FGCU Food Forest

Visiting FGCU's Food Forest on 1/13/16 was not my first encounter with the area of land that sits between campus' main entrance filled with edible and useful vegetation. Our tour guides/ environmental naturalists spent about an hour explaining the different aspects of the Food Forest and how each plant and animal has a vital role in keeping the other vegetation in conjunction with one another.

I thought it was fascinating how all of the plants were arranged around each other, with a major focus on water drainage and elevations. It was also very interesting how some plants like the fire bush are in the Food Forest to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies rather than for human consumption.

The ability for students to create a place like the food forest with no initial help from faculty or staff- and with Student Government's funding is remarkable. The experience that those students got from starting this project must have been life changing. I think that so many students here are looking for a way to leave their mark on FGCU and these Food Foresters found a way by following one of their passions.