Matt Topeff
Biology 112 – Conservation Biology
Susan Savanick
May 2007
Carleton has been around for 140 years and thus has a rich history. Presidents of the past and future have always planned and develop Carleton’s infrastructure to be one that which is sustainable. In 2002, Carleton hired campus planner, Mark Johnson of Denver based Civitas Inc., to develop a sustainable campus plan. There are now five campus plans that give insight as to what Carleton should do with the campus in roughly the next 100 years. This research paper will specifically evaluate the future plan to eventually tear down Laird Stadium and West Gym and rebuild them up by the RecreationCenter and baseball field. The farmland or potential Oak Savanna east of the baseball field would become the new athletic complexes; and the Lower Arboretum would extend to the intersection of Highway 19 and 2nd Street. Below is a timeline of the buildings and areas being specifically affected.
1867 – Carleton’s inception.
1927 – The Arboretum is established under the guidance of Professor Harvey Stork and D. Blake “Stewsie” Stewart. Over 300 species of shrubs and trees were planted in the ensuing five years.
1927 – Laird Stadium constructed
1949 – Arboretum is made part of the state game refuge
1962 – Goodhue Dormitory is constructed, the first permanent development north of the creek and lakes.
1964 – West Gym is added to the athletic complex along the river.
1999 – RecreationCenter is constructed at the edge of the upper arboretum.
Carleton = People + Place
CarletonCollege is viewed as a very historic and respected institution, not just because of the people and reputation but also the character of the buildings and landscape. Laird Stadium and Cowling Arboretum have both been integral parts to Carleton’s character once they were both added in 1927. Laird Stadium was built to house students and also provide recreation. The size and stature make the structure a view that anyone who visits Carleton will not forget. It was originally built with the intentions to expand upon it if Carleton was selected to be added to the Big-10, the Division 1 conference that includes schools such as the University of Minnesota and OhioState. West Gym, which lies north of the Stadium, houses the men’s and women’s swim teams, men’s and women’s basketball teams and also the women’s volleyball team and is relatively new compared to the Stadium.
Cowling Arboretum, from here on out referred to as the “Arb”, was created under the guidance of President Donald J. Cowling and Professor Harvey E. Stork. Superintendent of Grounds D. Blake “Stewsie” Stewart was also responsible for much of the early development in the Arb. Stork and Stewsie were fundamental in the long term restoration of the Arb, in particular, the planting of upland forest and wildflowers in the Upper Arb (StorkForest) have come to an impressively mature state. They were astonishing land managers and were also among the nation’s first restoration ecologists.The Cowling Arboretum now consists of approximately 880 acres of land adjacent to Carleton and serves three fundamental purposes: education, recreation and conservation.It includes an array of habitats including: upland and floodplain forest, prairie and oak savannas, rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands.
Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the landscape of Carleton both now and in the future. They show how the Arb will be effected by demolition and rebuilding of the athletic complexes. As you can see, floodplain forest will be planted and matured along the CannonRiver and will extend for the complete length of Carleton’s property. The area north east of the Rec.Center would be prairie and Oak savanna. And figures 3 and 4 illustrate a more detailed and closer view of Carleton’s infrastructure both now and 100 roughly 100 years from now. It is important to note the increase of prairie and Oak savanna north east of the Rec.Center. In actuality, the increase of buildings would also increase the amount of parking needed, the picture also doesn’t show the baseball field which is also north east of the Rec.and is right along Highway 19. Dennis Easley, the Superintendent of Grounds, told me that Carleton would also build student housing facilities just south east of the Rec.Center, which would also cut into the area on the picture that shows prairie and Oak savanna.
It is hard to argue against the proposal for multiple reasons. Firstly, Highway 19 has become increasingly more traveled and is dangerous for students to cross. There is also limited parking along the river and to create more would require cutting into the Lower Arb. Also, centralizing the athletic complexes and events would create a better atmosphere for athletes and spectators. Environmental and sustainability effects would improve since the plan is to create more Arb, and also build where now a farm field is. Also, the CannonRiver has continued to erode into the banks, and Laird Stadium is continually losing its back end to the river. This is a problem that has to be dealt with before 100 years from now.
Fig. 1: CarletonCollege Landscape of 2003
Fig. 2: CarletonCollege Landscape of the Future
Fig. 3: CarletonCollege Campus Landscape of Today
Fig. 4: CarletonCollege Expected Landscape of 2103
Although Laird Stadium is a structure that influenced my decision to come to Carleton, I think that the proposal to tear it down, along with West Gym and all other houses along the river, and rebuild the athletic complexes by the Rec.Center should be followed through. I like the idea of continuing the floodplain forest along the river up to the Highway 19 intersection. I also believe the area that is now farmland would be better suited if the athletic complexes were more centralized and on the north side of LymanLakes. I believe it would draw more attention from students, especially if they decided to build housing complexes as well. The environmental and sustainability effects would be improved and that is something that I am sure everyone would support. Overall, I am glad that I have researched this topic and I am also very interested to see what the future has to behold for Carleton and its landscape.
Works Cited
All five of the campus future plans can be found at