¡Árboles! by Nick Janzen

Colin, myself, Catey, and Emily at the first tree planting

Last Friday was our first tree planting, and it went off without a hitch. For this planting we partnered with the town of San Pedro, which donated trees and provided us with a site where we could plant. Everybody really enjoyed the afternoon. Once we all arrived at the site (in a neighborhood called Spring Hill, located along the Bío Bío River), Alex, Emily, and I showed everybody the proper technique for planting the trees.

Allison assists students from CCSP

After this demonstration everyone split off into groups: about four students from Colegio Concepción San Pedro were partnered with one to two LSU students. Alex, Emily, and I roamed around answering questions and snapping pictures. All together, we planted about 50 trees.

Jordan's group shows off their newly planted tree

These plantings are important for many reasons. Trees increase the natural beauty of an area and they entice people into spending more time outdoors. Planting trees and other vegetation also helps lessen erosion, which is often a problem in coastal areas. Finally, these plantings provide an opportunity for students to engage with nature, to take a closer look at the world around them. Teaching science in a classroom is difficult, because the material often comes off as boring. But allowing students to touch nature for themselves and see firsthand how scientific processes form their environment often makes a more lasting impression.

Emily and Dean Chris D'Elia of LSU's School of the Coast and Environment speak with CCSP students after the planting

We have another planting scheduled this Friday in Dichato, a town I wrote about in my first blog post. I'm excited to see Dichato again and to spend more time with the students outdoors!