On the weekend of Sept 29-30th, we, the membership of HCCS, had our first annual retreat to Harvard Forest!
It was great for us to have a chance to get off campus for a few days, bond as a group, learn about and explore some of Harvard's 4,000 acre research forest, and advance our partnership with our Harvard Forest project.
We arrived at the forest late on Saturday morning, after a 1.5 hour drive. Because of the rain, the picnic and forest tour we had planned were postponed, and we were left with a few hours of free time off the bat. This allowed for some time for group bonding through semi-ridiculous games and our own exploration of the forest. After lunch, Harvard Forest Director Prof. David Foster took us on our official forest tour, allowing students to learn more about the history behind the forest and current conservation efforts. We then shared a delicious, locally catered dinner with a few Harvard Forest associates (seriously, the home-made ginger chia salad dressing and blueberry cobbler were to die for!). The rest of the evening consisted of more games and, for a few brave souls, a venture into the cold night in an attempt to stargaze.
On Sunday, we had the opportunity to take part in an alumni event being hosted by HF. We heard from a few more associates of the Forest, and then members of our Harvard Forest project group got the chance to present to the alums about what we do and what we're hoping to do with HF this semester. During lunch and the subsequent tour of the forest, we were able to make connections with these alumni who are working in, or retired from, all sorts of fields from law to psychiatry to social justice. It is always enlightening to get to chat with members of the Harvard community who are further along than we are, and and we were grateful to have this opportunity!
This partnership we've begun to develop with the Harvard Forest and Professor David Foster is a really exciting move for the Conservation Society as we look to incorporate more local conservation efforts into our project work. We look forward to a lasting and fruitful relationship with the Harvard Forest!
It was great for us to have a chance to get off campus for a few days, bond as a group, learn about and explore some of Harvard's 4,000 acre research forest, and advance our partnership with our Harvard Forest project.
We arrived at the forest late on Saturday morning, after a 1.5 hour drive. Because of the rain, the picnic and forest tour we had planned were postponed, and we were left with a few hours of free time off the bat. This allowed for some time for group bonding through semi-ridiculous games and our own exploration of the forest. After lunch, Harvard Forest Director Prof. David Foster took us on our official forest tour, allowing students to learn more about the history behind the forest and current conservation efforts. We then shared a delicious, locally catered dinner with a few Harvard Forest associates (seriously, the home-made ginger chia salad dressing and blueberry cobbler were to die for!). The rest of the evening consisted of more games and, for a few brave souls, a venture into the cold night in an attempt to stargaze.
On Sunday, we had the opportunity to take part in an alumni event being hosted by HF. We heard from a few more associates of the Forest, and then members of our Harvard Forest project group got the chance to present to the alums about what we do and what we're hoping to do with HF this semester. During lunch and the subsequent tour of the forest, we were able to make connections with these alumni who are working in, or retired from, all sorts of fields from law to psychiatry to social justice. It is always enlightening to get to chat with members of the Harvard community who are further along than we are, and and we were grateful to have this opportunity!
This partnership we've begun to develop with the Harvard Forest and Professor David Foster is a really exciting move for the Conservation Society as we look to incorporate more local conservation efforts into our project work. We look forward to a lasting and fruitful relationship with the Harvard Forest!
HCCS at the top of a research tower overlooking the forest!
