One Blustery Fall Wednesday

With temperatures in the 40's and 50's and buffeted by wind gusts up to 30 mph, all of the environmental science classes were out in force today. Mr. Brooks's classes tended to the chickens and vegetables, composted, and worked on their new spiral herb bed. Mr. Rosenberg's classes paced out acres by calibrating their strides around the football field and later tending the front flower beds. My classes worked in the gardens, identified trees using a dichotomous key, and hiked down to Williamson Creek to investigate erosion and collect soil samples.  

 

Having just completed their study of monarch butterflies, Native Plants and Animals class prepares their garden area for the winter.

 

We harvested a few suckers and young oaks and put them in the greenhouse. There was a lot to weed and deadhead. Earlier in the week, we collected acorns from white, bur, vase, live, and chinqapin oaks. We will germinate them in shallow, soil filled trays in the greenhouse.

More photos of winterizing our campus:

Thanks to Keep Austin Beautiful for hooking us up with some quality mulch.

 As part of our study of soil, Green Growing students hiked to Williamson Creek.

We journaled focusing on the wind and looked for signs of rill erosion.

Students collected two samples from the creek bed and three from the banks. Next week we will test the soils for pH, friability, and ability to clump.

It was a perfect day for a hike. Many students collected broken glass, flood detritus, and other litter.
See more photos:

Photos by Aylin's Eyes and SouperPix Studios