Jaclyn Courter Volunteers in New Orleans Wetlands

2017 Mar 13

Jaclyn Courter of Milford, NY, spent a week in New Orleans for a wetlands restoration service-learning project in the Lower 9th Ward.

Accompanied by Wendy Lascell, assistant professor of geography, and Linda Drake, director of the college's Center for Social Responsibility and Community, the students arrived in New Orleans on Feb. 25 returned March 5. They documented their trip on a Facebook page.

Courter is majoring in Communication Studies at SUNY Oneonta.

Working with a nonprofit organization called Common Ground Relief, the students planted grasses and cypress trees in coastal areas imperiled by hurricanes, development and engineering projects that have eroded land and endangered wildlife.

Now in its third year, the trip offers a valuable opportunity for students interested in working in wetlands restoration or disaster management to gain field experience. Cultural immersion is also a big part of the trip, and some of the most powerful experiences happen through the students' personal interactions with other volunteers and residents of the Lower 9th Ward.

The project is supported by a Domestic Intercultural Immersion Grant offered through SUNY Oneonta's StAR (Strategic Allocation of Resources) program.