Spring Break
UA club restores wetlands
Dustin Wardlow
Issue date: 3/12/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
A group of UA students is helping to change the perception that wetlands are regarded as wastelands. The Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Club has been working to restore wetlands at Bryce Davis Park in Fayetteville.
The goal of the project is to restore the wetland within the park to its natural state and increase public awareness about wetlands.
"Wetlands are misunderstood and not appreciated," said Chuck West, a UA professor and the CSES Club adviser. "This project helps the residents of the area realize the importance of their surrounding environment."
Every other weekend the club works to restore the wetlands by picking up trash, transplanting plants grown in greenhouses and field pots, restoring native grasses and wetland plant species and removing invasive species such as Japanese Honeysuckle.
About three-fourths of Arkansas wetlands have been destroyed in the last 50 years, vice-president Josh Meyer said. Wetlands are disappearing at a rate of 300,000 acres annually in the United States alone, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden's Web site.
"It is vital that we work to restore these wetlands to their natural state," Meyer said. He stressed the importance of restoring the wetlands, adding that these wetlands control flooding, slow down water flow to allow contaminents to filter out, permit the ground water to recharge and provide habitat for wildlife.
Because of their work, the club was awarded the 2006 Volunteer Group of the Year by the City of Fayetteville's Department of Parks and Recreation.
The CSES Club received the award at the Department of Parks and Recreation's annual banquet in December at the Fayetteville Botanical Gardens Center.
The club is also working to increase awareness about biofuels and sustainability.
"One of our goals is the promotion of sustainability by composting," said Bodie Drake, CSES Club president.
"We compost the plant waste we remove from the wetlands and give it to organic farmers; the organic farmers then use it to grow their organic vegetables. So it's really an effective way to promote sustainable living," Drake said.
The CSES Club meets a few times a month and works at Bryce Davis Park about two times a month. Students who are interested do not have to be each CSES major to join the club.
"We'd love any help we can get," Meyer said. "We have a good time and help give back to the environment."
The goal of the project is to restore the wetland within the park to its natural state and increase public awareness about wetlands.
"Wetlands are misunderstood and not appreciated," said Chuck West, a UA professor and the CSES Club adviser. "This project helps the residents of the area realize the importance of their surrounding environment."
Every other weekend the club works to restore the wetlands by picking up trash, transplanting plants grown in greenhouses and field pots, restoring native grasses and wetland plant species and removing invasive species such as Japanese Honeysuckle.
About three-fourths of Arkansas wetlands have been destroyed in the last 50 years, vice-president Josh Meyer said. Wetlands are disappearing at a rate of 300,000 acres annually in the United States alone, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden's Web site.
"It is vital that we work to restore these wetlands to their natural state," Meyer said. He stressed the importance of restoring the wetlands, adding that these wetlands control flooding, slow down water flow to allow contaminents to filter out, permit the ground water to recharge and provide habitat for wildlife.
Because of their work, the club was awarded the 2006 Volunteer Group of the Year by the City of Fayetteville's Department of Parks and Recreation.
The CSES Club received the award at the Department of Parks and Recreation's annual banquet in December at the Fayetteville Botanical Gardens Center.
The club is also working to increase awareness about biofuels and sustainability.
"One of our goals is the promotion of sustainability by composting," said Bodie Drake, CSES Club president.
"We compost the plant waste we remove from the wetlands and give it to organic farmers; the organic farmers then use it to grow their organic vegetables. So it's really an effective way to promote sustainable living," Drake said.
The CSES Club meets a few times a month and works at Bryce Davis Park about two times a month. Students who are interested do not have to be each CSES major to join the club.
"We'd love any help we can get," Meyer said. "We have a good time and help give back to the environment."
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