RETURNING FROM CAMP!

[caveman]

Last Sunday, 11 students met me at the high school ag department to depart for Florida's FFA Forestry Camp.  It has been held annually since 1934, except for the past two years.  I was afraid we would not have camp again this year.  The camp is held at O'Leno State Park, which is roughly between Gainesville and Lake City, Fl.  None of the students I took to camp have ever attended before.  The Florida Forest Service provides rangers and foresters to instruct the students in dendrology, map reading, compass and pacing, timber estimation, tool use and i.d., forest communities, hydrology, forest products and insects, diseases and disorders.

Students from all over the state attended.  The students were divided into groups, forests (cypress, oak, hickory and pine).  These are the groups that they are in for instruction and any sports or other competitions during the week.  On Sunday afternoon, the students got to know the other members of their group.  We had them build rafts out of natural material found around the site.  The rafts were dropped off of the suspension bridge, which was built by the CC Corps, and raced to the sink.  The Santa Fe River disappears into the ground and comes up six miles away at River Rise.

After the students got used to the heat, ticks, red bugs and not having AC, everyone had a blast and learned a lot.  This was one of the best FFA experiences my students could have had.  We were all tired and ready to come home yesterday.

 

 
The students are practicing timber cruising in a recently prescribed burned longleaf forest. 
 
The group above are my students.  I took them on a night hike to the sink.  Had we waited an hour or so, there would have been a lot of moonlight .  They seemed to enjoy the challenge of going a mile or so in the woods without using their lights.
 
Senior Ranger Dave is giving instruction to the youngest cavegirl and her group.
 

 

 

 
There is a small museum at O'Leno.  The students below are the ones I brought.  Those holding biltmore sticks were in the top ten of all of the campers based on their forestry camp forestry test.  They were all recognized at the  banquet.
 

 
Taija, was the top scorer  of all of  the campers.  Below, she is dancing with the top returning camper in the old dining hall.
 

 
In the evenings, students played musical chairs, watched a movie, danced, played musical bingo or a host of other activities my creative FFA advisor peers would come up for them to do.  The gong to get going each morning was rung at 6 and most nights the campers were ready for bed by 10:30-11.  The students help the rangers serve the food and clean up the mess hall.  They are also responsible for ensuring the restrooms and their cabins are in ship shape. 
I prefer to wear shorts in these woods during the summertime.  If sweat is running up my leg, its probably a tick (wearing shorts makes them easier for me to find).

[Walnut Beast]

Definitely looked like everyone had a educational and fun experience! 

[doc henderson]

my kids did boy scouts and girl scouts, but FFA seems a little more diverse, and a good organization as well.  good for all them, Godspeed!

[caveman]

I did not take agriculture classes in high or participate in FFA, but had I known all that it had to offer, I probably would have.  The model agriculture education uses is based on classroom/lab (shop, barn, etc.) instruction, supervised agricultural experience (SAE), and FFA.  The SAE's may include the jobs which the students have, their animal projects, internships, research, etc., the FFA includes leadership opportunities as well as career development events (contests).  FFA is also the world's largest youth organization.

The career development events we have had students compete in include:
forestry, nursery and landscape, ornamental horticulture demonstration, ag mechanics, land judging, tractor operation, prepared public speaking, extemporaneous public speaking, parliamentary procedure, environmental science, food science, aquaculture, vet science, livestock judging, horse judging, ag communications, ag business, employability skills, floriculture, citrus judging, and probably a few others that have slipped my mind.

This year, my youngest daughter, who will be a senior next school year, was able to attend forestry camp for the first time.  She mentioned to me on the way home that before her involvement with FFA she would have been too shy to interact with all of the different students from all over the state.  Not only was she able to learn about forestry but probably more importantly, she and others have learned social skills that so many in our society lack.  

I am heading up to Nomad's neck of the woods this morning to attend a career and technical educator conference.  

[WDH]

The reason Foresters in the South wear khaki pants is so that you can see the ticks .