TEMPLE UNIVERSITY AMBLER “RIPARIAN RESTORATION” EXHIBIT GARNERS AWARDS AT THE 2004 PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW
The
hard work of the Temple University Ambler College landscape architecture
and horticulture students and faculty was honored once more at the 2004
Philadelphia Flower Show, which will continue through March 14 at the
Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch streets,
Philadelphia.
Temple
helped mark the 175th Anniversary of the Philadelphia Flower
Show with an exhibit entitled “Riparian Restoration.” The exhibit won
the Special Achievement Award in Conservation from the Garden Club
Federation of Pennsylvania. The Garden Club Federation presents awards to
“exhibits of unusual excellence” in conservation, education, and
horticulture.
This
marks the third straight year that the Ambler campus has garnered a major
exhibitor award at the Flower Show. The exhibit was additional honored
with a Philadelphia Flower Show Award in the Academic Education category
from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
“I
think this is a tribute to the dedication of the students. The design this
year was directly developed by our students,” said Mary Myers, an
Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture who coordinated this
year’s exhibit. “The students came in a week prior to the beginning of
the semester and worked right through their spring break, which, I think,
says something about their commitment to, and excitement for, this
project.”
Webster’s
defines “riparian” as “relating to or located on the bank of a
natural watercourse,” such as a river or stream. Temple University
Ambler’s exhibit defines “riparian restoration” as essential to our
very way of life.
“Every
decision we make, every building and design, affects our rivers. Around
the world, fresh water, which is crucial for life, is threatened,” said
Myers. “Many locations, including Philadelphia, depend on rivers for
their supply of drinking water. Creeks and streams feed directly into
those rivers.”
Temple
University Ambler’s “Riparian Restoration” exhibit visually
demonstrates how plants can be used as an excellent, and aesthetic, buffer
for water that drains into our essential freshwater resources — from
backyard creeks to parkland stream corridors — and how these concepts
may be incorporated with environmental protection. In addition to the
vibrant display of plant life, the exhibit also incorporates a variety of
environmentally conscious concepts, such as the use of porous, permeable
paving and plantings used specifically for erosion control.
“With
this exhibit, we wanted to educate visitors about the importance of
protecting water resources and exactly how they can do it, from large
scale to small scale,” said Lisa Geyelin, a junior majoring in landscape
architecture whose design was unanimously chosen by her fellow students as
the basis for this year’s exhibit. “We wanted to show them specific
applications; what they can do right in their own backyard.”
Temple
continued its tradition of presenting environmentally focused exhibits
while providing students a hands-on project unlike anything they might
otherwise experience.
“I
had never personally worked on construction before. With something like
this, you’re learning how to take something from paper and turn it into
reality,” said landscape architecture junior Bria Franklin. “It’s a
collaborative process that requires teamwork, time management, and
flexibility. If something doesn’t work out initially, you need to take
the time to think it through and re-design it.”
With
about 300,000 visitors from all over the world at the week-long
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society event, the concepts presented were
shared with an extremely diverse audience.
The
“natural landscape” of the Riparian Restoration exhibit included more
than 650 perennials and 82 woody plants, according to Assistant Professor
of Horticulture Sinclair Adam, who coordinated efforts in the Temple
University Ambler Greenhouse to ready the plants for the Flower Show. The
predominantly herbaceous perennials were nearly 100 percent native to this
region.
Students
in Temple University Ambler’s Community and Regional Planning program
were also directly involved in this year’s exhibit for the first time,
identifying key water resources that need protection within the region
using advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping technology.
In
2002 and 2003, Temple took home “Best of Show” awards in the Academic
Educational category for exhibits demonstrating the use of green roof
technology and the use of graywater, water used for cleaning, which may be
recycled and used for watering plants and gardens. The Department of
Landscape Architecture and Horticulture was also awarded the prestigious
Bulkley Medal of the Garden Club of America at the Flower Show in 2003.
For more information on the Riparian Restoration Exhibit, call the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture at 215-283-1292.
CONTACT: James Duffy, (215) 283-1290, duffyj@temple.edu, release available by e-mail
