Sustainable Forestry Teachers' Academy

I can't begin to tell you how bummed this turtle is. I was all ready to get on the ball and get some of my posts done, only to realize that I uploaded the pictures on a different computer! One would think there wouldn't be a lot of room in my shell for a bunch of different mobile devices, but you would be surprised how easy it is to loose stuff in there.

So, I will have to share my experiences now through writing and upload the pictures later.

So I rode to New Bern with my friend Renee. She helps facilitate the Sustainable Forestry Tachers' Academy (SFTA) and she was kind enough to ask me if I would like to go along. I was looking forward to learning about the coastal plain of North Carolina, especially the history of the naval stores industry. For you humans, I am not talking about the history of you belly button, but the history of using pines, especially longleaf pines, in products of the shipping (and other) industry. In fact, there is a whole museum dedicated the the history of forestry in North Carolina, and the director, Mr. Harry Warren, was kind enough to come and share his knowledge with me and 33 other teachers. He had a lot of really neat stuff to smell and touch, too!

The next day we really got to the business of learning about forestry. We visited the NC Division of Forestry's Claridge nursery and saw millions of little seedlings. It was amazing the work the goes into producing tiny seedlings for the landowners and citizens of North Carolina! And we also got to ride in a wagon behind a tractor, which was a lot of fun and made it easy for this reptile to keep up with his human campanions! We also learned how to measure trees with a tool called a Biltmore Stick, which was created near what is known as America's Castle and the Birthplace of American Forestry. Anyone know what I am talking about?!?? If not, stayed tuned to a July posting and I will give you the answer!

My other favorite part of the SFTA was visiting the Croatan National Forest and learning how longleaf pine savannahs are fire dependent, which can be difficult to manage with so many human communities nearby. It was very dry, and the air was full of smoke from a wildfire is a different part of the state. Even though it was dry, we were able to find some very unique plants!

I know the teachers really like all the mill tours. Sadly, it wasn't safe for me to tour them even though I have my hard shell. I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group, and no one could carry me safely up and down all the stairs.

The last day, we went to Cool Springs Environmental Education Center. This is one of my favorite places --- perfect for a box turtle like me! I also ran into some dear friends there.

So, it summary, that was my week in the coastal plain. I barely even scratched the surface of all the neat things to see and do there, and hope I can hitch a ride with another friend to the outer banks before I see all the NAAEE conference participants in Raleigh in October! Come back soon to see the pics I post to go along with my trip, and I will also let you know via my Twitter (TryonTurtleNC & #naaee2011) or my Facebook page (Tryon T Turtle).