Preserving Natural Resources

Published Citrus County Chronicle, February 8, 2010

Withlacoochee Technical Institute students Erica Khong, Christina Patton. Anthony Waugaman, Amanda Goode and their science teacher, Emily Casey, look at the sign the class helped design to be installed at the caves in the forest to try to discourage vandalism of the natural beauty of the county. The students visited the caves and created a brochure to accompany the signs.

Article by Norman Hopkins, Director, The Amy H Remley Foundation

Appalled at vandalism of a cave, Emily Casey (a Withlacoochee Technical Institute science teacher) agreed with the Withlacoochee Forestry Center to encourage behavior change by education and an informative sign.

The Foundation financed an education project, conducted research and used their resources at www.amyHRF.org to grant easy public access to information as it evolved. A Community Education Grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District to reimburse third party expenses was arranged.

Instructional group visits provided first hand environmental knowledge of sites and and their wild life. Classroom teaching, discussion, report writing, and research of science literature guided choices of words, phrases and photos employed in sign composition. A Disturbance Index was assessed, calibrated and trial computations made, indicating the extent of cave to assess vandalism before and after placing any sign at a site.

Local community members and students invested more than a thousand hours of their time co-operating in a program of work, employing computer design technology and high speed data communications linking Citrus County, Canada and Europe.

Eventually, as affordable pocket computing devices continue their spread, a visitor reading the sign could bookmark or enjoy the wealth of information available on the Foundation's web site before experiencing and caring for the site.