Student Centered Projects
The future of American higher education is student-centered, experiential learning, and sustainability will be a common theme in classes across campus. The future is now for students in PLSC 6400, Low-Water Landscaping and ENVS 6600, Natural Resources Interpretation, who use these strategies and more to create beautiful, theme-oriented water-wise native plant gardens on Utah State University- Logan campus.
While students in PLSC 6400 design the gardens, students in ENVS 6600, Natural Resources Interpretation, create interpretive signs that introduce visitors to the site and provide perspective and meaning. These designed and interpreted gardens are then installed the following year by another PLSC 6400 class.
This unique collaborative effort occurs across departmental and college boundaries. It engages undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, resource specialists, and non-profit organizations. These garden partnerships benefit students interested in garden design, ornamental horticulture with native plants, natural resources communication, advertising and marketing. Faculty instructors integrate the garden challenge into course work using service-learning opportunities. Resource specialists bring current research and real-world issues to the process. Campus Facilities staff assist with irrigation system infrastructure, installation and a commitment to future maintenance. Stakeholders provide financial and information support and bring interest in further marketing and retail for both garden designs and native plants.
Students not only learn how to design water-conserving landscapes that honor our local environment, but also learn about the ecology of Intermountain West native plants. The first of these gardens was installed in 2002 on the north side of Peterson Agricultural Science building. Subsequent gardens have been installed in front of Eccles Conference Center north entrance and on the south side of Biology and Natural Resources. The area to the east of the new campus library will be planted in 2009, and a landscape to the west of Eccles will be planted soon.
These gardens are constantly growing and changing as the campus grows and new students put their own unique handprint on the garden designs. Watch the gardens to observe the changes as they grow and mature. Visit this website often for updates on the plants used, and for detailed information on water-wise garden designs.
The Gardens
The first of these gardens was installed in 2002 on the north side of Peterson Agricultural Science building, and subsequent gardens have been installed by the Eccles Conference center north entrance and the south side of Biology and Natural Resources building. The area to the east of the new library will be planted this year, and the landscape to the west of Eccles will be planted in the near future.
Living Circles Landscape; Garden Installation has Begun!
Work on the Living Circles Landscape has begun. The installation on the garden will be accomplished in part by this years Plsc 6400 class, who in turn will create a new design for the Naturally Native Landscape.