In addition to two clean-up activities, nearly Palomar College students and employees celebrated Earth Day by planting native trees and shrubs and creating Native American gardens that honor the relationship between Indigenous peoples and nature.

“As part of our commitment to sustainability, conservation and education, we are always looking for ways to integrate native California plants into the landscape,” said Tony Rangel, Grounds Service Supervisor and president of The Friends of the Edwin and Frances Hunter Arboretum at Palomar College.

Since 1970, Earth Day has been annually held around the country on April 22 to promote environmental protection and awareness. The Palomar College events were hosted by the college’s Sustainability Task Force.

Earth Day activities included tree and shrub plantings at the main campus and at the education centers in Escondido and Rancho Bernardo.  Since construction of the 40,000 square foot facility at the Fallbrook Education Center is ongoing, a clean-up event was hosted instead of tree and shrub planting. In total 37.2 lbs. of waste and recyclables were collected at the education center, a surrounding trail, and the neighboring community.

Palomar College employees at the Escondido Education Center celebrate earth day with the planting of trees and shrubs.

The plan to establish a Native American garden at the main campus in San Marcos near the American Indian Studies department was expanded in honor of Earth Day to include gardens at the education centers. The gardens feature native California plants, which are adapted to the region’s weather and usually require less maintenance. The Rancho Bernardo Education Center garden is in a small section on the eastern portion of the site and at the Escondido Education Center, a small garden bed was established near the solar array. Each includes one tree and 10 – 15 shrubs. The garden at the San Marcos campus has double the number of trees and shrubs than those at the education centers. Because of construction at the Fallbrook Education Center, the Native American garden will be installed at a later date.

As an extension of Earth Day, an additional clean-up event will be hosted on April 25 at the Edwin and Frances Hunter Arboretum at the main campus in San Marcos.  The work will include raking, planting, and thinning of plant material that can be recycled for other uses.  The impact on the Arboretum will be significant and have an impact on the health of the Arboretum for several months to come.