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Preliminary Results
GOOD NEWS! We are finally done in the greenhouse. My young Bishop pines have been growing for just under two months now and I can see some patterns. I haven’t finished running my statistics yet but I noticed that both the mainland and Santa Rosa Island population grow much better with ash cover. This was to be expected but a more interesting finding was that the island population had more successful germination and higher growth rates than the mainland population under conditions without ash. There were still very few seeds from the island population that germinated under conditions without ash so I have to run my statistics to be sure that there is a significant difference in the populations. If my data does turn out to be significant then my hypothesis will be proven correct, the Santa Rosa Island population has adapted to survive under conditions lacking fire, specifically the distribution of nutrients from the ash.
The top photo shows conditions of high precipitation with ash and the bottom photo shows conditions of high water without ash. The difference is evident as soon as you walk into the greenhouse.
Learned, Most Shocking, Missed
Posted from Camarillo, California, United States.
Learned:
The following are some of the highlighted and interesting aspects of my trip to New Orleans. The Cooking School was really interesting. Using the local markets and talking with the community members really opened my eyes to starting line of people making local food. Visiting and learning about the levee and dam systems also changed my view on New Orleans. When people stated “New Orleans is underwater” you can’t really visualize the water levels and elevation of the city. Learning about their levees and standing on top of them really give you the true understanding of the city being below the water line.
Most Shocking:
To add to the disbelief of water levels, the 9th Ward was an extreme situation of all of these factors. The poverty, low elevation, levy failure, and destruction that took place really changed my perspective on the people’s situation.
Missed:
There was little missed during this trip; And if we did miss it, I didn’t/wouldn’t have known. The only portion of this trip I would have like to have learned more about would be the Cooking School. I had an amazing experience and learned a lot, but I wish I learned more about the cooking recipes. We learned about the culture and food, but putting the two together were not very insightful. I learned, to cook Cajun, all you need is a ridiculous amount of seasoning salt. Prior to this, I thought there was more to cooking southern food.
What I Wish I Would Have Know About NOLA
Posted from Camarillo, California, United States.
The Service learning trip to New Orleans was an amazing eye opening experience. For the more part, all of the essential amenities were met by the class but there are a few items of information I learned from attending. My personal experience with New Orleans was strongly swayed by the amount of allergies I had. I became sick with a sinus infection which dragged on through the entirety of the trip. If you are planning on going on this trip, enter the trip well rested and if needed lots of allergy medication. Other aspects of the trip, I was very happy with my rain boots. A good “pro-tip” might be to bring foot insoles to place inside your rain boots. Also having a quiver of power bars and cliff bars were handy. If you don’t get car sick, I would recommend blogging in between stopping points as you drive from stop to stop. You can always take more pictures. At minimum I took a photo at every stop, but it was an easy way for me to document and remember everything that we did in a day.
2016 Service Learning Poster Session
Come by Sierra Hall on Wednesday, April 20 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM for this year’s installment of our annual post-trip poster/video/gumbo fest! We’ll have food and posters and videos…and maybe even a one of a kind board game inspired by this year’s trip.
All are welcome to this free event!
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans? ?
It has been two full weeks since our departure from New Orleans and not a day goes by that I do not reflect on my experiences. Going into the class I did not realize to what extent the “service” aspect of our trip would include. I really enjoyed the farming and agricultural practices we were able to partake in and learning about how they compare to the practices we have here in California. It was such a great opportunity to learn new things not only scientifically, but about the culture of the people who come from the state/area and how they have dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I was
surprised to discover the overall poverty level of the state of Louisiana. Hearing people’s stories and physically seeing the destruction that is still evident in the neighborhoods was very impactful for me. The people who were the most affected do not have
the money to rebuild or fix their homes. It helped me to reflect on how fortunate I am to come from a place that only really has to deal with wildfires and the ground shifting beneath our feet.
One of the highlights from this trip for me was trying the various types of foods and hearing the different music in the French Quarter. Something that stood out to me was when one of my fellow classmates asked where there was good music and the person he asked answered him with, “Just follow your ears.” I couldn’t help but laugh at that because it was so true;
around every corner there was something new and exciting. Not only in the realm of music were there exciting things to be found, but throughout our whole trip we were faced with places and situations that made for intriguing lectures or experiences.
Some of the most random things that I enjoyed were the fact that we were able to see the Mississippi
River and the Gulf of Mexico. I was glad when Dr. A had us take that short drive down to the Southern-most tip of Louisiana after our full day of working on a garden because that is something that not many people can say they have done. Throughout our whole
trip we were able to encounter and learn so many things that I would have never known or been able to experience if it had not been for this class. I would like to thank Dr. A, Dr. Patsch, Dr. Huggins, Dr. Lambrinos (& Diana!), IRA, and CSU Channel Islands
for offering me this amazing opportunity to go outside of my main area of study (English Education) and learn and serve not only the environment but the people as well.
Missing New Orleans
It’s strange to think that just a few short weeks ago, our class was spending the last few days of our Spring Break trudging through the muck and mud of the Woodlands Conservancy trails recording data and counting species. This experience has been one that I will never forget, and not in the stereotypical sentimental way that sounds, but in a real way. I feel like I helped do something during my time in New Orleans. 
We planted gardens for people who don’t have access to fresh food, we helped construct tubs for an organic farmer who provides food in a place that is widely known as a Food Desert, and we contributed to data that is changing the way people look at deforestation and invasive species. We got to experience true New Orleanian traditions. I am lucky enough to have experienced all of this with people I have grown close to in a way that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to. 
I learned about a city and a culture that I never would have been able to learn about if it wasn’t for this trip. I’m 26, and I’m graduating this semester. I am engaged and plan to get married in a few years. Without this class, I really doubt I would have ever been able to come to New Orleans and I know for a fact I would never have had such a rich experience.
Okay, maybe I’ll never forget this trip exactly in the stereotypical sentimental way it sounds. There’s something to be said for an experience like this one, though, and I think I’m justified in feeling this way.
Looking Back
Posted from Camarillo, California, United States.
About 3 and a half weeks ago my classmates, or should I now say friends and I got on a plane to New Orleans and arrived in Louisiana on Saint Patrick’s day. We were all excited to explore, learn, and give back to the community of New Orleans. We all began the class knowing very little about the Hurricane Katrina and the city and people of New Orleans and returned with a much deeper understanding of the impact Hurricane Katrina had on lives of the people of New Orleans and the city itself. Being back now and reflecting on everything that I experienced and learned in New Orleans I can truly say that I am much more appreciative of home. Getting to first hand see how the lower ninth ward has not fully recovered from Hurricane Katrina despite it now being almost a little over a decade after the levees in New Orleans failed was very heartbreaking. However, I found comfort in realizing how optimistic the people of this community are about the future and how alive the diverse culture in New Orleans is despite everything that this community has experienced; I find peace in knowing that through this course I was able to contribute and help the people of New Orleans though our involvement with community food gardens and our Woodland Trails restoration and vegetation work which plays a part in conserving the wetlands of New Orleans which provide a large ecological service and acts as green and blue infrastructure against natural disastrous such as Hurricane Katrina. While the work that we did was helpful and meaningful it is also important to realize that there is still a lot more work to be done in New Orleans and I definitely plan to go back and contribute even more.
There truly is no other place as unique and as alive as the city of New Orleans. Being back now family and friends ask what New Orleans is like but the truth is that they don’t know “what it means to miss New Orleans” it is a place one must visit and experience first hand. The food, people, music, and culture that exists in New Orleans no other city in the U.S. or the world can offer , it is a place like no other and I cannot wait to go back. This is experience and city is one that I will treasure in my heart and memories forever. My short time in New Orleans defenitly helped me grow as a person. It is by far my favorite college experience and memory thus far.
Reflective Post
This service internship class to New Orleans was another experience. I don’t say that to diminish it’s effect more that another has come and gone and I am a changed person because of it. I was introduced to this class when the famous Dr. A came into my History of Economics of North America class and with so much passion and enthusiasm he sold me on the class. I always wanted to go to New Orleans but they way in which Dr. A is so passionate about everything New Orleans, from the food, the culture, the environmental impact, to the rich history it inspired me to want to be apart of that experience. As everyone knows I’m not an ESRM or biology major but instead a business and economics so for me this was a “for fun” class but more for me to broaden my horizons and view this amazing place from a completely different vantage point than the business perspective.
It’s very different going from the profit side to the labor side of things. I view myself as a hard worker but the time we spent in New Orleans challenged me in that aspect and I know for myself that the work we did is good in small doses but definitely not for a career. I respect my professors and the students I went with that do wish to pursue this kind of work for their careers all that much more because again I couldn’t do it all the time. I think it’s also important for people of my major to realize how hard others work because it will most likely be us who hire others to do work and we need to have an understanding of what goes into a job. So instead of just viewing things as “just business” or by the numbers and we can see the blood, sweat, tears and in this case mosquito bites goes into the finished product.
Though this was a “cheap” way to see New Orleans I paid with those blood, sweat, tears and mosquito bites and I’m very happy I did. It made this experience so much more worth it and I gained a small family which is priceless. Wherever my fellow students end up I wish them the absolute best. Dr. A is known for talking, a lot, but I respect how much passion and energy he puts into everything and his last speech that he left us with really inspired me. Though politics are scary at the moment (a mad man is the front runner for the Republican party) Dr. A said we have to stay connected and that we can’t let that negativity win. We are the agents for change and we have to stay connect and not become bitter, against all odds. Though we may be poor college students at the moment we have the luxury to attend college and afford amazing experiences such as NOLA so in fact compared to most of the world we actually are apart of the 1%. With that comes power and responsibility and we need to use this power for the better and change the world for the good. As much bad as there is in this world there is good and more importantly hope. Even in the darkest room light can get in even if it’s only a sliver and though our efforts in New Orleans maybe miniscule I hope that we will see the much needed change that needs to happen in our lifetime.
With that I leave pictures of my NOLA family:
Auf Wiedersehen NOLA
