UB students learn from the swamp in environmental studies class

It’s widely known that hands-on experiences not only enhance the ideas taught in the classroom, but also provide tangible opportunities for students to learn things that may be difficult to comprehend in an abstract lecture setting.

And that was the case for 10 students enrolled in the Department of Environment and Sustainability’s EVS493: Ecology of Unique Environments winter session course, who got some hands-on field ecology experience in the Florida Everglades during winter break.

During the weeklong trip, led by Sandy Geffner, environmental studies program coordinator and director of internships and experiential learning, students explored the local ecosystems and learned about endemic plants and animals, and the threats currently facing the unique environment of the Everglades.

In addition to learning about the history of the Everglades —how it came to be over geologic time, as well as the environmental degradation the area experienced during the 20th century — students were able to get up close and personal with a variety of environments within the Everglades, both during the day and at night.

They walked through knee-high water in a cypress dome; snorkeled in a coral reef in the Florida Keys; talked with state park biologists and saw rare orchids in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, the largest state park in Florida; and canoed next to mangroves.

They also watched and identified dozens of unique bird species, hiked through pinelands and hardwood hammocks, and visited the famous Robert is Here smoothie and fruit market in Homestead.

Throughout the trip, students found and identified more than 200 species in the various ecosystems they explored.

“It was such a rewarding experience, and it gave me insight into actual work in the environmental field,” says senior environmental studies student Katie Lattime. “I got to see and do things I normally would not have had the opportunity to.”

While the Department of Environment and Sustainability has only been an official UB department for two years, this year’s trip marked Geffner’s 30th expedition to the Everglades with students. And like every other year, the experience is one the students will not soon forget.

Teresa Tokasz took part in the trip before graduating this past semester. “The Everglades trip was an invaluable experience,” Tokasz says. “It was an experience that truly connected skills gained in the classroom and applied it to unique ecosystems.”

Several students mentioned they would be looking at the Everglades region when applying for jobs, and one student has already been offered a position. This is not unique, as many students have gone on to work in the Everglades after taking part in the UB class.

But no matter if students go on to work in the region, the experiences and knowledge gained during the class have helped them become better ecologists and be better prepared to enter the growing world of environmental science.

In addition to the winter course in the Everglades, a summer session of EVS493: Ecology of Unique Environments features a trip to the Adirondacks.