On Saturday afternoon, a group of students ventured into the Nature Preserve with the goal of exploring the edge of campus.
The two hour hike, led by professor Julian Shepherd, was one of the first events by the Harpur Edge Project, a program that aims to create activities to bring together Harpur College students.
Shepherd, who was assisted by Nature Preserve steward Dylan Horvath, said that the hike focused on making students aware of their surroundings and the animals that share the environment.
“We looked at different plants and animals,” Shepherd said. “We talked about the beavers, who are master builders. They’re doing truly amazing things to their home and have really changed the Nature Preserve.”
Shepherd taught the hikers about the Preserve and the organisms that live there, according to Ben Boulos, a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience.
“We talked a lot about ecology, food chains and migration patterns,” Boulos said. “He also mentioned the history of the Preserve, and how things evolved.”
Shepherd also addressed threats to wildlife, such as the growing deer population.
“The deer problem is a complicated problem,” Shepherd said. “Way back when, they would have been controlled by mountain lions and wolves, but there are no longer mountain lions or wolves, and there haven’t been for years.”
Boulos said that he decided to sign up to get the perspective of an expert after exploring for years on his own.
“I’m a junior and I’ve been around the Preserve a few times, but it was nice to go with somebody who knew so much about it and could talk from a position of authority,” Boulos said.
While Shepherd acknowledged that most students and faculty go to the Nature Preserve to relax, he said it provides more than recreation for campus.
“It’s also for academics,” Shepherd said. “We have a lot of classes in there like Elementary Bio and Wetlands. I’ve even run into English professors and art professors having their students interact with the Nature Preserve.”
Boulos and Shepherd both said that standing on the bridge overlooking the Preserve was the most memorable moment of the hike.
“It’s truly remarkable,” Shepherd said.