From Summer Sun to Falltime Fun

More Than Just Flowers Blooming at SOIL

In this edition, we're thrilled to share stories about our newly developed curriculum that will enrich K-12 field trips for Durango School District students this school year. You'll also get a peek inside our incredible new Grow Dome, a space that allows for year-round learning and harvesting. This abundance is supporting our new SOIL Shares program, which delivers fresh produce to district families and school cafeterias. We also celebrate our strong partnership with Fort Lewis College, which brings energetic interns and curious students from many departments to the garden. We hope you enjoy reading about this season of abundance and growth at SOIL!

Durango School District Cultivates the SOIL Field Trip Program

At Durango School District’s recent Portrait of a Graduate Academy - a day of professional development for teachers - SOIL staff presented on our upcoming field trip program. We shared key information on our elementary curriculum and got middle and high school teachers excited about custom field trip opportunities. Teachers also loved exploring and sampling an array of veggies, fruits, and herbs harvested from the garden!

The SOIL field trip program kicks off with every 5th grade Durango School District student scheduled to visit this September. We will be rolling out a new curriculum that SOIL staff developed in partnership with the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education. For 5th graders, this will mean engaging with the water cycle and our local watershed as it applies to growing food and other relevant topics.  

Also in September, we will host about 100 Durango High School culinary arts students to experience the entire process of growing, preparing, and eating a meal . . . from seeds & compost to dinner & dessert . . . and back to compost!

We are excited for SOIL field trip opportunities to span the winter months, thanks to the new SOIL Grow Dome where we can now grow, learn and harvest year-round!

Diverse Ecosystems Support Year–Round Learning in the Grow Dome

The Grow Dome continues to thrive in the summer heat! From figs, pomegranates, and lemons to flowers, peppers, and tons of tomatoes, the Grow Dome hosts diverse plant life throughout the year. Animal life is also abundant with koi, goldfish, and trout settled into their new home in the thermal pond among an ecosystem of aquatic plants. Next to the pond, our aquaponics system is overflowing with produce, and the tilapia continue to grow, weighing in at 130 grams - getting closer to harvest weight! With help from students and community members, we continue to experiment, pushing the envelope on what we can grow locally.

And then there are the insects! Pests such as aphids, mites, and caterpillars keep beneficial predatory insects like ladybugs, green lacewings, and praying mantises busy hunting. Student visitors also engage in controlling insect pests while learning to support and appreciate beneficial bugs. The reward? Fresh strawberries, green beans off the vine, ripe figs, tossed salads featuring edible flowers and fresh herbs, and so much more!

As the weather begins to cool, community members are welcome to soak up the tropical climate, wonderful aromas, and vivid landscape inside the Grow Dome. Stop by during our Open Hours (2^nd Saturday of each month from 9-11am and the 4^th Thursday from 5-7pm) or whenever you see us in the dome.

SOIL Expands Collaboration with Fort Lewis College

This summer, SOIL hosted two interns from Fort Lewis College’s Environment and Sustainability Department. Raine Lohr and Brooke Lant worked on a variety of projects, including planting plans for our education beds, aquaponics maintenance, pest management, research, community outreach, and more. They each brought unique perspectives and strengths to our team. Before starting her internship, Brooke completed a research project surveying teachers' perceptions of the SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab - read a synopsis of the project here!

In addition to interns, SOIL has hosted many FLC students and classes, representing several departments. Classes scheduled to visit this fall include: Local Environmentalism, Agroecology, The Compass Program, Soil and Society, and Community Resilience.

“SOIL Shares” Provides Fresh Produce to Families and Schools

This summer marked the start of the SOIL Shares program, which gets produce from the SOIL gardens to Durango School District students and families. Over summer break, harvests went to the Summer Food Service Program, where families could pick up a bag of fresh veggies with their lunches. 

Now that school is in session, a majority of the produce that is harvested from about 40 educational garden beds will be eaten by students during field trips. Surplus produce is harvested and taken to the Durango High School Farm to School Kitchen, where it will be prepped and distributed to schools throughout the district for students to enjoy at lunch.