Writing Appalachian Ecology: Essays, Outreach and Learning.

In the summer of 2012, seven undergraduates and 2 graduate students from West Virginia University’s English Department, along with their instructors, participated in an unusual course that focused on exploring, experiencing and writing about the USDA Forest Service’s Fernow Experimental Forest.  Co-taught by faculty from the English and Biology Departments, “Writing Appalachian Ecology” aimed to bridge the sciences and humanities. The course addressed a National Science Foundation initiative that encourages communication and dialogue between scientists and the public, and it was inspired by the established Long-term Ecological Reflections program at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon, which gives professional writers and philosophers a chance to interact with scientists and the forest. We encouraged students to think about the long-term future of our planet: What could our world be like in 200 years? How will current environmental problems change the future? What will the effects of global climate change look like? How will natural resource extraction permanently affect our homes? How will our relationships with the natural world change? Students read and discussed creative works as well as scientific papers in the classroom; listened to presentations by scientists of the US Forest Service; traveled twice as a class to the Fernow, including an overnight camping trip; and composed their own creative nonfiction essays, blending science with personal reflections and experience. We discuss the justification, successes, and the challenges of our course as well as plans for expansion. We also explored ways to negotiate student (and instructor) enthusiasm and activism with government institutions (i.e., the US Forest Service) and politics.  The scientists also gained insights on Appalachian forests, from hearing their work described in the essays and from seeking novel ways to communicate science to a non-technical audience.