NUCFAC PLT Greenschools! YLINC Summer 2014 Day 6 and 7: Birthday and Farewells

The whole gang celebrating Smokey's birthday at the Texas Forestry Museum in Lufkin They had a blast dressing up in period costumes!

The campers enjoyed their last days here at YLINC.

Saturday was largely a day freed up so that they can enjoy the weather, the kayaking, and the fun of camping on the shores of Lake Sam Rayburn, although we did stop by the Texas Forestry Museum to wish Smokey Bear happy 70th birthday! Woodsy Owl also gave him well wishes, and the students got to explore what life was like in the times when trees were being felled all over East Texas.

The students reflected on their time at camp and evaluated their experiences, and overwhelmingly said it was a life changing one.

Woodsy Owl taking a Canoe ride on Lake Sam Rayburn

On Sunday, the students packed up and said goodbye. Each camper received a certificate, awarding them for the unique way they contributed to the Youth Leadership in Nature Challenge of Summer 2014.

Their very last stop was Scott's Ridge Day Use Recreation Area in the Sam Houston National Forest. Ten years ago, Scott's Ridge was only a boat ramp, with hundreds of Latino families gathered around it every weekend. One young master's student did her thesis on the efficacy of a program that could reach out to the Spanish speaking community with messages of conservation and stewardship. Soon she was handing out trash bags, talking about litter and the National Forest System and getting Spanish speakers involved in the environment. That research project led to the growth of Latino Legacy, which led to the creation of the Friends of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, as well as the designation of Scott's Ridge as a day use area. 

That master's student was Tamberly Conway, who has been a tornado of support and enthusiasm since FNFGT began. We thank her for all her support from the bottom of our hearts, and we are glad we have her as a friend.

One last bit of natural relaxation at Scott's Ridge Day Use Area.

Stay tuned to this blog for more updates on FNFGT's projects, events and volunteer opportunities, and thank you for being a loyal reader!

NUCFAC PLT Greenschools! YLINC Summer 2014 Day 5 - Science!

Dr. Stephen Bullard, the Dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture welcomed the campers back to Stephen F. Austin State University and gave them some advise about attending college and choosing the career of their dreams. They then heard about fire management careers from Paul Tiller, a master's student in Fire Ecology. He talked about what fire management entails, what fire ecologists study, and some of the nuts and bolts of how the fire management world works.

NUCFAC PLT Greenschools! YLINC Summer 2014 Day 4: Stephen F. Austin State University

The Stephen F. Austin Gardens, where our kids talked shop with professors of horticulture. Landscape design, plant breeding and more botanical career oppurtunities are wide open for them!

To unite the campers as one unit, Furr High School teacher David de Hoyos led a team building exercise for the students in the Stephen F. Austin Mast Arboretum. Students wrote their names, their strengths, and their weakness on a small white board, and shared them with someone that they were accustomed to talking to so far during this trip. The exercise worked wonderfully, and soon the pairs of students were taking good care of each other.

NUCFAC PLT Greenschools! YLINC Summer 2014 Day Three: Gardens of Organic Eatin'

The kids at the University at Houston.

Our future conservation leaders saw flocks of birds of all sizes and colors at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge for their first stop. Canvasback Ducks, Great White Egrets, Wood Storks and Roseated Spoonbills filled the sky with a living confetti as we took the auto tour from the Discovery Center. Long-time volunteer David Brandes and Outdoor Recreation Coordinator Tim Schnider of the USFWS then brought out their fascinating alligator, corn snake, speckled king snake and hog-nosed snake for a touch and feel experiential learning program. Y-LINC kids learned about the important functions and characteristics of snakes.

NUCFAC YLINC Summer 2014 Day Two: Watercolors and Kayaks!

Della Barbato with a puffer fish at the Galveston Island State Park Nature Center

Early in the morning, our campers took a trip to Galveston Bay, to kayak with watercolors and clipboards in hand.