Wayland Academy receives DNR Urban Forestry Grant
Beaver Dam, WI—Wayland Academy is one of 58 applicants given a share of a $1.5 million Urban Forestry Grant Program, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday, Dec. 8.
The Wisconsin DNR said that the grant program, funded by both state and federal dollars along with a dollar-for-dollar match, supports an initiative to increase and improve the urban forest canopy, something that experts say provides local heat mitigation, removes pollutants from the air and improves mental health.
Wayland will use its $14,994 award to remove dead and hazardous ash trees and restore the 55-acre campus’s tree canopy with a mix of new trees. The Academy also plans to educate current students, alumni, faculty, and staff on forestry-related topics along the way.
“This is a great opportunity for our environmental classes to have hands-on learning experiences as it pertains to forestry, and take part in helping to establish a healthier campus tree canopy,” said Head of School Jason Warnick. “Some of those old trees have been providing shade for students from around Wisconsin, the nation, and the world, for generations. With the funds from this grant, we’ll be able to make room for fresh growth and new beginnings.”
Warnick noted that since being founded in Beaver Dam more than 167 years ago, Wayland Academy has become known for its beautiful campus, with a variety of native species creatively landscaped among the academic buildings and residence halls.
Wayland was one of only three awards issued in east-central Wisconsin; the other two were the Village of Slinger and the Village of Kohler.
For additional information about the Wayland Academy, including campus history and the environmental studies program, visit wayland.org or call 920-356-2120.
# # #
About Wayland Academy: Wayland is an independent, coed college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades nine through twelve (9–12). Founded in Beaver Dam in 1855, the school’s rich, rigorous academic program features small classes, capstone projects at every grade, an active STEAM program, and an array of AP offerings. The global and welcoming school community brings together students from Wisconsin, across the United States, and from all over the world together in an innovative and engaging learning environment.
Vicki Horstman
Marketing Specialist
