The Carleton College Cowling Arboretum will host “An Evening on the Prairie,” Tuesday, August 26, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Led by Nancy Braker, director of the Cowling Arboretum, the event is free and open to the public.

Along with Waterford Township, Carleton has announced a plan for the replacement of the iron bridge located over the Cannon River in Waterford. The single-lane bridge was built in 1909 and is number one on the State of Minnesota’s deficient bridge list. The College has agreed to allow its replacement to be built and maintained on about two acres of Carleton land.

Nancy Braker, formerly the director of conservation of Baraboo Hills and western uplands for The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin and a 1981 graduate of Carleton, has been named the Director of the Cowling Arboretum at Carleton College. Braker is charged with increasing the role of Carleton’s Arboretum in conservation, education, and in the sustainability of its lands. She will manage and develop all of the natural and educational resources within the arboretum, maintain and extend the restoration of native communities, initiate a long-term planning process for the arboretum, supervise arboretum staff and student workers, and maintain the trail system.

From Sept. 20–Oct. 13, 2007, the Upper Arb hosted "The Buckthorn Menace," an environmental art installation. During the course of the project, campus and community volunteers worked with artist Jim Proctor to clear the invasive plant species buckthorn from the installation site and render the plants into large-scale sculptures. The installation will stand for a full year to allow viewing over the four seasons. It will be dismantled in October 2008, and the project sites will then be restored as needed by planting indigenous trees and shrubs.To learn more visit the Buckthorn Menace web site.

The Buckthorn Menace, a large-scale sculptural installation created by Northfield residents and students under the direction of Minneapolis artist Jim Proctor, will open at Carleton College on Saturday, October 13. The community celebration, scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m., will take place at the installation site in the Cowling Arboretum—the “upper arb,” located off the East Second Street entrance to the arboretum. This special event is free and open to the public.

The Buckthorn Menace Project, a joint effort between Carleton College, St. Olaf College and the Northfield community, was featured on KSTP-5 Eyewitness News on its 6 p.m. newscast. The project, a large-scale sculptural installation designed to raise public awareness about the environmental damage caused by invasive plant species in Minnesota’s natural landscapes and wilderness areas, is underway in the Carleton Arboretum.

Carleton College joins St. Olaf College and the Northfield community in a unique collaborative effort merging volunteerism, education, and creative expression. The Buckthorn Menace, a large-scale sculptural installation designed to raise public awareness about the environmental damage caused by invasive plant species in Minnesota’s natural landscapes and wilderness areas, will launch Thursday, September 20 with presentations by artist Jim Proctor and Carleton geology professor Mary Savina at 5 p.m. in Boliou Hall, room 104. The presentations are free and the public is invited to attend.

The Spring 2007 Field Drawing class utilized the arboretum as inspiration for subject matter. A few selections can be seen at the Spring 2007 Field Drawing Class photo gallery.

Mark McKone, Director of the Arboretum, was interviewed in the Fall 2006 Voice. Read the interview