Ithaca’s ecosystem is defined by its rushing waterfalls and gorges, trees planted along residential blocks and the bunnies that hop along at their hooves. But there is one part of this ecosystem missing: its indigenous people. 

On Sept. 8, Ithaca College staff and students collaborated with Trees Up Tompkins to plant native trees on campus behind Emerson Hall. Trees Up Tompkins is a community group devoted to the renewal of Ithaca’s native trees to help draw carbon down from the atmosphere and improve the environment.

Inspired by Project Drawdown, a mission to reduce the level of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, Trees Up Tompkins was created in 2019 by Tompkins County residents.