NEWS

WCC partakes in nature walk for sustainability

In Michigan, there are about two million deer and overpopulation is a big problem confronting the state today. Zakeria Almajrabi | Washtenaw Voice

Muhannad Al-Shohaty
Contributor

With the coming of spring and the warming of the weather, students have begun to wander out of the buildings and into the grassy fields and woody trails of WCC.

On April 1, club members of Students for Sustainability and students had an opportunity to go exploring whilst learning about their campus’s two mile nature trail–led by Timothy Porsche and Robert Korns, two students at WCC.

The first stop was the Food Forest, Students for Sustainability’s food garden, which is a recreated forest that mimics the natural ecosystem.

Members were learning about the different plants being grown and the types of trees inhabiting the college. After that, the group crossed the softwood trails, which was funded by DTE Energy, and met up with Scott Hughes, a Grounds employee.

“I enjoy working in Washtenaw’s Ground Department. We are passionate about the upkeep of the campus and are nature-oriented,” Hughes said.

Students walk and learn about different types of trees inhabiting campus. akeria Almajrabi | Washtenaw Voice

Huges showed the group the different types of invasive plants like buckthorn and honeysuckles, and how to identify and remove them.

“The way to spot an invasive tree is to see if the leaves are being eaten or not. Because invasive species are not usually eaten in the food cycle. Which unfortunately makes them thrive,” Hughes said.

The group ventured into the woody trails by the retaining ponds. These trails were established in 2016 and have been used ever since by giology, Geology and environmental science students, as well as the public.

As the boots began to dampen, Porsche and Korns explained to the students about the benefits of retaining ponds and also the existence of vernal pools and its ecological importance in the environment.

Being a celebration for Earth Day, the Students for Sustainability club says their goal is to, “raise environmental awareness and create behavioral change within the student body at WCC and the greater Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area.”