Lee County SWCD/NRCS Participates in "GrOw Green" Event

By Ann Miller, Retired Lee County SWCD District Administrative Coordinator, Lee County, Alabama

Lee County SWCD/NRCS staff participated in "GrOw Green", a community event hosted by and held at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve in Auburn.

Lee County NRCS Earth Team Volunteer and Forest Ecologist Dr. Jim Miller made a group of people impromptu members of the "where the heck are we" tribe before they headed off into the woods to learn about native ecosystems. In addition Dr. Miller talked about using native plants in your yard that will not only support local wildlife, but it will also reduce the need to water during periods of drought.

The children attending were invited to create adventure journals, stage puppet shows, and get a nature face painting at stations set up in the woods.

Lee County (Retired) SWCD Administrative Coordinator Anne Miller staffed the Lee County Earth Team Volunteer’s station that featured the Enviroscape. The Enviroscape is used to demonstrate environmental impacts on a watershed. The interaction with the Enviroscape allowed the children to visually see how soil erosion, pesticides, and runoff impact a watershed and help them understand what they can do to protect the environment.

The goal of the inaugural "GrOw Green" event was to raise awareness about "going green," which includes saving water and conserving energy by trying to teach simple ways this can be done. Small steps such as recycling and fixing leaky faucets can make a big difference.

The Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve hopes to make it an annual event.

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