Fall field trip

Ahhh, mid-to-late October...that time of year when I piss off all the other teachers at school by taking out 60 of the smartest kids for a couple of days for the AP fall field trip.  Purpose:  to do some restoration volunteer work (in order to get our buses paid for by the FPDCC), and to do a field study.  This IS environmental science, after all...and we so rarely get to be out IN it.  Mother Nature must have been pretty sheepish about crashing our workday a couple of weekends ago--she blessed our trips last week with some pretty badass Indian summer weather.  Tuesday was a little drizzly, but it was so warm we didn't mind.  Wednesday was sunny, hazy, and pushing 80 degrees--fine short-sleeve weather, if you don't mind a few buckthorn scratches. 

Here are some highlights.  They're all long-distance shots, because of the ethical gray area of posting identifiable pics of minors on the web, but I assure you that they were mostly grinning ear-to-ear.  There were a few whiners, of course, but you can't win them all. 

 Winding through the prairie at Ted Stone

 

 Murdering buckthorn!

 Doing a point-quarter survey of the woodland

 Measuring DBH

 Playing in the oaks & hickories

 Spreading bottlebrush grass seeds with site steward George

 Filing out past one of our many small brush piles...no burning was allowed, strangely, despite the damp and low wind.  What's up, FPDCC?  Stealth control of obesity through prevention of s'mores consumption?

 The woodland, looking ethereal in the afternoon

More point-quarter surveying

For the most part, a hell of a time was had by all.  This is probably the only reason I'm still surviving in this job, and why I'll probably feel too guilty to ever quit.