SEEDS » Component Programs » Chapters » Chapter Directory » Fond du Lac Tribal and community College
"Gidakiimanaan" » Cloquet, Minnesota
|
The Gidakiimanaan, Environmental Science Club, fosters awareness on campus and in the community about environmental, cultural, and social justice issues. The Club provides information, access, tools, and support for students interested in the field of environmental science. The Club also serves to promote sustainability. |
Plans for 2008-2009
- Initiate a campus recycling campaign, post signs on bins to encourage recycling.
- Develop and expand an area on campus to be used as an outdoor classroom and enlarge a nature trail system utilizing the natural surroundings and incorporating native plantings to attract butterflies, birds and wildlife.
- Plan Earth week activities probably highlighting global climate change
- Repair our greenhouse to make it functional.
- Attach a rain barrel system to the greenhouse as a water source for the plants.
- Develop a partnership between the reservation garden club, and our club. We will assist the elders by beginning vegetable seedlings and propagate culturally significant plants using our greenhouse.
- Propagate native grasses and other native plants to be used for beautification projects around the campus and to be used for Biology or science projects.
Activities of 2007-2008
- Members attended an international conference “Sharing Indigenous Wisdom” organized by the College of the Menominee Nation.
- Many also attended in 07, the “Wild Food Summit” organized by the White Earth Tribal College.
- In 2008 members attended the local “Making a Great Lake Superior” Conference which was an informative environmental collaboration between many agencies-Federal, Local and Tribal to raise awareness of environmental issues affecting Lake Superior and the Great Lakes.
- Every year in April our club sponsors “Earth Week” providing displays, activities, speakers, films and workshops for the student body and the community regarding a wide range of “green” topics.
- We sponsored a program called “Mushroom Mondays” and invited a local professor to share his knowledge about mushrooms. Guests brought mushrooms they found and our expert identified and discussed uses and dangers of various types of local mushrooms.
- The largest event we hosted was a “Bee Symposium” in February of 2008 The Club raised awareness regarding the declining bee population and how this could affect the agriculture trade and our food supply. We invited a local bee keeper, a U of M professor who both gave presentations on the decline of bees and the possible explanations for the phenomenon. We had a live bee hive display, held a silent auction, and had a premiere showing of “Pollen Nation” a documentary about the commercial bee industry. This was a full day of activities for students and the community with 75 – 100 in attendance.
- Our club also works with the Student Senate and other clubs providing soup lunches to the student body.
Faculty Advisor
- Dr. Jay Sandal