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Projects Updates for Indigenous Underplanting Demonstration

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  1. Intro Meeting: Campus Locations for Indigenous Plants Demonstration

    Associated Project(s): 
    Indigenous Underplanting Demonstration

    Following are Sarthak Prasad's notes from the introductory meeting on 7/16/2025.

    Attended By: Eliana Brown, Layne Knoche, Andrea Wagner, Madelyn Craft, Ashley Belle, Justin Vozzo, Sarthak Prasad, Stirling Lemme

    • Introductions happened
    • Lumpkin Family Foundation
      • Greater C-U project
    • Demo area on campus showing benefit of having native plants under established trees especially around ROW
      • Carbon sequestration
      • Some additional support of mature trees
    • On the ground implementation
    • Community Outreach
    • Tree Management stepping stone
      • Making changes around the south quad area
      • Developing areas - underplanting similar to RORG
      • There is evidence in improving tree health with these plantings
    • Even as a small area as a demo area

     

    • What support are you they expecting?
      • Similar to RORG
        • Ryan and his crew for mulch
        • Support for coordination with the specific trees
        • Coordinating work orders
        • Additioanl treatments to the trees if necessary
        • To establish it - we would need of Ryan's group to kill the grass (herbicide application - maybe 2)
        • Application in August and September (1 month apart)
        • Areas that are not sidewalk bound - F&S uses a edge trencher
      • Check with county master gardener - arborists,
      • Low maintenance plantings
        • So that it is easy for implementation
    • Providing materials to the people in the community

     Location

     Stay away from the main stretch on the quad

    • What is the scale?
      • One tree - 200 sq ft garden?
      • South Quad?
    • The foundation may be supportive of a larger scale project if there is sufficient/appropriate maintenance support available
      • We don’t want a difficult maintenance
      • Smaller spaces preferred
    • Kirby Ave - South side strip between First and Oak
      • Very high visibility
      • Very high traffic
      • Salt
      • So there may be a chance that this area might fail -
      • Outside of scope - too big of an area
    • Different native species around different trees in the same area-
      • Several small pockets of areas

     

    • Architecture Building area - opposite to the Main Library - Preferred (First preference)
      • Gregory Dr
      • We want to have people from the community to be able to see and access this area - this area is a bit restrictive
    • Trees around Krannert Center (Second preference)
      • Really great for Community
    • West side of Armory
      • Construction upcoming - so don’t use this area 

     

    Timeline

    • Letter of intent due at the end of this month
    • Letter of support
      • No need for the location
    • Grants start -
      • October would be the start planning
        • For a year
        • Opportunity for multiple years - if you do a good job
      • We need the location for the application

     

    • Application deadline  - September 5
    • When do we plant?
      • Planning over the winter -
      • Spring 2026 (May) or Fall 2026 (September) planting
    • When do we get the ARC approval?
      • August meeting

     

    Funding

    • Average grant allocation - $25k and max is $50k.
      • Would campus kick in some money?
        • SSC money

    Maintenance

    • MOU

     

    To-do

    • Letter of Support - due at the application process