New video! Summer Schedule

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1 June 2013 Volume 2, Issue 15 New video! Please take time to watch our new UCF Arboretum video! Hibiscus esculentus also known as Okra, is native to North Africa and is grown in the Southern U.S. This summer vegetable is high in vitamin A and contains Vitamin C. CONTENTS Announcements 1 Summer Harvest Feast 2 How To Compost 3 Campus Opportunities 4 Community Events Garden Garden Garden, Natural Areas Garden Garden, Urban Forestry Summer Schedule It s time to plant our crops such as black-eyed peas, okra, red drop hibiscus, and more. Come join us in the arboretum for seeding, harvesting, and general garden fun! Continue to join us for the summer volunteer shifts starting at 8:00 a.m. The UCF Arboretum is located behind CREOL/EngIII. For more information please visit our website:

2 Page 2 News from the UCF Arboretum Volume 2, Issue 15

3 Page 3 News from the UCF Arboretum Volume 2, Issue 15 A Beginner s Guide to Composting By Brighton Hall Have you ever thought about making a compost pile and just haven t started it yet? It may seem like a challenging task at first, but making your own compost at home can actually be very simple. So what will you need? The ingredients you need to make a rich compost are explained below. (Remember to balance your greens with more browns!) The greens (food scraps, lawn cuttings) provide nitrogen, while the browns (dry leaves, newspaper, hay) provide carbon. To create optimal conditions for decomposition, you'll need twice as much brown material as green. Newspaper and hay make good brown matter when dry leaves are in short supply. Shred newspaper so it doesn't form a mat. Do not compost glossy or colored paper. A handful (or shovelful, depending on the size of your bin) of garden soil in the middle of the pile helps to inoculate it with the microorganisms that are necessary for decomposition. Flowers, leaves, grass clippings, and weeds are great candidates for the compost pile. Do not compost weeds bearing seeds, diseased or pest-ridden foliage. Autumn leaves are the cheapest, most plentiful form of carbon for composting. Since they're abundant only briefly, many composters stockpile them to use through winter. A compost bin is not necessary, composting can be done with just a neat pile. A compost bin is the preferred method, and good-looking bin can be easily made with as little as three wooden pallets arranged like a box with one side missing (see picture). Source: Our new compost setup!

4 Page 4 News from the UCF Arboretum Volume 2, Issue 15 Adopt-A-program Opportunities Arboretum Are you interested in adopting a pond or a road for your organization? Are you interested in beautifying the campus? The arboretum currently has 3 ponds and 5 roads ready for adoption! Contact arboretum@ucf.edu for more information. Turtle Mound Restoration July 15th, Turtle Mound site at Canaveral National Seashore Volunteers are needed to help build and deploy 200 shell bags, mangroves, and Spartina grass. Hard-soled, closed toe shoes required,.and don t forget a lunch and water bottle. Free entry to the park for all volunteers for the day! If interested, please contact: Sam at weiyuan@knights.ucf.edu Sandhill Cranes You can be a Citizen Scientist by contributing to our understanding and protection of the threatened Sandhill Crane. Your participation contributes to undergraduate research, and preserving our natural heritage! Here s How: -Take picture or note location of Sandhill Cranes on campus - nature@ucf.edu with subject line cranes -Include date, time and location of sighting.

5 Page 5 News from the UCF Arboretum Volume 2, Issue 15 Community Events Tosohatchee Field trip! Saturday July 13th at 8am. Please join the Florida Native Plant Society on the next field trip to Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area. Tosohatchee extends from Taylor Creek Road in Christmas all the way to the St. Johns River and there is always lots to see. To carpool, we will meet at the Burger King on Alafaya and East Colonial Dr. at 7:30am and will leave promptly at 7:45 AM. Or, if you would like to meet us on site at Tosohatchee, please be there no later than 8:15 AM. We have a plant collection permit and will be able to collect specimens for the herbaria. There is a $3 per car entrance fee. Bring dollar bills (no change is available). As usual, bring insect and sun protection, water and a snack. Tina Richards UCF Arboretum Bear Management Program Are you interested in the Florida Black Bear? Then here is an opportunity that might interest you! The Bear Management Program reviews bear-related reports from all five regional FWC offices.the data from the reports are used to inform management decisions about Florida s black bears. Volunteers are needed to perform administrative tasks such as reviewing reports for accuracy, printing reports and filing reviewed reports. Shifts of two or more hours are requested. Contact: Sarah Barrett, Bear Management Program Coordinator Sarah.barrett@myfwc.com Phone: Location: Tallahassee, Florida

6 Page 6 News from the UCF Arboretum Volume 2, Issue 15 PCB4932: Disease Ecology & Eco-immunology class Hello Environmental Studies Students, New Fall Course Available Are you completing the Science Concentration for your major? Read on. Are you looking for another Science Concentration course for Fall 2013? Read on. Have you completed PCB3044 and PCB3063? Read on. A special topics course, PCB4932: Disease Ecology & Eco-immunology, is being offered this Fall 2013 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-2:15. This course is an examination of how hosts, parasites and environment interact to shape organisms, populations and communities. This course will count for 3 hours toward the Science Concentration for the Environmental Studies major and Environmental Studies minor. If you register for this course, you MUST let Jessica Simmons (Ed.D.; Interdisciplinary Studies) know at (jessica.simmons@ucf.edu; ) so that she can add the course to your degree audit. It will not automatically pull in since it is a special topics course. If you have trouble registering, please contact the instructor: Ken Fedorka Office/Lab: BL 401B, BL 412 Office Telephone: fedorka@mail.ucf.edu Horticulture Internship at SeaWorld SeaWorld is currently accepting applications online for a Fall Horticulture Internship (September 16th December 6th). To review the details of this position and submit an online application, visit seaworldjobs.com. See the attachment titled SeaWorld Internship Information. that highlights the finer points of the internship program.

7 Page 7 News from the UCF Arboretum Volume 2, Issue 15 idigbio Post-doc Opportunity Postdoctoral Position in Public Participation in Digitization of Biodiversity Collections A postdoctoral position is available with idigbio in the research group of Austin Mast (Department of Biological Science, Florida State University; faculty-mast.php) to study engagement of the public in the digitization of biodiversity research collections, produce best practice and standards documents related to this in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, and assist in the design of interoperability between the idigbio portal/cloud, public participation tools, and public participation content management systems. idigbio ( is the central resource for NSF's Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections Program (ADBC), and it is located at the University of Florida and Florida State University. To apply, send a cover letter and CV with contact information for three references in a single pdf file to Austin Mast (amast@bio.fsu.edu). In the cover letter, please cite past activities that demonstrate each of (1) through (4) above as well as provide the date on which you could start the position and a paragraph or two on your long-term career goals and how you see this position fitting into them. Applications will be considered beginning on July 8 until the position is filled. Florida State University is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer. North Horseshoe Lake Restoration Seminole Education, Restoration & Volunteer (SERV) Program Saturday, July 13, :00am until 12:00pm in EDT 308 W. 11th Street Chuluota, FL Join us in planting shoreline vegetation at North Horseshoe Lake to improve ecosystem function and make a difference in the community! *Please plan to get muddy and wet during planting *Gloves, hat, old clothes, closed-toed shoes, & sunscreen are recommended *Register with Elizabeth Stephens ( ; serv@seminolecountyfl.gov) Mailing List **Our newsletters inform the UCF Community of upcoming green events and opportunities. We also strive to share important developments in sustainability. To unsubscribe, please arboretum@ucf.edu. (407) , arboretum@ucf.edu New Office Hours: 7:30-3:30pm