Fresh from the Woods

Courtney White is Director of Education & Public Programs at Wave Hill.

After five, incredibly intense weeks of college-level academics and strenuous ecological fieldwork, Wave Hill’s Forest Project Summer Collaborative high school interns shared their newfound knowledge in two final presentations. One course was related to Plant Science, and the other was for Geographic Information Systems (GIS). I sat in the audience in awe of these interns’ excellent presentations, from which I personally learned so much. At the Plant Science presentation, I heard Victor, Max and Sikemi share particular plants that they researched.  A group of interns showcased the GIS presentation. 

A recent snapshot of the interns in the field, taken by photographer Josh Bright

Victor talked about what triggered his curiosity at Debbie’s site. It was that thorny invasive that snagged his shirt early in the program, Robinia pseudoacacia (Black locust), a pioneer tree that has escaped from its native range in the Ozarks and Southern Appalachia. This tree’s seeds have hard coats that are frequently pollinated by the wind and bees. Once the seed sets and germinates, it takes off, towering among other trees quickly. It does well tolerating pollution as its nitrogen fixes the soil. The tree is a difficult invasive to control with its thorns and fibrous roots. However, it also has some positive aspects: The black locust is known to be the most durable wood in America. It is particularly good for burning even when wet, quickly reaching a hot temperature.   

Max spoke about the irony of the invasive tree called the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). This rapid grower and prolific seeder is a difficult tree to manage once it has colonized. It is especially resilient in poor soil and around industrial sites. Pruning it back simply stimulates the return of more root suckers. The best time to attempt to get this tree under control is by stressing the root system in late summer. On the positive side, it is associated with medicinal treatment of diarrhea and menstrual cramps. Max ended his presentation with a most impressive interpretative dance.

Sikemi shared that Ilex opaca (American holly) was a favorite of President George Washington−and how cool it is when a U.S. President takes an interest in plants. This shrub is native to the eastern United States. It thrives in any area with acidic soil. Its leaves can be used for medicinal purposes to cure a cough or treat a fever. While the seeds are poisonous to humans, many animals love these bright red berries, including turkeys, fox, raccoons and cedar waxwing birds. Animals even help propagate these plants through their digestive system and through movement to new areas. 

During their time at Wave Hill, the GIS interns took GPS (global positioning satellites) coordinates of the trails in the southern section of  Riverdale Park, adjacent to Wave Hill, adding to a pre-existing map of the northern area from the previous year. At Lehman College, they took a three-credit Basic Mapping course and worked with a software program called ArcView. The interns’ presentation showed the different ways in which geographic information systems can be used. Mapmaking can be considered both an egocentric and enthnocentric activity: Students produced a wide range of maps—one indicating baseball fan bases, for instance, another showing soil erosion in Madagascar—of three types: planimetric (a base map), topographic (a shape and elevation-based map) and thematic (information map). Thematic maps can be displayed with dot density, choropleth (range of volume), isoline (contour), flow map (directional), graduated symbols and cartograms. During the Q&A, interns were asked if they could imagine using GIS in the future. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that “You can use GIS with anything!”

Anne Hunter, Forest Project Manager, and Jennifer Mokos, Environmental Educator, have overseen this year’s Forest Project Summer Collaborative—our 29th— which is provided in collaboration with the City University of New York’s Lehman College. High school interns are paid to conduct six weeks of ecological restoration work in the Bronx. In addition, the interns partake in either a three-credit or four-credit college-level course.