News from the Living Lab…
Many exciting projects are happening at the Living Lab, even as we adjust and adapt to challenges of the pandemic. Our students have proven remarkably resilient and ready to hike or bike to the Living Lab to meet for class outside in tents despite the weather! Four courses have used the outdoor tents this semester – Sustainable Agriculture, Global Change and Sustainability, Economics to Save the Planet, and Practicum in Environmental Studies.
Students are also building a new greenhouse, creating new research opportunities along the Saddlemire Trail, and participating in agricultural research in the garden. Read on to find out more!
Students Building Energy-Efficient Greenhouse
Students in the Practicum in Environmental Studies (ENVS 4030) with Prof. Aaron Iverson have been busy building an energy-efficient greenhouse at the Living Lab this semester. The greenhouse will be one-of-a-kind in the North Country, and relies on simple and affordable technologies to provide year-round growing conditions using purely passive solar and geothermal energy. Students in the class made the foundation and became skilled masons—laying nearly 1000 bricks to complete the bottom portion of the greenhouse this fall! Next year, students in the same course will complete the top portion. The greenhouse was designed by a student, Jesse Vining (ENVS ’20), for his Senior Year Experience at SLU.
Installing Nest Boxes Along the Saddlemire Trail
A project by Erik Sauer ’20, Eliza Gillilan ’18, Carol Cady, and Prof. Sara Ashpole
Nesting boxes are an important habitat structure for some species, as they provide a safe brood raising environment when nest sites are sparse. The project includes nesting boxes that target seven bird species, a variety of local bat species, and invertebrates. A GIS habitat suitability analysis predicted the optimal placement for the nest boxes and is based on each species nesting and habitat preference. A monitoring program to evaluate occupancy and the success of the nesting boxes will provide an opportunity for citizen science and student research. The ongoing monitoring process will allow students to map occupancy data over time and give some idea as to the makeup of species in the area. With a standardized method of monitoring, students will be able to give consistent and detailed representations of the success of each of the nesting boxes and observe the nature of inter- and intraspecies relationships. An interpretive sign along the trail provides a description of potential inhabitants of each nest box type and information on how to participate in monitoring. The nesting box project is supported in part by an Innovation Grant from St. Lawrence University that targets bat box installations on the campus.
Prof. Sara Ashpole, Emily Iverson, Erik Sauer ’20, and Jamie Nicholas installing next boxes 
squirrel nesting box
Global Change and Sustainability
Students in Prof. Jon Rosales’ Global Change and Sustainability (ENVS 263) course building benches using black locust posts they harvested from the Living Lab woodlot.
Sustainable Agriculture
Meeting at the outdoor tent classroom 
Planting cover crops at the LL for a research trial 
Helping to plant garlic at Bare Bones Farm
Garden Update
Sunflowers were intercropped with cucumbers to discourage pests. They also provided food for the birds! 
Harvesting Adirondack Blue potatoes 
Kernza (Thinopyrum intermedium) is a perennial wheat being developed by the Land Institute. We are growing a small plot at the Living Lab. 
Sweet dumpling winter squash from a cover crop/squash trial 
Bounty from the garden! We made several donations to Campus Kitchens this season