Students of Iowa State form “cowpaths” and other problems when they walk across campus.

Cathy Brown, program manager of Facilities Planning and Management at Iowa State, addressed the Government of the Student Body on Wednesday explaining what FP&M does and addressed some concerns with turf problems.

FP&M takes care of turf and plants within Iowa State’s vicinity, removes snow, works on streets and sidewalk maintenance, and constructs small projects.

One of Brown’s main concerns during her GSB presentation pertained to the turf and grass of Iowa State.

“We are having trouble with the turf — a lot of wear and tear on the grass,” Brown said.

People walk off the sidewalks and onto grass, creating Iowa State’s infamous “cowpaths,” Brown said. With about 36,000 students and staff on campus everyday, maintaining the quality and natural beauty of the campus is a concern.

To counter these issues, FP&M has added more sidewalks in the past years and have added in fences. They have also placed shrubs and trees as barriers in places used as cowpaths.

“We are not a lot different from sheep or cows,” Brown said. “We follow the path if it’s there.”

Besides people creating paths on campus, FP&M has seen an increase in special events and recreational events on Central Campus, and this has led to the damage of the grass’s roots.

FP&M plans to look into different ways to preserve our award-winning campus and keep it a place which we all can be proud of.

Currently FP&M manages 2,000 acres of land. 658 of those acres are turf on which are 12,800 trees and 22,000 shrubs. Other than turf, they also manage 34 miles of sidewalks, 160 acres of parking lots, and 23 miles of streets.