Ecological Society of America

Chapter Directory > Alabama A&M University

"AAMU Student Chapter of SAF / ESA-SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter" » Normal, Alabama

The Alabama A&M University Chapter is affiliated with the Center for Forestry and Ecology at the University. We chartered as an official student chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) in 2002. This followed our university's accreditation with SAF in July 2002. We became a SEEDS Campus Ecology Chapter of the Ecological Society of America in 2003. In 2004, we joined the Association of Southern Forestry Clubs (ASFC).

The AAMU Chapter is dedicated to providing forestry and ecology students with opportunities to grow professionally in those scientific disciplines. At meetings, we discuss upcoming activities, have invited speakers, and occasionally meet with the local SAF Chapter of regular members. We routinely participate in environmental science activities, professional meetings, and competitive events for forestry students (quiz bowl at the national SAF convention and forestry field events and technical events at the ASFC forestry conclave). Above all, we strive to gain wisdom and uphold integrity to successfully conduct our scientific and management careers. We seek to improve ourselves and the world.

Plans for 2007-2008

• We plan to travel to Florida in September to participate in the Southeastern SAF conference. We will compete in the quiz bowl and show posters of our ecology club events and forestry activities.
• We plan to travel to the National SAF Convention in Portland, OR in October.
• Dr. Stone plans to participate at the ESA Annual Meeting in California.
• We plan to conduct more outreach activities with public schools near campus.
• We plan to continue work on the Flamingo Park outdoor classroom for a 3rd phase of the project. This would involve working with area schools to host forest ecology education exercises at the park. We will seek funds from our local SAF chapter and our NSF-CREST project in forest ecology to complete phase 3 of our outdoor classroom.
• We plan to compete in the ASFC forestry conclave at the University of Florida.
• Johnson High School Environmental Science Exploration Initiative: We are planning to revive a walk-in-the-woods activity that we used to do with students in Johnson's Ecology course years ago. They have a large forest behind their school with caves and streams. We would like students to lead this ecology outreach activity in the future.
• We plan to conduct another fundraiser in the fall.
• We plan to participate in the Earth Day celebration at Hayes Nature Preserve again this upcoming year. We did this three years ago, and Earlene Bracy helped again this year. However, our club did not participate significantly this past year.
• Fall Campout in Savage Gulf State Park, TN: We plan to return to this beautiful ravine for a campout in October and hike and swim as we did in 2001.

2006-2007 Activities

• Outdoor classroom installation and tree planting, Stone Middle School, Huntsville, AL: We were invited by the gifted children's teacher at Stone School, a predominantly black school, near our campus to help design, plant trees, provide logs and soil, donate labor, and build an outdoor classroom with them to show them how to care for trees. The event made the local news on one station. This was our Earth Day event.
• Faculty Advisor traveled to ESA Annual Meeting in Memphis, TN: Dr. Stone participated in SEEDS activities and showed a poster of our Triana Outdoor classroom project.
• We traveled to the Southeastern Society of American Foresters meeting in Auburn, Alabama and competed in the forestry quiz bowl and poster contests.
• We designed and built the first-place float in the Homecoming parade (again!): More than a dozen students helped with this event in early October on campus. Tashunda Williams and Bobby Jackson served as Queen and King this year.
• We participated in a campus student club orientation and display of activities in early November. Many students on campus were not aware of our club and activities, but our poster with many pictures changed that.
• T-shirt design and fundraiser: Antoine Bonner designed the winning logo for our new club t-shirt during the fall. We sold approximately 100 in the spring to raise funds (about $800) for conclave.
• Car-wash fundraiser: Nine students washed cars on a chilly weekend in March before our trip to the forestry conclave in Tennessee. We only raised $85 though.
• We competed in ASFC annual forestry conclave in Crossville, TN: Five students trained and prepared for this event held in March 2007. We competed in field events like ax-throwing and cross cut sawing, as well as technical events in tree identification, wildlife identification, timber estimation, aerial photo skills, etc. The Bracy twins won a first prize in women's bowsaw and a second prize in timber estimation.
• Outdoor Ecology Classroom at Flamingo Park, Triana, AL: Club members worked on improving our outdoor classroom project at Flamingo Park in Triana Alabama, a small black community near Huntsville. We added some more nature objects (seeds, cones, mussel shells, feathers, insects, bones, etc) to two large interpretive signs for the classroom near a pavilion that we renovated a few years ago. In the spring we designed two additional posters for the signs. We were contacted by the Triana Historical League to assist with renovation of the historic wildlife refuge headquarters building, but their grant was not funded and work stalled on that project. Although we invited teachers to make suggestions for the project, we were unable to get any to visit the site and provide feedback. Our plan to install a whiteboard was postponed until completion of renovation of one of our campus buildings. The whiteboard is currently being used in our library for overflow class space.
• Johnson High School Environmental Science Exploration Initiative: Along with other AAMU faculty and students, Dr. Stone and members of SEEDS initiated a partnership with a nearby high school to demonstrate environmental science experiments. We hope to help them renovate their greenhouse and start some nature projects on some land trust property behind their school. Nearly 100 Johnson students visited our campus in spring to tour labs and outdoor projects. SEEDS has visited their campus twice to dissect animals and instruct biology courses on wildlife and plant diversity. Our school has adopted the high school so more events will be planned in the next academic year.

"Flamingo Park, Triana, Alabama: Tickled Pink with Ecology, Education, and Outreach Activities" Special Project

Funded in March 2004, AAMU received a grant to design and build an outdoor classroom for promoting ecology education to a local underserved minority community and beyond. Chapter members worked with the Mayor and other community leaders of Triana, Alabama to establish the classroom at Flamingo Park on the shore of the Tennessee River. Triana is a historic community in Alabama that is predominantly African-American. An annual Arbor Day and barbecue cook-off celebration at Flamingo Park provided an opportunity to consult with community members about the design and construction of the outdoor classroom. During Phase I, Chapter members established three nature trails and erected 60 signs with tree identification and life history information along the trails. We also erected six bluebird houses with predator guards near a picnic pavilion that we helped restore and paint. During Phase II, we erected two large interpretive signs near the picnic pavilion and placed information and exhibits about nature and ecological relationships on the signs. This included a map of Triana and the location of the park. Input from secondary school teachers was collected to design the content of the interpretive information and exhibits on the signs. The Triana community, which has long been isolated because of its remote location, is currently undergoing a rapid rate of development and growth as the city of Madison, Alabama expands toward the Tennessee River. Flamingo Park will likely experience increased visitation from school children in Triana, Madison, and surrounding communities near Huntsville. Our SEEDS Chapter intends to maintain the classroom and continue our partnership with the Triana community to enhance ecological awareness, interest, and knowledge among the members of the community.

Faculty Advisors
William E. Stone, PhD Associate Professor Center for Forestry and Ecology Alabama A&M University PO Box 1927 Normal, AL 35762			Kozma Naka, PhD Assistant Professor Center for Forestry and Ecology Alabama A&M University PO Box 1927 Normal, AL 35762