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.

Erik and Cecilia sharing their strengths and weaknesses.

Dawn Stover, a Research Associate with the SFA Gardens and Dr. Jared Barnes, a professor of horticulture, led a tour through the opulent SFA Gardens, highlighting all the aromatic plants they grow, their demonstration bee hive, and the Sculpture For All (SFA) art exhibits, which included a design that integrated used medicine bottles. 

Stephen F Austin State University also has a community garden where private individuals can grow food, as the campers were shown. SFASU tests plants for All American Selections National Winners, including some candy-sweet sweet chilis and smooth purple okra, and we got to taste them personally. Dr. Barnes told the students about the opportunities available in horticulture, and invited them to plant some of the Swiss Chard that they were researching.

The SFA community gardens.

Dr. Creech entertained us with ice cream at the SFA's Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building, a solar powered and environmentally friendly building, featuring large windows and energy efficient air conditioning and fans. John Boyette, forester with the Texas A&M University taught students about the PLT Greenschools! School Site Investigations, teaching them how to measuring tree diameters, tree height, percent forest cover, and tree health. They also got a crash course in tree identification and tree diseases.

John Boyette, Forester with the Texas A&M Forest Service talks about the uses of Flowering Dogwood.
Tamberly Conway, U.S. Forest Service Conservation Education Specialist, climbs the Flowering Dogwood.

Using the dot tally land measurement system.

Then the students spent the afternoon on the shore of Lazy Acres, where Charlie Jordan, certified ropes course instructor and outdoor recreation guide, took them through two team building exercises. Dinner was delicious spaghetti and face-to-face conversation.