NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin State University's Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture will host a free student-led forestry outreach and education day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 9, to engage the community and provide insight into the diverse fields of natural resource study.
"So much of our region's economic and cultural history is founded in the forests and natural resources of the region," said Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for the college. "We want to enable the community to explore those elements while also sharing the ways in which the field of forestry is both evolving to meet the modern needs of the public and conserving our natural ecosystems."
Activity stations will be set up on the Forestry Building lawn, located at 319 East College St., that will teach participants about local water quality monitoring, the use of drones in modern forestry, where and how to camp in East Texas, tree identification walks and wildlife identification techniques, among others. Children's activity tables also will be set up.
Ray Cole, a member of the Nacogdoches Fire and Rescue's Venom Response Team, also will be on site with native, non-venomous snakes to discuss their important role in the forest ecosystem. Additionally, SFA's timbersports team, the Sylvans, will provide demonstrations throughout the day.
In 2015, the Sylvans won their third-consecutive Southern Forestry Conclave Championship and won the collegiate title at the Arkansas State Lumberjack Championship.
For more information, contact Fuller at fullersa@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-1185.
Axe ’Em, Jacks!