FAU and Town of Jupiter Celebrate Arbor Day and Former Mayor

Florida Atlantic University and Town of Jupiter officials recently celebrated Arbor Day and Honored Former Jupiter Mayor in the Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum on FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter.

From left, Shawn Nieman, natural resources coordinator for the Town of Jupiter; Alana Edwards, education and training coordinator for FAU’s Center of Environmental Studies; Former Jupiter Mayor Karen Golonka; and Eliah Watlington, Ph.D., associate provost for FAU’s northern campuses, celebrate Arbor Day in the Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum.


By lauren woeber | 5/11/2016

Florida Atlantic University and Town of Jupiter officials recently celebrated Arbor Day in the Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum on FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter. The celebration marked the MacArthur Campus being named a 2015 “Tree Campus USA” for the sixth consecutive year and the Town of Jupiter as a 2015 “Tree City USA” for the 20th consecutive year, according to Arbor Day Foundation guidelines. Tree Campus USA and Tree City USA are designations that honor towns, cities, colleges, universities and their leaders for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging their communities in environmental stewardship.

“It’s a collaborative effort to sustain the standards of the Arbor Foundation,” said Eliah Watlington, Ph.D., associate provost for FAU’s northern campuses.  “We are very grateful to be recognized in preserving the environment on our campus on par with our surrounding town.”

As part of the celebration, a g reen buttonwood tree donated by A Special Touch Landscaping, Inc. was planted in honor of former Mayor Karen Golonka to honor the eight terms she served from 1991-2015.

“Mayor Golonka was essential in the Town of Jupiter becoming a Tree City USA,” said Alana Edwards, education and training coordinator for FAU’s Center of Environmental Studies. “Her work as mayor gave Jupiter its foundation and that included protecting the town’s wonderful natural resources and environment.”

The Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum is named in honor of FAU’s vice president emeritus and founder of the campus. The arboretum is planted with Florida native plants, including typical species found in pine flatwoods, tropical hardwood hammocks, mixed hardwood swamps and oak hammock.

For more information on the Arboretum, contact Alana Edwards at aedwards@fau.edu . For more information on the Arbor Foundation, visit www.arborday.org. 

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