Learning from Nature
*An optional textbook to purchase on your own is Simply Sustainable Landscapes. This class focuses on how to model landscapes in our built environment by understanding the symbiotic nature of plants and wildlife and how plants are distributed in a natural ecosystem. This Saturday class will explore these concepts in Cowbane Prairie in Stuarts Draft, VA. One of the last intact remaining Ridge and Valley Prairies left in western Virginia. Many rare plants are there and it will be a fall migration for birds. We will meet at the Ice House Parking lot at JMU at 8:00 am to arrange for carpools to the Prairie. We will return to JMU by 4:30. Things to bring: Packed Lunch and snacks, water, binoculars, notebooks, cameras, insect repellent, sun protective gear, rain protective gear, and good hiking boots. The ground is generally flat but there can be a few places that are muddy or rocky. Nate Miller is a native of Rockingham County, VA. He is a Professor of Horticulture at PVCC and a Landscape Designer at Messer Landscapes in Staunton and his own business Simply Sustainable Landscapes in Bridgewater. Masters of Landscape Architecture from Clemson University and a BA in Art and Environmental Science from Bridgewater College. He has taught at JMU's LLI since 2012. Sandy Conrad is a current member and volunteer leader of LLI who also serves as a frequent co-teaching lead.Please contact our office regarding availability of this course:
540-568-4253
pce@jmu.edu