Week 4 Entry

Echo Field trip time!!

This past Wednesday (August the 16th) we got a great opportunity to visit ECHO. 

What is ECHO?

"ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) is a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization located on a demonstration farm in North Fort Myers, FL. ECHO has been assisting a global network of missionaries and development workers since 1981 and is currently serving agricultural workers in 180 countries.

ECHO exists for one major reason, to help those working internationally with the poor be more effective, especially in the area of agriculture!  We are a technical support organization helping community development organizations and workers do what they do . . . better!"

 This trip was informative, educational and fun at the same time. We left FGCU campus around 2:15 pm  and we arrived at ECHO after ~15 min. 

                                                 Our ride :)                                                   

                                                                                          

 

Our group :)

  

 

We were so excited to finally run away from our crazy busy life and get lost in nature, even if only for a small while. When we first arrived to ECHO, what first attracted us was the richness and the diversity of the plants present. We were lucky to have an ECHO staff with us during the field trip. He first explained the history and the purpose of ECHO, and then we started our field trip =)

 

Our guide explained that in order for the plants to thrive and grow to their fullest they need a rich brown soil rather than the white sand usually present in SW Florida. To achieve the quality of the soil desired, the ground was covered with mulch and shred of broken wood left to decompose and bring their organic material back to the soil. You can see in the picture below the richness of the brown soil at ECHO.

  We went over the characteristics of some of the plants present than we were separated in our group for a better time management. Our group was responsible for Nitrogen fixating plants. Most of the plants we viewed belonged to the bean family and had a unique leaves shape. 

 After viewing the Nitrogen fixers plants and adding any new plants we were missing on our list, we went in a small tour discovering ECHO and the creative ways they invented to live with nature. Here some of the pictures: 

                                Rain Water Catchment  

The biggest hill in SW Florida!