Finding Our Future in our Past

Our second day of 4-H Biotech day camp and we didn't have to travel to far in terms of miles for our awesome learning experience.  Our first stop was at Southeastern Community College where we met with member of their biotech team to learn about future careers and how to get degrees in these potential careers.
We also learned about micro propagation.  This is where, using scientific techniques, plants can be rapidly multiplied.  Economically it is a great opportunity and also in terms of our rapid use of plant material, such a technique can be helpful to our environment.  We saw the green houses both indoor and out that house rapidly growing violets and Venus flytraps.

  We then traveled to the landfill.  Not because we needed to clean out the vans but because that is where their latest innovation is housed.  A ginormous greenhouse sits on the premise.  A greenhouse isn't a new innovation but how it is powered is.  The heaters that keep the green house warm in the winter is run from the methane gas that is generated from the decomposing waste at this landfill.  This green house had geraniums, Gerber daisies, wandering Jews, and other great plants that will be propagated for sale at a later date.

  From the green houses we travelled to the Southern Sizzler for an incredible lunch and filled our stomachs on some fine southern food. 

  Then it was a quick jump to our last stop of the day, Lake Waccamaw State Park.  There we got a lesson on the Carolina Bays.  It is still a mystery as to how the bays were created but several still have open water, but Lake Waccamaw is probably the most unusual.  Most of the lakes have a high acidity making it tough for aquatic life to survive however Lake Waccamaw is home to limestone shelves.  These shelves neutralize the water making it home to a variety of plant and aquatic life not to mention birds and alligators.  After learning about the mystery of the Lake we headed out on their boardwalk to see trees and identify the bay trees that the Carolina bays are actually famous for.  After a great walk to see the lake and learn about the wildlife there it was time to head back into the Ranger station to check out their hands on exhibits and their whale skeleton (it's pretty cool).

After all that learning it was time to load our vans and head back home to prep for tomorrow as we go where no Robeson County 4-H group has gone before.