Community passion saves campus old-growth (or How football fans, foresters, students, and tree-huggers saved an old-growth forest)

A small old-growth forest adjacent to the football stadium on Virginia Tech’s campus was suddenly slated to be developed for an indoor football practice facility.  It was announced as a done deal despite frequent use for teaching labs and inclusion in the campus master plan as greenspace.  An outpouring of support for the woods from across campus, the larger community, and the nation, saved Stadium Woods from development. The passion and diverse approaches brought by multiple collaborators were critical to success.  We share effective strategies and discuss our continuing work for permanent legal protection.