Florida 4-H Broward County is using hands-on methods to teach conservation to local students through a pilot project designed to restore native plants at one of the few remaining prairies in South Florida.
The Broward Native Plant Propagation Project recently gave a science teacher and her students at St. Thomas Aquinas High School a chance to expand the students’ understanding of native plants beyond the classroom along with valuable environmental and workforce skills at Fern Forest in Coconut Creek.
“It’s challenging for high school students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world situations such as environmental conservation,” said Alexa Tillett, a 4-H education and training specialist at UF/IFAS Extension Broward County who led the project. “When students get the chance to work alongside industry professionals on real-world conservation projects, their eyes are opened, and connections are made. This not only deepens their understanding of preservation but also helps them envision their future as professionals and responsible conservationists.”
Fern Forest Nature Center is a 247.1-acre urban wilderness known for its rich biodiversity that contains a prairie ecosystem. As the site of South Florida’s most preserved native plant habitats, it is home to more than 200 different species, including 30 types of ferns. In this pristine prairie thrives a small population of native animals including coyotes, bobcats, great horned owls, marsh rabbits and more. As a common site for migratory birds, amateur ornithologists and twitchers alike are drawn to this nature center, which offers a glimpse into Florida’s past, preserving the original floodplain of Cypress Creek.
This urban wilderness serves as a living laboratory for students and for the public to help conserve imperiled species. Like other parts of South Florida, these areas face threats from invasive species that hinder the growth and success of native plants.
Sarah Lauretta, an environmental science teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, has always been passionate about teaching her students the value of native plants.
In her classroom, conservation and ecology take center stage in her curriculum, but she sought to take learning beyond textbooks. When Florida 4-H Broward County approached her about collaborating on an educational native plant restoration project, she gathered her gardening club students to apply the science and obtain important analytical and workforce development skills.
“Native plants are imperative for effective ecological restoration in that they are the backbone of most ecosystems, driving the flow of energy through consumption,” said Lauretta. “Through our efforts of learning about growing and planting natives, we hope to make an impact in restoring native ecosystems in Florida.”
Recently, Lauretta and 10 of her students spent a day at Fern Forest. In a learning session in the prairie, Lauretta’s students learned how to identify and remove invasive plants and replace them with dozens of native species they propagated over the course of the program with scientists at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. With the help of a botanist from Fairchild Tropical Botanic, Tillet and 4-H agent Kenan Bridges, they learned about soil types in South Florida, as well as native varieties and nutrients necessary to help them thrive.
“Through my students’ experiential learning, I hoped to create an informed, enthusiastic generation of environmental stewards. Many of my students have expressed the value of this project in understanding nebulous concepts in an applicable way and real-life scenarios,” said Lauretta.
The project, a collaboration among Florida 4-H Broward County, the Florida Native Plant Society, Broward County Parks and Recreation Department and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, is made possible by a $1,500 Cornelia McNamara Grant awarded by the Florida Native Plant Society.
“We are thrilled and energized by opportunities to collaborate to protect our region’s native flora, particularly when educational opportunities arise with local youth. We hope to instill an understanding and appreciation for local plants and ecosystems that lasts a lifetime.” said James Lange, a research botanist at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, who collaborated with Tillet to create and teach the lesson plans to the students.
Collaboration among youth participants involves analyzing and discussing findings within a group that foster communication skills.
“Some of the students have never been in a place like the Fern Forest prairie, let alone gotten into the roots,” said Tillett. “To witness the students crafting their own experiments and propose variables to test methods of growing native species is wonderful to see. This is what 4-H is all
about—bringing youth to opportunities to grow and learn within their communities,” she said.
Meanwhile, personal growth is fostered by boosting participants’ confidence in their ability to make a positive environmental impact in conservation, restoration and preservation efforts.
“This is exactly the kind of collaboration we need. I love seeing the connections being made and the project benefiting each group,” said Linda Briggs Thompson, who oversees environmental programs at Broward County Parks. It was her vision to join all the partners while securing funding for an irrigation system at the FLREC greenhouse where students seeded their plants.
Tillet hopes this is the first of many projects to come as she seeks for additional funding and new participants.
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by Lourdes Mederos, rodriguezl@ufl.edu
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
ABOUT FLORIDA 4-H
4-H is the youth development program of the land-grant university system and Cooperative Extension System. The program provides hands-on educational programs and experiences for youth ages 5 to 18 with the objective of developing youth as individuals, and as responsible and productive citizens. In Florida, 4-H is administered by University of Florida/IFAS Extension and Florida A&M University.
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