Keri Surita Volunteers in New Orleans Wetlands

2017 Mar 13

Keri Surita of Belmont, 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.

Surita is majoring in Geography 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.

"I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to return to New Orleans and volunteer with Common Ground Relief once again. Our group did some of the same type of work as last year such as planting bullrush grasses in the wetlands. This year though, I had the opportunity to ride on an air-boat into Bayou Sauvage (where we were working) which was a really neat experience!"

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.