Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Intro to Forestry visits KA Point



One of the fall 2009 sections of Intro to Forestry spent Tuesday afternoon identifying trees, practicing map and compass skills, and enjoying our first touch of fall weather.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Siegfried's demise


Sewanee students participating in Dr. Knoll's comparative watersheds class are writing and resting at a German spring where the medieval hero Siegfried was said to have been killed.

Studying watersheds in Germany

Sewanee's environmental studies opportunities took on an international dimension this summer with a new comparative watershed studies course offered by Dr. Martin Knoll. Twelve students spent two weeks in southern Germany comparing watershed characteristics there with watersheds they had previously studied on the Cumberland Plateau around Sewanee. Daily hikes of 15 to 30 km exposed students to the geology, hydrology, flora, fauna, and rich human history of the landscape. Although the watersheds in both areas have a similar geological and hydrological construct, differences in climate and a long history of intensive modification of the land in Germany starting with Celtic tribes have resulted in the evolution of a landscape very different from that of the Cumberland Plateau. Of particular interest to students were the region's vineyards and the concept of terroir, or all those natural and cultural factors that give a region its distinctive flavor of wine (southwest Germany includes the country's largest red wine producing region).

Student internships - Geology/Archaeology



This summer Geology major Leila Donn, supported by a Mellon Foundation internship, worked with Dr. Sarah Sherwood of Dickinson College and the Sewanee Environmental Institute Archaeology Field School in conducting an excavation of a sandstone rock shelter on campus. Martin Knoll was a co-advisor on the project, which uncovered artifacts dating back to the early Archaic Period. Knoll, Donn, and Sherwood hope to obtain radio carbon dates from the site soon.

Snowden Hall - June 2010


Snowden Hall in the not too distant future!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

T. Boone visits Snowden Hall


Better late than never. In case you missed it, T. Boone Pickens was in Snowden Hall this past April to lecture about his energy plan.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Georesources - ghosts from the past


In the mood for a field trip?



Does anyone recognize this fellow?

Student internships - watershed science



This past summer, Mary Elizabeth Watson (Nat. Res., C'11) worked with Dr. Karen Kuers on the Split Creek Watershed, which is located on the Domain. Mary Elizabeth is one of many Sewanee students that have worked on the watershed since 2001, the year Dr. Kuers started collecting data at the site.

Snowden Hall renovation continues


The renovation of Snowden Hall continues at full speed, and the work on the backside addition has now started as well as a new roof for the older part of the building. Stay tuned......

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Forestry alums assist with restoration project


Ben Myers (Forestry, C '00), Richard Winslow (Domain Manager, Forestry C '65), and Steve Smith (Forestry C'07) visited Compartment 42 in September to discuss the logistics of a restoration thinning and burning project scheduled for February 2010. This project will be a major component of an upcoming class entitled Forest and Watershed Restoration.

Where are we?