Students 2019

This was the fourth series of Beyond the Trail, led by Katie Vearil. Her theme, “A River Runs Through It” was to connect the St. Johns River to our parks and educate the importance of Florida’s longest river. Because of how the river meanders throughout Jacksonville, it impacts just about every park. Students and community members learned about the significant history of the river, as well as the challenges and victories that have and continue to impact the river. For most of the students, it had been the first time they either visited some of the parks and/or kayaked on the river. Other partners include: National Park Service

Molly O’Brien’s passion for educating students about the native flora and fauna was the basis for her outreach project. She partnered with Project Leader Kyle Kenney to host events such as the botanical illustration workshop. O’Brien also created and led an education outing at the ELP fall retreat, “Birding 101.” This outing taught the basics of beginning birdwatching through illustration, sounds and visuals. Each project leader selected a bird, learned about its characteristics and its sounds. O’Brien then led an early morning hike and each project leader was able to identify their bird, either visually or by its sound.