Arbor Day has been around in America since 1872 when J. Sterling Morton, of Nebraska, initiated a program where over one million trees were planted in the state in a single day!  Today Arbor Day (on last Friday in April) celebrates the glory of trees and conservation nationwide with programs for schoolchildren and public events to highlight the benefits of conservation.

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On the SUNY Oneonta campus, they are celebrating Green Dragon Week and can point with pride to the fact that the entire campus at SUNY Oneonta has earned 2020 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. This is the third time the Oneonta campus has received this award, having achieved it in both 2016 and 2018.

To obtain the distinction, a campus must meet five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus Higher Education, including “establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for your campus tree program and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.”

The campus, both students and faculty, has a keen eye on the conservation of the beauty of the Oneonta campus.  The school has numerous events involving all students including hosting the President's Advisory Council on Sustainability, to the Environmental Services Club, the Botany Club and the Campus Tree Committee.  The clubs, especially the Environmental Science clubs, spend a great deal of time in conservation service-learning projects and take their efforts around the surrounding counties, Otsego and Delaware, to undertake tree plantings.  They have also created tree awareness pamphlets and maps and lead free tree tours.

For more on the SUNY Oneonta Arbor Day programs CLICK HERE.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.

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