UND School of Law's Environmental Law Society Receives Grant For Tree Planting Project

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

8-2011

Campus Unit

School of Law

Abstract

The University of North Dakota School of Law is pleased to announce the Environmental Law Society (ELS) has received a $3,700 grant from the Fulbright Canada Eco-Leadership program for a proposed riparian restoration program along the Red River, in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Members of ELS will plant native trees and shrubs with local elementary students inside the Greenway in the area south of the DeMers Avenue bridge. Their efforts in planting trees will help to reduce carbon, provide habitat for bird and mammal species, and filter runoff pollution into the Red River. The project is planned for Friday, August 26, 2011 beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Fulbright Canada Eco-Leadership program selects projects in Canada, Mexico, and the United States that will have a lasting beneficial impact on their local environments. The ELS was one of 13 projects to be selected for a grant.

UND Group Aims to Help 'Restore the Red' With Dozens of New Trees

GRAND FORKS (WDAZ-TV) - Some UND students teamed up with elementary students to plant Willow, Cottonwood and Oak trees in the Greenway on Friday.

By: Lezlie Johnson, WDAZ, Published August 29, 2011, 03:38 PM - original story

Students Plant Trees in Greenway

GRAND FORKS (WDAZ-TV) - Some UND students teamed up with elementary students to plant Willow, Cottonwood and Oak trees in the Greenway on Friday.

UND's Environmental Law Society got a $3,700 grant through Fulbright Canada to plant 70 trees and bushes. They're calling the project "Restore the Red."

Elementary students helped plant the trees south of the Demers Avenue bridge.

Organizers say this is great for the community as well as helping the students to learn about the environment.

"We just recently started up the Environmental Law Society again, so when we first started, we wanted to make sure we hit the ground running and make sure we can have a positive impact on the city of Grand Forks and the Greenway is a great place to do that," Environmental Law Society president Scott Brand said.

The project was one of 13 in North America to get the grant.

Dakota Student coverage

Students better Greenway

University and elementary students plant 70 trees on the Greenway

By Robb Jeffries, Published: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - original article

Law students from UND's Environmental Law Society and fourth-graders from Lake Agassiz Elementary School teamed up to make downtown Grand Forks a greener place last Friday.

Both groups combined to plant more than 50 indigenous trees, bushes and shrubs in the Grand Forks Greenway along the banks of the Red River.

"It was great to see the kids so excited about a project like this," said Josh Cichy, a teacher from Lake Agassiz Elementary. "They had a lot of fun, and they got to help their community and the environment. Plus the kids get to spend some time being active outdoors."

The mass planting was made possible by the Fulbright-Canada Eco-Leadership program. The Environmental Law Society was awarded an Eco-Leadership grant last year. The $3700 grant enabled the Environmental Law Society to purchase and plant numerous trees, shrubs and bushes to create new habitats for birds and small mammals and help curb soil erosion along the Red River.

"We are engaging the community and getting involved with the environment," said Environmental Law Society President Scott Brand. "Getting this opportunity is very special."

The Environmental Law Society, after a long period of inactivity, was resurrected last year by Brand, who brings an intense passion of environmental issues to the Law School. "The main reason I got involved is that I have an intense interest in environmental issues and wanted to be able to nurture that interest," said Brand in an interview with the Dakota Student last year. "I figure if we can get people together with common interests and common goals related to the environment, and can involve the community, then there's no better place to do that than at our university."

The Eco-Leadership Program selects projects from Canada, Mexico, and the United States to help fund environmental initiatives. The project designed by Brand and the Environmental Law Society was one of only 13 projects selected for this prestigious grant. Other projects include an eco-friendly, student run café in Madison, Wisconsin, an educational project to teach Native families of the Columbia River Basin proper uses of the local vegetation, and the Global Soap Project, which recycles soap used by guests in hotels.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, wind and water erosion are the primary causes of erosion in North Dakota. Sixty percent of North Dakota's soil erosion occurs through wind erosion, while water erosion accounts for 40 percent of the state total.

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