. The lambs stay at the farm while the working group rotates from site to site, meaning that every day looks a bit different for us depending on where we are. The first thing we do when we get to a new site is to survey the land and make a plan for fencing. We use electric fences that we put up at each new location. Most of my time is spent putting up fences and taking them down later. Other chores include filling water tanks and setting up shade sales. Free time is spent making sure the sheep are happy and healthy. The male sheep can be quite cuddly, so I love giving them head scratches and patting their chubby bellies. I’ve also aided in hoof trimmings, fly bite treatment, giving shots, and deworming sheep.


The sheep are by far the most exciting part of the job. They’ve really stolen my heart, so much so that I am now seriously considering going to a large animal vet school after I graduate. My favorites are King Louis who’s part of the working group. He has a big personality and always runs right up to me and scratches his head on me. Gus is also a cutie. He’s only a few months old and he looks like a baby deer. He’s the nicest lamb from this season and likes to follow the adult sheep around. He used to be pretty shy but he’s really warmed up over the summer.


I could go on and on about all the sheep and their personalities, and all of the fun things I’ve done over the summer like installing a monitoring well or doing soil samples, but I think that’s all I’ll share to keep this short and sweet! For more information about Tending Tilth you can visit tendingtilth.com, and for more information on the science behind conservational grazing stay posted for the SIP’s that Gwen and Lauren will be completing and presenting at Arcus in the spring!

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Welcome and Welcome Back for Fall 2025!

Posted on by Mia Pierce

From everyone here at the Environmental Stewardship Center, welcome and welcome back to Kalamazoo College for the fall 2025 trimester! In honor of the new term (and our new first years), we’ve put together a list of what the ESC has to offer, events you can expect from the ESC this term, and resources to get involved!

The Environmental Stewardship Center

The Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center (ESC) houses all things sustainability-related on the Kalamazoo College campus. Here, you can find information about the various green spaces on and off campus, the Environmental Studies concentration, the Hoop House, the Composting program, and the Lillian Anderson Arboretum. Additionally, a large part of what we do here at the ESC involves the Climate Action Plan, a framework of policies and guidance on how to create a greener, carbon-neutral campus.

Sustainability is one of the core values of the ESC, and we work to ensure that that value is interwoven throughout campus life for students, faculty, and staff alike. If that sounds like you, come find our interns and director in Dewing Commons, located on the first floor of the Dewing building, or email us at environmentalstewardship@kzoo.edu! You can also find us every Wednesday of even weeks during common time (11:00-11:45AM) for our Sustainability Chats! We hope to see you there!

Upcoming events to look out for: We have two FYE events coming up where we will be giving a tour of all four on-campus green spaces. These tours are Wednesday 9/1 and Tuesday 9/14, both at 4:30pm.

The Lillian Anderson Arboretum

The Lillian Anderson Arboretum is our one off-campus green space, located roughly 5 miles from K’s campus. It is roughly 140 acres, contained marshes, pine forests, and meadows, all interconnected through miles of trail pathways. The arboretum is an integral component to living green here at K. Not only is it used by classes as a learning lab (like the Arboretum P.E. class running this fall), but the arboretum has also been the source of numerous SIPs throughout the years and is continuously maintained by our student Arb Crew. Additionally, it’s enjoyed by the public and students in their free time; in fact, the arboretum is open from dusk to dawn!

Upcoming events to look out for: There is a Trip to the Arb scheduled for Wednesday 10/8 from 4:10-6:15pm – transportation provided!

Composting

One of the major components of the Climate Action Plan is promoting zero-waste on our campus, and the most important way we do that is through our composting program! With the support of the ESC and Facilities Management, the composting program is run by students who are a part of the Compost Crew. These students help collect food waste from students, faculty, and staff with their green compost buckets stationed throughout campus – you’ve probably already seen one!  

You can find the composting program in the Grove, the wooded area located next to the Living Learning houses and the Dewaters residence hall. Feel free to stop by, pick up your free compost bucket, and help our campus strive towards being zero-waste!

Upcoming events to look out for: Smashing Pumpkins, a Halloween-themed event where students are encouraged to smash old, leftover pumpkins from the fall season (and the scraps are then composted!)  

Composting shed with bucket drop off and pick up signs

Hoop House

Through student initiative and faculty support, our campus is lucky enough to have our very own hoop house, a type of unheated greenhouse! Located behind the Fitness and Wellness Center, the Hoop House has been the source of SIPs, classroom activities, club events, and more! Here you can visit during open hours (every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4:30-6:00pm) to learn more about growing fruits and vegetables, get your hands in the dirt, take some fresh produce home, or just to enjoy the company of other sustainability-minded students! 

Upcoming events to look out for: the annual Harvest Festival, where current students, faculty, and staff can mingle with alumni and community members to celebrate the Mother Corn grown at the Hoop House, enjoy some fresh food, and build bridges with the great K community!

Winter in the Living Learning Labs

Posted on by Emerson Wesselhoff

Lillian Anderson Arboretum

Winter can be one of the most beautiful times to visit the Arboretum! With pine trees blanketed in snow and the stillness of frozen ponds, you’ll get to see all kinds of winter nature and wildlife. It’s the perfect season for a chilly hike with a warm drink – you can walk, hike, and run all year long in the Arb!

This winter, you might run into some of our ongoing projects and programs! A carbon sequestration survey is currently taking place at the Arb. Part of a project that occurs every 5 years, this survey will help us better understand how trees utilize atmospheric carbon, and how the Arb functions as a carbon sink. You might also wander past folks with maps and compasses – don’t worry, they’re not lost! They’re just participating in a map and compass workshop put on by the Outdoor Leadership Training Center.

Be sure to layer up! In the colder weather, consider bringing an extra warm layer, hat/gloves, and shoes with good traction. All trails are open and operating as normal regardless of condition, unless otherwise noted. The Arb is open for normal hours, from dawn to dusk.

The Grove

The weather might be cold, but the compost piles are still warm and working hard! Thanks to the efforts of the Compost Crew, composting is available all winter long. Drop by the Grove (located behind the Living Learning Houses between Monroe and Lovell St) to pick up a compost bucket. Simply fill it up, drop it off, and pick up an empty one again!

The Hoop House

The Hoop House is still operational, even in the winter! We’re busy prepping flats and preparing for spring. Stay tuned for more info on a few open hours in late February and early March, and then get excited for full open hours to resume every MWF in April, 4:30-6pm!

Jolly Gardens & Dow Wildflower Garden

The Jolly Gardens and Dow Wildflower Gardens are getting through the winter season! While we might not be able to see the plants while walking by, this cold spell is helping prepare them for the next growing season. The leftover stems and plant matter we can see through the snow makes a great habitat for overwintering pollinators and other helpful insects!