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Meyer, Bill

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OpenRiver@Winona State University

OpenRiver Stories from the Arboretum Arboretum Spring 4-1-2017 New Additions to the WSU Arboretum Staff Bill Meyer Winona State University Follow this and additional works at: https://openriver.winona.edu/wsuarboretumstories Recommended Citation Meyer, Bill, "New Additions to the WSU Arboretum Staff" (2017). Stories from the Arboretum. 19. https://openriver.winona.edu/wsuarboretumstories/19 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Arboretum at OpenRiver. It has been accepted for inclusion in Stories from the Arboretum by an authorized administrator of OpenRiver. For more information, please contact klarson@winona.edu.       New Additions to the WSU Arboretum Staff    By Bill Meyer, WSU Senior Groundskeeper (Retired)      Greetings! As the cold winter months edge forward ever so slowly, some  of us begin to hallucinate over the possible return of spring. Just the word spring brings forth thoughts of warmer and longer days, tulips and daffodils poking their heads through the soil, and buds on trees in the WSU Arboretum about to burst open in a flood of colors. Speaking of our new WSU Arboretum, I would like to introduce you to its newest staff members, Lisa Pearson and David Lein. Lisa comes to us from our neighboring state of Wisconsin where she completed her studies in Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Lisa has a rich background in both the private and public sector designing and consulting landscape projects. Her emphasis has been the design of native garden plantings, prairie and wetland restoration, and rain garden installation. She sees the importance of working closely with the private contractor on any landscape project to ensure that the job is done correctly. Even though Lisa has only been at WSU for a short time, she   is looking to the future of the grounds. She would like to see the integration of native pollinator gardens with the existing campus landscape in order to create an inviting habitat for our native bees, butterflies, and birds. In addition, she would like to complement our native Minnesota trees with their companion shrubs and perennials. In her spare time Lisa works with groups that promote alternatives to traditional landscaping such as ‘Wild Ones’. On weekends she often can be found kayaking with friends on Mirror Lake near Baraboo or hiking at Perot Park in Trempealeau. She is an avid photographer who enjoys shooting pictures of eagles and their nests along with the many wildflowers at the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. Her favorite tree is the White Oak, while she favors the Viburnums, Serviceberry, and fragrant Lilacs for shrubs. Our other new addition to the Arboretum staff is David Lein. David also comes from Wisconsin where he studied at Stevens Point and received his B.S. in Forest Management and Urban Forestry. He is a certified arborist who has worked for the city of Onalaska caring for over 400 acres of parks, including treating ash trees for EAB. Another useful tool David brings to WSU is his ability to write grants. He has been successful in finding grant money to plants many trees in Onalaska and hopes to accomplish the same results at WSU.                  Lisa Pearson    David Lein       8        David has spent over 14 years in military service to our country. While in the Air Force, he spent 6 months in Afghanistan working with the Afghan tribal leaders trying to bring about peaceful solutions to the war torn nation. He is currently in the Air Force Reserve. David, his wife, and young son live in Shelby, Wisconsin where they enjoy outdoor activities such as vegetable gardening, raising chickens, hiking, and canoeing in the Coulee region. His favorite tree is the Walnut, which he favors for its exquisite grain. When I first met David, I noticed how passionate he approached his new job at the WSU Arboretum. He is enthusiastic about bringing the highest standards of arboriculture to the grounds of WSU. This tells me that the trees will receive the best care possible. At the same time David sees the grounds as an outdoor classroom and hopes to continue with tree tours and introduce pruning workshops to the public. In addition, he will work with the student workers informing and educating them how to do their job in the most professional manner. These are definitely exciting times at the WSU Landscape Arboretum. With new people adding their talents to Arboretum staff, new landscape concepts and designs are sure to evolve. I suspect we may see more gardens reflecting our native plantings, plus more rain gardens where appropriate. At the same time I see areas of the campus preserving the more traditional look of colorful annuals such as petunias, snapdragons and marigolds. The same goes for the interesting non-native trees such as the Bald Cypress, London Plane tree, or the Eastern Redbud. It is this combination of traditional and native landscape styles that will continue to attract people to WSU and make it a special place to come and visit. If you’re walking around campus and you happen to run into Lisa or David, please say hi and introduce yourself. They are anxious to meet you!       Bill   WSU Retiree Center Newsletter, Spring, 2017 

New Additions to the WSU Arboretum Staff

https://openriver.winona.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=wsuarboretumstories

New Additions to the WSU Arboretum Staff

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