RR
Rebecca Rogers
  • Geography
  • Class of 2018
  • East Northport, NY

Rebecca Rogers Volunteers in New Orleans Wetlands

2017 Mar 13

Rebecca Rogers of East Northport, 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.

Rogers 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.

"My favorite part of the trip was being introduced to a culture and lifestyle so different from my own and having the opportunity to help protect the vanishing wetlands that are so important to the lives of the people who live there," said Rogers. "We had a great time, and I was so glad to be involved in giving help to a somewhere so in need!"

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.