PLT Greenschools! YLINC 2014 Day Two

Jason Lombardi explains his urban wildlife research project.

Our campers got to know Stephen F Austin State University (SFASU) in a big way on their beautiful Nacogdoches campus. 

When we first arrived at SFASU, we were a little early, so we planned to take a short walk in the verdant SFA Mast Arboretum, but as we were walking toward the trail, we noticed that Jason Lombardi and two fellow students, Andrew and Heather had captured a possum. They were working on Jason's Wildlife Management Master’s thesis project focused on urban wildlife and their behavior. Jason magnanimously offered to give our kids an impromptu presentation on his research. Jason, Andrew and Heather's dedication to their project was readily apparent in their willingness to talk to us, and the students were very engaged in an example of the kind of research that the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture (ATCOFA) does every day.

Next, we visited with Dr. Brian Oswald for a presentation about fire and forests. He talked about how prescribed burns, fires set on purpose in very specific conditions, help forests stay healthy and protect the urban-wildland interface from catastrophic fires by removing excessive brush. He showed us the unique tools of the wildland firefighter that help them make fire breaks, invited the students to try walking in a 45 lb vest, and let the students try diving under a fire shelter. While the work of managing fire is dangerous and difficult, Dr. Oswald said, "People need this skill set in natural resources." He talked about the many fire jobs across the nation and about study abroad opportunities in Spain and the Netherlands. Some of his Fire Management students are currently conducting research in the Netherlands.

Dr. Oswald inspects Gabrielle Bravo's ability to get inside an
emergency fire shelter, and declares her a "live potato".

Dr. Matthew McBroom, SFASU hydrology professor, took our kids on a hands-on science sojourn to Sarah's Branch at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center (PNPC). We saw how the rain gardens filter runoff before it reaches Sarah's Branch, which flows into LaNana Creek. Emerson Hernandez and Clarissa Treviño used a Sechi Tube and a water sensor to determine the turbidity, conductivity, pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen of a certain point of the stream. 

Dr. McBroom described Hydrologists as crime scene investigators for water bodies in trouble, using science to find sources of pollution and invent solutions to hydrology problems. He warned that pollution affects a water body as soon as it enters and "once a creek is polluted, it’s real expensive to clean it back up again". Leaving trees by a stream, creating rain gardens, picking up after your dog and encouraging more green spaces, all can help keep water clear and clean.

Emerson Hernandez collects a water
sample from Sarah's branch creek
adjacent to the PNPC

Elyce Rodewald, Educational Programs Coordinator at the PNPC introduced the sojoruners to the new educational center by the Tucker House which was built to LEED standards to have a minimal impact on the environment. It features low speed, high volume fans and 20 SERE air conditioning units. Green Mountain energy is planning on donating a grid-tie solar system to the facility.

Dr. Jeremy Stovall, Professor of Silviculture, had our students mesmerized with his discussion of how forests are managed. Dr. Stovall insisted that clearcuts, when done properly, are a wise management decision for a variety of land management goals. Our students asked at least a dozen questions of Dr. Stovall, such as "do trees ever grow back from stumps" and "Are nutrients or water removed from the site when trees are harvested?" He answered all of them, showing our kids that a college professor can engage them just like their phenomenal high school teachers, Mr. Juan Elizondo and Mr. David De Hoyos.

Courtney and Conner, purple-blooded SFASU Sylvans, gave the kids a shot at timber sports. The students tried their hands at hatchet throwing, knife throwing, log rolling and cross-cut saw.

Abiel Montalvo and Emerson Hernandez (out of frame on right) saw away with the Slyvans crosscut saw

Dr. Neil Cox, professor of printmaking at SFASU's College of Art, elucidated our energized pupils on how prints are made. He explained lithography, copper plate printing, and relief printing in as fine a detail as the prints he loves to run. We explored the photography studio were the oldest techniques are taught, the ceramics lab were art has made peace with function, and the art department workshop where Robert King makes fiddles from 1900's era cigar boxes. Dr. Cox revealed several interesting collaborative efforts between the College of Forestry and the School of Art. He also discussed scholarships with our students, encouraging them to not be the many who leave money on the table.

Dr. Neil Cox gives a lesson on printing from a copper plate

To round out the day, many of our students burned up some energy at a ZUMBA class at the City of Nacogdoches Recreation Center with ZUMBA instructor Misti Cranford. Then we retired back to Lazy Acres to feast on two flavors of enchiladas, handmade fresh tortilla chips, savory tamales, hearty frijoles charros and grilled jalapeños.

Glistening with fun after a great Zumba workout!

Glistening with fun after a great Zumba workout!

Tomorrow, we will venture into the Wilderness. The Wilderness Act, which preserves 106 million acres for public enjoyment and research, turns 50 this year!

Be sure to check out our Twitter feed, #YLINC2014, for live tweets and exclusive photos of our Youth Leadership in Nature Challenge journey! There are exclusive photos of the PNPC and more on our Flickr page as well!

P.S. They made Adrian Delgado, reporter and grant writer for FNFGT, a birthday he won't forget. Adrian's wife Lyndi, Tamberly Conway (Partnerships, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist with the U.S. Forest Service, and the YLINC campers made him a cake and brought him many lovely gifts. He thanks everyone from the bottom if his heart for their generosity. He is a very happy camper.

PLT GreenSchools! YLINC 2014 Day One

It's like a holiday present to the high school pupils of Houston! The U.S Forest Service, the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC), the Friends of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas-Latino Legacy (FNFGT), Stephen F. Austin State University – Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, the Texas A&M Forest Service, Houston Independent School District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service were proud to give the gift of the outdoors to 12 Stephen F. Austin High School students. They got to start 2014 off right with a very special Project Learning Tree GreenSchools! Youth Leadership in Nature Challenge (Y-LINC)! 

Y-LINC has been a FNFGT program for 5 years, in which high school students that otherwise may never have a chance to go out in nature, have an opportunity to spend a week in the middle of the great outdoors. The adventurers camp, talk to experts in the fields of natural resource management, learn how to build fires, cook s'mores, help the community with service learning projects and much more. This year, however, FNFGT has integrated our work with Project Learning Tree GreenSchools!, a program that helps students devise projects that reduce their school's impact on the environment. FNFGT is currently engaged in an multi-year partnership with the NUCFAC to create networks of GreenSchools! that improve not just the school’s environment, but also their surrounding community, while emphasizing the importance of urban forests. Our partnership, called GreenSchools!: a Model for Green Communities will develop techniques and models that will help other communities across the nation to grow their own GreenSchools! networks, which are being titled, GreenSchool! Greenbelts.

Our twelve kids, all over-achievers and big believers, come from Stephen F. Austin High School, one of our most active schools in the Houston ISD East End GreenSchools! GreenBelt. We have offered them Y-LINC as a way for them to gain more outdoor and leadership skills, build professional networks, and make them aware of the possibilities that nature offers them in their careers. This fresh perspective may help them do bigger and more impactful GreenSchools! projects back at their campus!

The first stop was the Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest near Nacogdoches, Texas. Stephen F. Austin State University and the U.S. Forest Service cooperatively manage the forest as a place to conduct research in the fields of forestry and conservation. The Experimental Forest makes a perfect home for the Natural Resource Conservation Service's (NRCS) East Texas Plant Materials Center (PMC).

Camper Emerson Hernandez plants wildflower 

seed in a transplanter pot at the NRCS

Our kids learned from Alan Shadow, NRCS Agronomist and East Texas PMC Manager, that the East Texas PMC determines the plant species best able to solve local conservation issues, such as declining wildlife habitat, energy demands and the recent honeybee colony collapse disorder crisis. Their exhaustive research creates a library of knowledge that wildlife managers, foresters, environmental scientists and private landowners can access in order to pick the right plant for the job. Mr. Shadow gave the Y-LINC campers the ten-dollar tour, showing them the NRCS's specialized planter, a massive combine, a crop roller, transplanter and other muscular machines that let the NRCS do their valuable work on a picayune budget.

After the tour, Samuel Camarillo, a Graduate Student in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University, led the caravan on a dendrology stroll through the meandering interpretive trails of the Experimental Forest. If they didn't know before, our kids now know that Yaupon Holly was a Native American medicine, Carolina Basswood twigs can be made into tough rope, burning Poison Ivy can create a deadly smoke, Hercules Club (Toothache Tree) can numb the mouth, American Black Elderberry makes a rich jam, White Oak acorns are edible when carefully prepared, Devil's walking-stick was used to make a prickly fence, Blackberries are plentiful in March and Sassafras was the traditional flavoring of root beer. Sam's thesis at ATCOFA involves creating a model to predict where the Chinese Tallow tree grows best, in order to know where best to combat the invasive tree. We wish him luck with his crucial work.

Sam Camarillo, SFA Forestry Grad Student, 

owns the basswood twig as he turns wood into rope.

The student adventurers beat a path, via automobile, to SFASU, to hear from Ryan Horn from SFA's Admissions Office. Ryan encouraged the students to pursue a degree at a university, and pointed them to information on the SAT scores they need to achieve to be accepted to SFA and the financial aid resources that help them pay for their degree. Horn said that SFA provides a very personalized educational experience to its students, due to its small classes and stand-alone nature. Members of the Stephen F. Austin High Cheer team, Austin Pride, many of whom were participating in the Winter Y-LINC, gave Horn and Mr. John Sperry a cheer straight from their school.

Mr. John Sperry, ATCOFA's Undergraduate Adviser and Recruiter, introduced the campers to the dozens of career paths and degrees available at ATCOFA, including (but not limited to) Wildlife Management, Forestry, Environmental Science, Horticulture and Spatial Science.

Dr. I-Kuai Hung, Professor of Geographic Information Systems, prefaced to students the high-tech field of Spatial Science: the computer-based discipline that develops map products like Google Earth, crime density maps, optimal Black Bear habitat maps, etc. Spatial Science also has everything to do with GPS, satellites, and meteorology. Its one of the fastest growing fields and ATCOFA is a well-recognized training center for the GIS experts of the future.

Campers shot more lasers at Dr. I-Kaui Hung's Spatial Science presentation than your average space opera

Stephen F. Austin High School gives a cheer at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The campers returned to camp for hot venison chili and rice, cooked with love by Lyndi Long, a former FNFGT program presenter, who now educates hundreds of children at a museum in San Antonio. Lyndi comes back each year to Y-LINC as a volunteer. They then met with their team leaders: Sam Camarillo, Arianna Berdote (a SFA Wildlife Management Undergrad), Charlie Jordan (a SFA Forest Recreation Management Undergrad) and Andre Saenz (a SFA Wildlife Management Undergrad and employee of the Texas A&M Forest Service), and split up into their groups. Texas A&M Forest Service District Forester III, Texas Project Learning Tree Co-Coordinator and our long-time friend, John Boyette, provided presentations on the growing (literally) field of urban forestry and taught kids the great mystery of how trees work!

Tomorrow, we will return to SFASU to hear from more SFASU forestry giants! Be sure to check FNFGT out on Facebook, on Twitter (@FriendsNFGT, #YLINC2014) and our photo albums on Flickr and our new Google+ page !

Youth-LINC 2012 - Day Three

It may be safe to say that our drought is over, with as many days that it has rained this week.

But our campers spirits were high, as you can see campers Naielli Hidalgo, Blanca Garcia, and Alma Garcia turned breaking camp into the rain as another chance to giggle, as they're pictured trying to squeeze as much water as they can out of their tent in the middle of a rainstorm. We left Cagle wet, but we still left on time. Mike Ross (USFS Fleet Manager) gave a very relevant safety meeting on the dangers of flooding, warning us to stay out of creek bottoms even if the rain has ceased. After filling our ice chests with ice and water, we traveled to Houston.

Naielli, Alma, Blanca, and Enelidad drying out their tent
with love at Cagle Recreation Area.

Many of the campers grew up in Houston suburbs, and 4 of them went Youth-LINC's destination on Wednesday, to Stephen F. Austin High School. Lantrip Elementary, Jackson Middle School, and Austin High School are official Project Learning Tree Greenschools! due to the efforts of FNFGT, the school administration, and most importantly, the student body itself. Youth-LINC campers Naielli Hidalgo and Blanca Garcia performed a Greenschools! investigation that led to the installation of a 300 gallon rainwater catchment system. Duy Tran and Derek Morrison, biological engineers from Texas A&M University, assisted in the project's design.

Duy Tran (foreground left) and Derek Morrison
(foreground right)  explain the rainwater
catchment system at Stephen F. Austin High School 

Austin High earned its Green School status via its commitment to the environment and its decades old school garden/park area on campus. Youth-LINC showed its commitment by installing a sign commemorating the formation of the Greenschools! "Grapevine", weeded part of the garden, and installed smaller signs labeling the plants there.

Lantrip Elementary, Jackson Middle School, and Austin High
school are all on the Greenschool "Grapevine". The
Youth-LINC campers painted and installed this sign. 

After Austin High, we traveled to the Stephen F. Austin State park. Everyone carefully laid their belongings out to dry on clotheslines they hung themselves. Julio, Alberto, Andre, Franco Gonzales, and Blanca competed against eachother in a chili eating contest, using chiles harvested from the Austin High garden. The results were hilarious, and will be posted on FNFGT's Facebook page.

Alberto Gomez, Andre Saenz, Julio Bedolla, and Franco Gonzales before their faces were soaked in tears from their Chili-Eating contest. Blanca Garcia also participated. Watch the battle on our Facebook page! 

After dinner, the Campers puzzled out the sailor's knot, a leadership exercise that teaches interdependence and perseverance. The campers were tied together in a knot that looked impossible to get out of, but if they thought outside the box and worked together, they could slip out.

We also celebrated the birthday of one of our long time Amigoes, Lyndi Long. Lyndi had been with us since 2008, and led students at Youth-LINC last year. We are all very happy for her, and hope to have many more years of her enthusiasm and education ability.

Tomorrow, we will be tour Stephen F. Austin State park and a recycling plant in Houston, among a tornado of other activities.