The conservation course was started as a middle school course in September 2021. It's purpose was to introduce a hands-on course that would explore different aspects of the natural world, farming, local conservation efforts and much more. It is the primary class which utilizes the greenhouse, nature trail and has been fundamental in creating the courtyard garden.
Conservation classes at SLC have grown into so much more!
This conservations class's focus is on tree identification, healthy forests, and sugaring season. The students participate in every step of the sugaring process from identifying trees, tapping, sap collection, boiling sap to syrup, bottling, and even making maple candies. Maple syrup and candy sale dates for the 2025-2026 school year are to be determined.
Students built bluebird boxes in the shop for the Northeastern Bluebird and learned how citizen science has made this bird's story a conservation success.
Students studied invasive species of NYS, their impact on the environment and native species and how to get rid of them and made a WANTED poster. Several students participated in the TERRA Science Fair with these posters in 2021-2022!
Conservation students have been in charge of keeping the courtyard clean, beautifying it by planting flowers and setting up the courtyard garden.
Laying out the garden
leveling the boxes
hauling dirt
filling the boxes
The students helped prep the space, lay down cardboard and plant the pollinator garden.
Conservation- a careful preservation and protection of something especially : planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect. In this course students learn about methods and needs for conservation at a local and global scale. We will have many opportunities to see conservation efforts in our region and country, and to apply our understanding in ways that directly impact our school and communities.
Checking out the bee hives located at SUNY Potsdam to learn care practices for our campus hives.
Dragonfly head bands to help keep the mosquitoes at bay during land stewardship projects.
Looking for purple loosestrife and finding interesting native plants along the way.
Farm to table project based learning resulted in lots of greens for our cafeteria!
The SLC 2nd period conservation class is removing purple loose-strife. An invasive plant from Eurasia that destroys our native ecosystem. When it is summer, the purple loose-strife is a tall purple plant with a woody stem and roots that kill native plants. The roots are very tough and woody, absorbing the nutrients and strangle native plants roots. They are slowly pushing out native plants disrupting the natural flow of the north country's environment.
Check back in March for more information on our project with the option to get free native plant seeds!
Students learned about the nutrient cycle and made a small worm bin to observe decomposers and their importance in that cycle.
Students tested whether or not nutrients helped plants grow. They also tested whether hydroponics or potting soils was a better growing medium for different plant types.
Exploring the trails:
We saw a beaver.
Kick Netting in a vernal pond to see what lives there
Hellgrammite - maybe
Caddisfly Larvae
Tadpoles
Dragonfly Larvae