Campus Connection

UWL's new tree trail honors nature, Indigenous culture

A new feature on the UW-La Crosse campus is helping students, faculty, staff and visitors slow down and connect with the natural world. 

Launched on Arbor Day, the Hįnųkwas Tree Trail is a loop featuring nearly 30 native trees that winds its way through campus. The trail’s name — Hįnųkwas — comes from the Ho-Chunk word for the La Crosse area, reflecting the university’s ongoing commitment to recognizing and honoring Indigenous languages and cultures. 

The trail begins and ends at the Student Union, guiding walkers past notable campus landmarks including Murphy Library, Centennial Hall, Morris Hall, Lindner Forest, Wittich Hall, Cowley Hall and the Prairie Springs Science Center. Along the way, signs identify tree species using English, Ho-Chunk and scientific names, with QR codes linking to a digital map and additional information housed on the UWL Sustainability website. 

Designed by Alysa Remsburg, a teaching professor in the Sustainability & Environmental Studies minor, and her students, the trail was inspired by author Robin Wall Kimmerer’s visit to campus in March 2024. In line with Kimmerer’s message of fostering reciprocity with the natural world, the trail aims to deepen relationships with other living organisms on campus. 

“The trail invites curiosity and connection,” Remsburg says. “It encourages us to notice how trees are known by different names and valued in different ways.” 

For example, Ho-Chunk children may learn about basswood trees not only by name, but through their significance — such as their ability to burn brightly in summer without generating excess heat, making them useful for seasonal fires.

The trail’s creation was a collaborative effort, involving contributions from multiple campus and community partners. Crucially, the project was shaped by input from members of the Ho-Chunk Nation, including Samson Falcon (Ho-Chunk Language Division), Kjetil Garvin (Forestry Division) and Lucas Quakenbush (Cultural Resources Division), helping ensure the trail authentically reflects cultural connections to the land and its trees.  

Other key contributors included Adam Schneider, assistant professor of biology and curator of the UWL herbarium; Schneider’s Introduction to Plant Identification class (BIO 302); Andrew Ericson, sustainability program manager; Scott Brown and Tony Meidl from Facilities Management; and members of the University Marketing & Communications team. 

"People immediately appreciate the beauty of the UWL campus but sometimes see trees only as a pleasant background,” Scheider says. “I hope this project will help combat ‘plant blindness’ by encouraging greater recognition of and engagement with our local biodiversity, and the ways people have been interacting with trees for millennia.” 

The Hįnųkwas Tree Trail also supports UWL’s vision of campus as a living laboratory, offering both formal learning opportunities for students in fields such as biology, environmental studies and sustainability, and informal educational experiences for anyone who walks the trail. 

Whether you’re a student heading to class or a visitor exploring campus, the trail offers a meaningful opportunity to pause, learn and reconnect with nature, culture and community. 

To explore the trail map or learn more, visit the UWL Sustainability website.