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Sustainability Beyond the Campus with Service-learning: Case Study with Village Street Trees. Timothy S. McCay Carolyn Fox Environmental Studies Program Colgate University Hamilton, New York. Service Learning – education in the context of performing a service to a community. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Sustainability Beyond the Campus with Service-learning: Case Study with Village Street Trees
Timothy S. McCayCarolyn Fox
Environmental Studies ProgramColgate University
Hamilton, New York
Service Learning – education in the context of performing a service to a community
Colgate students working at a school in Kenya
Colgate students cleaning up the Earlville Opera House
Top 30 Liberal Arts Colleges in US
Service-learning Course in ENST No Service-learning Course in ENST
SL
Service Learning and Environmental Studies: A Natural Fit
Teaching advantageIntegration of disciplinary information through applicationInterview, communication skillsTeam-building and cooperationBuild sense of place
Outreach advantageCommunity partners almost always benefit Colgate student conducting a research project for a
land trust on a bog near campus.
Challenges
• Additional costs and (often) instructor work load
• Resistance to applied subjects• Faculty usually not rewarded for
interdisciplinary expertise, or service to the community
• Student evaluation may be difficult because of group work
Colgate students conducting a research project onwater quality and disease in Uganda.
Colgate Model
Upper-level for-credit course; part of the “capstone” experience
Consultative Single problem or theme Venue alternates between
o On campus sustainability
o Off-campus environmental (community sustainability) issues
Colgate student conducting a research project for a land trust on a conservation reserve near campus.
Partners
• Non-profit conservation organizations, land trusts
• Local governments• State natural resource
agencies
Benefits Provided by Public Trees in Hamilton, NY
Service-learning Project Autumn 2010
Team of 5 studentsCommunity Partner: Village of Hamilton, New York
Goals
• Estimate status and benefits of street trees in the village of Hamilton, NY
• Determine changes since 2000• Determine vulnerability to emerald ash borer• Provide a resource for village officials and public of the
village
Methods
• Visit each street tree in the village and…
o Survey Street Trees for species, health and size
o Collect GPS coordinates of trees
• Map location of trees
• Calculate benefits using iTree Streets
• 25 streets including new development
• 2 greens
• 517 public trees
University: 56 trees
Madison: 44 trees
Payne: 43 trees
20
312
101
CrabappleHawthorneSugar MapleBlack LocustNorway MapleAmerican HornbeamLittle Leaf LindenAmerican ElmWhite AshRed MapleSilver MapleBoxelderBlack CherryMountain AshWhite SpruceLilacAmerican BasswoodRed OakWhite PineGinkgoFlowering CherryWhite OakCottonwoodSilver ElmDogwood
2000
2010
21659
46
0-8 8.1-15 15.1-23 23.1-31 31+0
50
100
150
200
250
98 97 94 89
152
206
68
93
46
18
Distribution of Street Trees by Size
20002010
Diameter at Breast Heigh (in)
# of
Tre
es
Good Fair Poor Dead0
50
100
150
200
250
300
113
231
122
64
284
173
57
3
Distribution of Street Trees by Health
20002010
Health
# of
Tre
es
Benefits of Hamilton’s Street Trees
Emerald Ash Borer Threat
• No evidence of EAB in Hamilton• 13 public ash trees (2.5% street trees) in
Hamilton • Not a large threat
Project Outcomes
• Estimated that Hamilton Street Trees provide $50,255 in annual benefits
• Fewer trees in 2010 than 2000 (19%), but younger and in better health
• Emerald Ash Borer is not a significant threat
• Constructed user-friendly website for citizen exploration of the trees on their street
Benefit of Community Learning
• We developed skills we may not have learned sitting in a classroom
• Working as a group we learned from each other; huge project that we broke down into manageable sections
• Satisfying to see that our findings may have a considerable impact in our college town
