Today our group went down the side of the plateau to look at birds and snails. We had to get up early so we could bike to the location. The hike down wasn’t bad we had to do a lot of climbing. Our guide was Dr. Haskell who teaches a class on birds and enjoys studying snails. We climbed to different levels looking for snails. The further down we went the more snails we could find. We also listened for some birds on the way down.
When we got to the bottom we searched for snails for a while then we finished we climbed around on the rocks and looked at waterfalls. Gaby found a turtle shell. We ate lunch before we made the climb back up to the top. The climb up wasn’t nearly as easy as going down. We went up a steep slope and had to climb several waterfalls. Then once we got to the top we had to make the journey on bike back.
Later that night we went to a concert for a band called The Culprits. It was really fun. There was another group of young writers there as well. The band was really good and we ran around and through a Frisbee. After the concert we headed back to Hoffman and watched some TV.
-Patrick
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Fiery Gizzard!
Fiery Gizzard was the best activity I did so far! We hiked with Dr. Evans down a really steep trail with lots of rocks. Along the way he told us about different trees like the fungus hemlocks and rotting logs. All through the trail we could hear the stream. Finally after a good bit of hiking, we reached a deep water hole with a waterfall flowing into it. The water was a lot clearer than Lake Cheston, but also colder. It was fun to go underneath the waterfall. Later, after we all cooled down in the water, we dried off and started the accent up the mountain.
-Sara
-Sara
Day 5
Friday we went to do some research on plants and find their photosynthesis rates and make hypothesizes about the sun's effect on plants low to the ground and up in the canopy. The coolest part of the day was when we got to climb up into this awesome tree house and walk around with harnesses. The tree house was 60 feet high and the crows nest was 75! It was pretty scary to look down and also when someone would shake it! Once we were done with the canopy we went on the ground and wrote in our journals and talked about why we think some trees grow better up high compared to the ones down low. We also measured the stress/water tensions in plants by cutting a leaf and putting it inside this pressure bomb box with nitrogen inside. Then, when you turn it on it pressurizes and little water droplets come out of the stem. After that we got back in the van and went to McClurg for LUNCH!
Friday night we had a fun little mixer with the Young Writers! So we all got dressed up and went to Lake Cheston to see THE CULPRITS! It's a boys band and two of them are Dr. Evans' sons. They are actually pretty amazing and their songs are on iTunes! At first no one would go up and dance but when the writer's camp came down everyone started dancing. They sang songs like superstition, and steady as she goes, also Jason Mraz, OAR, and even Dave Matthews... We got to meet a bunch of new kids that were at other Sewanee camps and also some local kids that are our age, which was pretty cool. We even danced on stage until they got mad because someone unplugged the drum set thing, but other than that, it was pretty crazy. We had way better dance moves (especially Hannah!) than the writer. Everyone behaved though, so don't fret. After the concert was over we all went back to Hoffman and watched movies and ate leftover cupcakes from Will's birthday (Mrs. Noggle - Will has been eating them for breakfast!) Then we all went to bed.
-Gaby
Friday night we had a fun little mixer with the Young Writers! So we all got dressed up and went to Lake Cheston to see THE CULPRITS! It's a boys band and two of them are Dr. Evans' sons. They are actually pretty amazing and their songs are on iTunes! At first no one would go up and dance but when the writer's camp came down everyone started dancing. They sang songs like superstition, and steady as she goes, also Jason Mraz, OAR, and even Dave Matthews... We got to meet a bunch of new kids that were at other Sewanee camps and also some local kids that are our age, which was pretty cool. We even danced on stage until they got mad because someone unplugged the drum set thing, but other than that, it was pretty crazy. We had way better dance moves (especially Hannah!) than the writer. Everyone behaved though, so don't fret. After the concert was over we all went back to Hoffman and watched movies and ate leftover cupcakes from Will's birthday (Mrs. Noggle - Will has been eating them for breakfast!) Then we all went to bed.
-Gaby
Friday, July 3, 2009
Day 4
Today we woke up early and went to breakfast. The bacon, eggs and hash browns were delicious! Dr. Smith, a forestry professor at the University of the South, took us to Lake Odonnell in Sewanee. At Lake Odonnell recent clearing of trees has occurred. The clearing was done to try bringing the Oak population back as the dominate tree in the area instead of the Red Maple. We took measurements on the height and the amount of trees growing back in three different locations: the edge, clearing, and forest. After finishing all of the measurings, Dr. Smith took us to the edge of the lake where we collected so many salamanders. After returning from Lake Odonnell we grabbed some lunch at McClurg. We then headed to the low ropes course. At the low ropes course we did some team building exercises. We helped each other climb a 10 foot wall. We also built team spirit working together to pass through a maze of wires. We also did trust falls. This is where one person stands on a platform and falls backwards. The team stands as a group to catch the person. It was pretty scary falling back. Luckily, the other students could be trusted and successfully caught us. We came back and did this blog and chilled for a bit until Team B returned from hiking and swimming at the Fiery Gizzard.
-Doug and Kevin
-Doug and Kevin
Day 3
June 30th consisted of a hike in both the morning and afternoon. The first hike was centered around collecting and identifying various flora. This hike at Lake Cheston was led by Mrs. Mary Priestly and Mrs. Yolande Gottfried of the Sewanee Herbarium, with each taking one of the two groups. My group, led by Mrs. Priestly, walked around the lake learning to properly indentify collected specimens by various distinguishing characteristics. The other group had a similar experience. After a few hours of this, we reconvened and drove back to campus with our bags of collected plant specimens to organize what we had found. Back in one of Spencer hall's labs, Mrs. Priestly and Mrs. Gottfried taught us the proper method to catalog and press our collections. Our collections have been left to press, and we will return to them soon to finish our catalogs.
After a lunch break in McLurg, the two groups separated again to hike with either Dr. John Willis or Dr. Jerry Smith. Because my group had hiked with Dr. Willis the day before, we joined Dr. Smith for a hike around the Domain to learn about identifying the characteristics of the land, or as Dr. Smith put it, to learn the "vocabulary and grammar" of the land so we may "read its text." We started at a past home site long devoid of any indications of human activity save for the natural growth in the area. There we received our first instruction in the identification of certain characteristics of the land that tell the secrets of the area's past, such as age of trees in the area, unnatural alterations of the land's topography, and indicator species. Our group continued on foot around various areas of the Domain such as another abandoned home site, the cornerstone site, and the local cemetery. At the end of the hike we all felt confident in our ability to divine the secrets of the land--a skill that will come in handy later on in the camp experience.
-Parker
After a lunch break in McLurg, the two groups separated again to hike with either Dr. John Willis or Dr. Jerry Smith. Because my group had hiked with Dr. Willis the day before, we joined Dr. Smith for a hike around the Domain to learn about identifying the characteristics of the land, or as Dr. Smith put it, to learn the "vocabulary and grammar" of the land so we may "read its text." We started at a past home site long devoid of any indications of human activity save for the natural growth in the area. There we received our first instruction in the identification of certain characteristics of the land that tell the secrets of the area's past, such as age of trees in the area, unnatural alterations of the land's topography, and indicator species. Our group continued on foot around various areas of the Domain such as another abandoned home site, the cornerstone site, and the local cemetery. At the end of the hike we all felt confident in our ability to divine the secrets of the land--a skill that will come in handy later on in the camp experience.
-Parker
Day 2
For morning session, Dr. Evans took us out to Greens Field to launch his lesson on Biodiversity on the Plateau. First, he had us play teacher and say a fact about the landscape as seen from the cliff. After relating our fact, we had to ask a question to prompt the next ‘teacher’ from the group. Then Dr. Evans took over. “There is no balance of nature. There is only change!” he announced as we overlooked the spectacular view from the cliff edge. Then, he marched in full field gear straight for a trail. The tour of biodiversity was on. He asked us to pay attention to distribution and abundance (“D ‘n’ A”), topography, substrate and disturbances in each location. As a group, we explored Old Growth Cove Forest, Plateau Forest, plateau streams, ephemeral ponds, sandstone outcrops, and stands of short leaf pine. To finish, Dr. Evans led us to Piney Point, a tiny sandstone cliff surrounded by pines.
That afternoon, we split into our groups. I’m in Group A so that’s all I’m qualified to comment on. Group A includes Kenzie, Audrey, Tiff, Angie, Lauren, Kate, me (Hannah), Doug, Kevin, Mark, Parker, Scott, Will Vaughan and John. Group A went with Dr. Willis to discover Landmarks in Time and Place. Basically, he took us on a tour of Sewanee’s natural history centering on the importance of water, sandstone and coal.
After dinner, Angela Galbreath lead us in a case study of Haiti focusing on the links between poverty and the environment. She challenged us to solve one of 7 problems (Clean Water, Education, Environmental Issues, Health, Hunger, Political Instability and Weak Economy) based on the situations in Haiti.
-Hannah
That afternoon, we split into our groups. I’m in Group A so that’s all I’m qualified to comment on. Group A includes Kenzie, Audrey, Tiff, Angie, Lauren, Kate, me (Hannah), Doug, Kevin, Mark, Parker, Scott, Will Vaughan and John. Group A went with Dr. Willis to discover Landmarks in Time and Place. Basically, he took us on a tour of Sewanee’s natural history centering on the importance of water, sandstone and coal.
After dinner, Angela Galbreath lead us in a case study of Haiti focusing on the links between poverty and the environment. She challenged us to solve one of 7 problems (Clean Water, Education, Environmental Issues, Health, Hunger, Political Instability and Weak Economy) based on the situations in Haiti.
-Hannah
Day 1
WELCOME TO THE SEWANEE ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE – PRE-COLLEGE FIELD STUDIES EXPERIENCE 2009! (SEI 2009)
Today is the first day of a brand new pilot program for high school Juniors and Seniors. Each day, we (the first class of students EVER through this program) have to update this blog thing. And it’s my turn. So:
For the first day, we all met and went to an Opening talk held by the Dean of Undergraduates Eric Hartman and Dr. Jon Evans, Director of SEI. It was a cool overview of everything we’re going to be doing. The two weeks of field studies culminating in Group Projects on the King Farm where we’ll have to apply all the skills we’ve learned to figure out why the King Farm succeeded onto of the plateau while the others failed. It should be very interesting and educational.
After the Opening, we had a campus tour led by our awesome ‘camp counselors’, Bentley and Allison. Sewanee is really pretty (but most of you parents have been here so I don’t need to tell you that…) We’re staying in Hoffman dorm because it has air conditioning. It’s comfortable. Everyone seems to have settled pretty well. We eat at McClurg’s which is the big dining hall in the middle of campus. They have almost everything. According to Bentley and Allison, whatever they don’t have now, they have during the school year.
After the tour and dinner, Dr. Evans introduced us to SEI through a presentation called Sewanee Landscape Overview. He covered what we were supposed to expect, field safety guidelines, vocabulary, and the basic geology of the Domain. Following Dr. Evans’ introduction to the plateau, Allison and Rachel performed a comical skit designed to teach field safety.
And that was Day 1.
-Hannah
Today is the first day of a brand new pilot program for high school Juniors and Seniors. Each day, we (the first class of students EVER through this program) have to update this blog thing. And it’s my turn. So:
For the first day, we all met and went to an Opening talk held by the Dean of Undergraduates Eric Hartman and Dr. Jon Evans, Director of SEI. It was a cool overview of everything we’re going to be doing. The two weeks of field studies culminating in Group Projects on the King Farm where we’ll have to apply all the skills we’ve learned to figure out why the King Farm succeeded onto of the plateau while the others failed. It should be very interesting and educational.
After the Opening, we had a campus tour led by our awesome ‘camp counselors’, Bentley and Allison. Sewanee is really pretty (but most of you parents have been here so I don’t need to tell you that…) We’re staying in Hoffman dorm because it has air conditioning. It’s comfortable. Everyone seems to have settled pretty well. We eat at McClurg’s which is the big dining hall in the middle of campus. They have almost everything. According to Bentley and Allison, whatever they don’t have now, they have during the school year.
After the tour and dinner, Dr. Evans introduced us to SEI through a presentation called Sewanee Landscape Overview. He covered what we were supposed to expect, field safety guidelines, vocabulary, and the basic geology of the Domain. Following Dr. Evans’ introduction to the plateau, Allison and Rachel performed a comical skit designed to teach field safety.
And that was Day 1.
-Hannah
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