| “The Helen Patton Environmental Research Center
promises a haven for those seeking peace, beauty and
enrichment through a personal relationship with the earth.
In honor of my parents, Robert and Mamie Slagle Patton,
and their descendants, I leave for posterity a piece
of our Patton Valley heritage to be studied and enjoyed
by many.”
- Dr. Helen Patton
|
Located in the mountains of Macon County, The Helen Patton
Environmental Research Center was established in 1997 from
a gift bestowed on Western by alumnus Dr.
Helen Patton '33.
The gift included Dr. Patton’s ten-acre Patton Valley
estate and a trust fund for the care and maintenance of the
property.
Dr. Patton’s contribution to Western constitutes the
largest single gift ever given to the university by a living
alumnus.
The research center is used cooperatively by Western students
and faculty to conduct field-based educational projects related
to biology and natural resources management.
Research
Ongoing projects include an inventory
of plants and animals on the property and an inventory of
the existing soil, geologic and ecological conditions to
develop a long-term plan for maintenance of the property.
 |
| Purple Coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia
(© Susan Roberts) |
Conservation
The Patton family, the original landowners, saw the land
as it once was—pristine, undeveloped, a part of their
own identity. Appreciation and conservation of this land
was the legacy handed down to Dr. Patton.
True to the family legacy, Dr. Patton considers the property
a gift to be conserved: “We cannot predict what will
happen to our land. All I can hope for is that a small ten-acre
segment can be preserved, studied, developed, and shared ….”
|
