Indiana University Kokomo students and faculty planted 20 apple trees on campus to help increase biodiversity.
Danielle Rush | IU Kokomo
Indiana University Kokomo’s Sustainability Council planted 20 apple trees in the campus’ ecological restoration site in an effort to increase biodiversity.
Andy Tuholski, director of the Office of Sustainability and assistant professor of political science, said the pollinator orchard project is a component of a five-year Green Horizons Initiative, with the goal to create “a dynamic, living space that supports pollinators, native wildlife, and campus engagement.”
The trees, which include Golden Treat, Gala, Fuji, Yellow Delicious, and Braeburn apples, are planted between the parking garage and the campus beehives, providing a food source for honeybees.
Tuholski said the pollinator orchard project expands on an effort that began three years ago with planting of five apple trees. It was funded by the NIPSCO/NiSource Charitable Foundation through its Environmental Action Grant, which the campus received in April.
The area will be used as a living classroom, including a beekeeping demonstration in September. Volunteers will remove invasive plants along the Kokomo Creek bank to clear a path to it, then add deep-rooted plants and rocks to the bank to act as a sponge and prevent flooding.
The pollinator orchard grant was one of 23 Environmental Action Grants awarded by Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO) and the NiSource Charitable Foundation for 2025.
Now in its 10th year, the grant program has provided about $700,000 in funding support for nearly 170 projects with an emphasis on environmental education and restoration across northern Indiana.
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