Holes in Trees...and other adventures

Our final day of the third week. What a week it has been. Having a three day weekend was a nice break, a time to go play in the woods and really think about what we have been doing in this summer institute.

Thursday we had our first reading facilitat

ion. I really love hearing what other people thought of the various readings and to hear different view points always opens my mind to new ideas and possibilities. Our discussion on economy vs. environment was especially striking. We had the chance to calculate our own eco-footprints, an eye opening experience for me. Most of us are conscious about the effects we have on the environment but being able to put all of those into practice can be a difficult thing to do. The old adage, practice what you preach, becomes extremely important in the field of environmental education. This is something I really want to work on as an individual, the ideas and concepts are in my head and I know what needs to happen to reduce my carbon footprint, but that does not always become a reality. Leah was the first student to facilitate a reading and did a fantastic job! I am excited to see what various activities and games people come up and have them as a resource to use in my future teaching endeavors.

Out to the woods!! After lunch we got to go back to the mozzie infested Barrington Headwaters. We broke up into two groups and practiced various techniques that may be helpful to us when undergoing our research. Tree coring was a blast. I had seen people carrying around those funny orange tubes in the past but never quite knew what they were or how to use them...now I know. We got our workout coring various trees in the woods and it is amazing to see the rings and really get an insight into that trees life history. Its like reading a journal that the tree has kept and making connections. One theme that I see in this class, both in the practical side and readings, is that of puzzles. The forest and the natural world gives you clues to figure out its history and what events have taken place, but it is up to us, the detectives, armed with knowledge, to put the pieces together.

Wetland delineation and GPS work was next. I really loved the wetland delineation project we worked on with Lara. We made a circular plot and then recorded various species in three strata and looked up their status, whether upland or wetland, to determine if the area is truly classified as a wetland. I love learning new trees and shrubs and plants. It is a touch difficult not being from the area and sometimes I feel that is a disadvantage. At the same time, it is that much more exciting learning all the new species. My favorite from Thursday was witch-hazel (Hamamelias virginiana). This shrub is interesting in that the growing pattern of the leaf is asymmetrical and the bark and leaves can be used as an astringent.

On to research projects. We brainstormed various ideas and began discussing them as a group. This project is a bit overwhelming when considering the short time frame we have. People came up with some really neat ideas and I think it is going to be hard to pick just a few to really focus on and narrow down to a sizable project. Doing this project will help me really connect with this area and help me with my burgeoning sense of place. This class is one that i get

excited to attend, everyday I feel like I am learning so much and am excited about working on the project and getting my pedagogy done. I have never spelled out before what my own values, ethics and beliefs are when it comes to teaching. I have always just gone out and done it. It will be nice to have something to look back on and see whether I am really teaching what I believe in.

Monday has come and its time for another intense, yet fun, week of environmental education. That's what environmental education should be...fun!