学者
沙漠绿洲教学园

在沙漠绿洲教学花园, 我们的使命是培育快乐, 希望, and better health by creating meaningful connections between students and their local food ecosystem. Through collaboration and hands-on experiences in the garden, we seek to foster more informed and responsible decision-makers, 消费者, 也是世界的管家.

适合我们气候的花园

学院的一部分科学系, the 点花园 is an experiential learning garden on 阿尔布开克学院’s campus that demonstrates soil health, 再生农业, 节约用水, and climate adaptability here in the desert Southwest. We collaborate with Academy faculty to provide hands-on activities that encourage students to engage in the garden’s diverse ecosystem. Depleted and disturbed soil is truly at the root of many of the challenges society faces, and fostering healthy soil holds many of the solutions. 在DOT花园 students learn about soil health, 生物多样性, and ecosystem function while fostering a connection to the natural world.

The 点花园 stewards two acres of land on 阿尔布开克学院’s campus. It is an example of a 再生农业 ecosystem including a regionally adapted pollinator and wildlife habitat.

原投入密集型草皮, the 点花园 was born in the summer of 2013 as a vision for a community-based space for experiential learning and exploration of 再生农业 in the face of climate change. Inspired by other school-based garden and farming projects, former science faculty member Karen Beamish and community member Karen Bentrup began investigating agricultural possibilities for the space. Taking what they learned from community leaders like ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan and rain水 harvester Brad Lancaster, as well as emerging science on soil health principles, they focused on implementing regenerative practices that unify innovative technologies with the strength of New Mexico’s diverse cultural heritage and a respect and reverence for nature and humanity.

课程 & 活动

类

The 点花园 provides opportunities for faculty to cultivate project-based learning in all subject areas. 无论是探索土壤, 水, and human health in sixth and seventh grades, investigating plant growth variables in ninth grade, or examining sense of place in upper-level English classes, students mature and grow with the garden throughout their time at the Academy.

环保俱乐部

Students at 阿尔布开克学院 can explore environmental issues and sustainable food production by joining environmental clubs. Club students have opportunities to help maintain the garden while also organizing school-wide events promoting sustainability and awareness on campus.

会议

Each year club students and those in environmental-based science classes are invited to attend conferences on sustainability, 农业, and environmental health where they learn about the latest research developments and career opportunities. Beyond attendees, our students have served as presenters, sharing their work from the 点花园.

暑期实习生

During the summer, 阿尔布开克学院 students are offered job opportunities on campus. Students selected as interns in the 点花园 learn about production, 灌溉, 害虫管理, 生物多样性, 集水区.

暑期课程

Working in collaboration with the 阿尔布开克学院’s community summer program 认为夏天, we offer elementary students the opportunity to explore the garden through their summer classes and camps. The summer program is open to children throughout the Albuquerque metro area.

健康的土壤 & 再生文化

“Regenerative 农业 describes farming and grazing practices that, 其他好处包括, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil 生物多样性 – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the 水 cycle.”
~ The Regenerative Agriculture Initiative, California State University

在DOT花园, this means that we do not plow or till the soil, 我们不使用合成除草剂, 农药, 或化肥. We also work actively to increase the above- and below-ground 生物多样性 of our spaces year-round, and we welcome animals into our food production ecosystem. 这些实践, 综上所述, are the soil health principles promoted by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s 健康的土壤 Program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural 资源 Conservation Program.

Everything we do at the 点花园 comes back to supporting the microbial life of the soil: It’s all about the soil! 这种土壤生命, 反过来, supports the health and nutrient content of our plants, sequesters atmospheric carbon into the soil, and improves the 水-holding capacity of our soils.

学者 沙漠绿洲教学园