QUIZ: What is this?

A. A crop square: the latest fashion in UFO visits.

B. Geek groundhogs at work

C. Evidence of student research at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College

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The correct answer is C.

The aerial photo shows a deer exclosure in a prairie near Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center's Luckey's Landing. In the fall of 2008, Goshen College ecology students assisted Assistant Professor of Biology Ryan Sensenig in a long-term prairie project analyzing how grazers of different body sizes affect the prairie. Here, the deer are kept out of the square, so it is possible to compare "deer free" and "deer browsed" areas. This deer exclosure is just one example of opportunities GC students have to participate in significant research with long-term consequences.

Land restoration projects rely on effectively blending ecological systems within social/economic systems. This pilot project is the first step in the development of a large-scale, multi-species grazing experiment that aims to answer questions like these:

Can a prairie economy be blended with the current agricultural economy by "restoring" a suite of grazers such as horses, sheep, cattle/bison, deer and even chickens to systems dominated by native grasses?

Can the integration of livestock grazing and prairie restoration facilitate the restoration of more acreage of native grasses?

In other words, can land restoration and agriculture work together for the health of the planet?

Editors: For more information about this, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.