Thanks for signing the petition!
After weeks of behind-the-scenes discussion among faculty, staff, and students; rumblings about plans for and conflicting reports about alterations to the campus landscape and management practices; and several years of visible losses of sustainable landscaping including over the course of this summer, we received no response from our chancellor to previous requests for further information and public discussion, nor a direct response to the petition after we shared it. The administration also had not made any public statements about this issue; that changed this morning, and the statement made to our campus is posted below. It is difficult to know from this statement what in our petition is inaccurate, because plants were, in fact, removed, and others have been mowed, and this is the first time this information (e.g., about a "new riverfront site") has been shared. The statement spurs numerous additional questions, and we hope that the administration will be more open and collaborative as plans for and management of our beloved campus environment proceeds. In any case, it is good to have this information out there and you may have helped make this happen! Hopefully, it represents a step in the right direction.
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Dear Campus Community,
As we come to the beginning of the next academic year, we wanted to provide an update on a project affecting building maintenance and the relocation of native plants on campus.
Project Overview
You may have come across recent inaccurate postings that have suggested UW-Oshkosh is removing native prairie plants from campus landscapes. Those postings have incorrectly characterized this project.
Let us be clear: UW-Oshkosh is not eliminating native prairie plants from campus.
UW-Oshkosh is carefully preserving and relocating native prairie plants to a larger riverfront location where they can continue to grow and contribute to campus biodiversity. Rather than removing and discarding established native vegetation, the university is carefully relocating the plants to preserve them:
View photos of plant relocation projects on campus
This relocation supports several institutional priorities:
Preservation of established native prairie plants
Expansion of pollinator habitat
Enhancement of the riverfront and Wiouwash Trail corridor
Continued support of UWO's Bee Campus commitments
Responsible facilities and landscape management
Improving the safety of equipment and infrastructure for continual student learning
Maintaining campus aesthetics to recruit and retain students
Promoting student well-being and success through enhanced quality and usability of campus spaces
Long-term environmental sustainability and stewardship goals
Improving the integrity of infrastructure and fiscal sustainability
Provision of enhanced space for experiential learning
Public discussions benefit from accurate information. While differing opinions about landscape design are understandable, statements suggesting the university is eliminating native plants from campus are inconsistent with the facts.
Preserving Native Plants Through Relocation—Sustainability in action
Preservation, not elimination, is the central objective of this project.
Our UW-Oshkosh Grounds team is comprised of experienced professionals with specialized expertise who carefully evaluate campus needs and make informed decisions based on safety, sustainability, and long-term stewardship. They routinely preserve and relocate plants affected by construction and other campus projects as part of our commitment to responsible stewardship. This practice protects existing landscape investments, reduces waste, and demonstrates responsible use of university resources.
This project is the most recent and clearest example of this practice. The native prairie plants currently located near Halsey Hall and other areas of campus will continue to exist and thrive on campus. UW-Oshkosh is transplanting them to a location where they can expand and continue contributing to campus biodiversity.
Enhancing the Riverfront and Pollinator Habitat—Improved ecological observation
The new riverfront site will provide additional space for the relocated prairie plants while enhancing one of the university's most visible natural corridors. The project also supports ongoing collaboration with the Bee Campus Coalition and UW-Oshkosh's continued efforts to maintain Bee Campus accreditation. Expanding native landscapes creates additional habitat and food sources for bees and other pollinators while strengthening the overall health of the campus ecosystem.
This result does not mean fewer native plants on campus. In fact, it means just the opposite. Through this relocation, UW-Oshkosh will have a larger and more sustainable location for these plants to continue growing and supporting wildlife.
Supporting Building and Landscape Management Goals—Safety and Aesthetics
Building and landscape management decisions must balance sustainability goals with structural maintenance, occupant well-being and safety, and effective pest-management practices. The existing location of native plants places vegetation immediately adjacent to building infrastructure. Grounds and pest-management professionals have recommended increased separation between buildings and landscape vegetation as the best practice for long-term facility management and pest prevention. At the same time, we preserve the native prairie plants elsewhere on campus. This project demonstrates that environmental stewardship and responsible facilities management can work together rather than compete with one another.
Sustainability remains a guiding principle of campus landscape management. The Grounds team follows Integrated Pest Management practices that emphasize prevention, monitoring, and responsible approaches before considering chemical treatments of our landscape. Herbicides are used only when necessary and are applied by trained and qualified applicators. The university's objective is not simply to maintain landscapes, but to do so in ways that protect human health, student well-being, university facilities, environmental resources, and long-term ecological sustainability.
A Sustainable Approach to Campus Stewardship
The native prairie plants are not being eliminated from campus. They remain part of the campus landscape and are being relocated specifically so they can continue to grow and contribute to the university's sustainability goals. This project reflects a deliberate effort to balance environmental stewardship, campus aesthetics, pollinator support, and responsible facilities management.
Thank you for your continued interest and engagement in the stewardship of our campus. We remain committed to providing timely updates.
Kurt Leibold
Executive Director
Buildings, Risk, and Safety
The Facilities Management Team