June 22-26, students from across central Arkansas participated in the Audubon Summer Academy focusing on the broad field of environmental science and the research aspects of field studies. Led by Audubon Education Director, Mary Smith, the Summer Academy took students through several different Audubon Center habitats, including glades, succession forests, and wetlands. Within each habitat study, the students were given projects that further reinforced the knowledge gained from the guest speakers throughout the week. The students participated in a forest survey, area mapping, stream analysis, water monitoring, GPS Geocache study, insect trapping, a lichen survey, and a canoe trip on an ox bow lake. The speakers included staff from the Arkansas Audubon Center as well as researchers in several different fields of environmental science. Students were asked to recognize and discuss the impact of human beings as a part of every project during the program.
One unique aspect of the program was the Audubon 24/7 Challenge which asked participants to discover more about where they live by learning twenty-four native plants and animals and taking seven steps that make an environmental difference. The steps included volunteer service, water and energy conservation as well as wildlife and resource management and learning more about human impact on the local watershed. As a way to introduce the students to an important element of any research project as well as reinforcing the lessons of the program, each student kept a daily science journal. The academy increased student interest in both science and the protection of the environment.
The Audubon Summer Academy was funded by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation through the STEM Summer Academy program at the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.