Bill
Minter
Director
of Land Management
at Merry Lea and Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
B.S., Natural Resources Management, Colorado State University,
1980
M.S.F. in Forest Ecology, Purdue University, 1989
Contact
info
Office: Merry Lea
Phone: (260) 799-5869
E-mail: billfm@goshen.edu
Why I work and
teach at Merry Lea
My personal mission is to show persons
their integral relationship with the building of God’s
kingdom and the dynamics of His Creation. Given that, I find myself drawn to working within
a Christian faith context.
I am called to help the human community consider, through observation and experiential learning of land management practices, how it interacts with natural systems--biologically, economically and sociologically. My position reflects the call God currently has for my life.
I also find that my travel and work in Western Europe, Scandinavia, Dominican Republic, Philippines and Thailand have provided me with a helpful context for my fieldwork and teaching. This background fits well with Goshen College’s emphasis on global citizenship.
Ideas that matter to me:
The land and its people belong to God--their
Creator. In the
transitory birth-growth-death-new life cycle, I am merely a keeper
of the land and a servant to people.
- Made in God’s image,
I have become a part of Creation. I hold temporary
“dominion” over the land for a relatively short period of time.
- I hold the land in “trust,” through
faithful stewardship, for the present and for future generations.
I don’t have the right to use or abuse it to the disadvantage
of another generation.
- I must be prepared to apply state-of-the-art
technology to conservation, restoration and preservation practices.
- I must be content with what is sufficient
and be willing to make personal and
financial sacrifices so that my use of the land will not damage my neighbor, society, future generations or the land itself.
- I will not consider land as a commodity
that can be consumed or a chattel that can be owned in the ordinary
sense of the word.
- I will not speculate for, or accrue personal
gain in or through the land, if this would be detrimental to my
neighbor, society, future generations or the land itself.
- Land that remains undeveloped has the potential
to better show forth God’s
glory. Landscapes that are tended and cared for better reflect the glory of the Creator.
- Land restoration can be a visible and active expression of our faith. This hands-on craft expresses the hope that relationships between God, humanity and the rest of Creation can be restored and experience substantial healing, even in an imperfect world.
The classes I teach and how I teach them:
I teach two upper-level courses on campus:
Land Management and Forest Resources. I also co-teach Properties
and Management of Soils in the Agroecology Summer Field Intensive
at Merry Lea. All of
these courses support GC’s Environmental Science undergraduate
major.
Given my broader professional experiences and work responsibilities at Merry Lea, I teach to synthesize both knowledge (gnosis) of the topics, and application (praxis) of this knowledge in experiential learning activities on the land. I share my experiences as an environmental practitioner as one context for learning, but I also expect to learn from my students as they share their experiences. I challenge my students to use their experiences and new knowledge as a basis for developing their own understanding within the context which they will engage society.
What students say
"I loved the
field labs…I feel
[this class] has given me practical knowledge that I can use in
my future employment.”
“We were encouraged to share our personal experience with different aspects of the topic being discussed. Opinions and questions were always encouraged.”
“The tests and labs were graded in a manner that furthered my knowledge beyond the initial grade. Even if my answer was correct, there was lots of written feedback that furthered my understanding beyond the lecture and that was very helpful.”
My role in Merry Lea’s
new graduate program:
I teach the final course, Land Management
for Environmental Education, in this program. Experiential environmental
education is "place-based" learning. It
occurs at a "place" within a larger landscape. This landscape
reflects the economic, social and spiritual values of humans and
the biological functions of the ecosystems it encompasses. My course
is designed to provide an overview of both the theory and practice
of the management of this "place" and to show how land
management integrates the environmental and the human spheres.
Research Interests:
Upland oak forest ecology as it relates to developing regeneration
strategies that maintain this disappearing forest cover type in the
Midwest.
Bio-control strategies for the non-native invasive species, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Currently cooperating with Cornell University in preparation for the experimental release of insect bio-control for garlic mustard.
Selective breeding to develop a disease-resistant American chestnut (Castanea dentata). Currently cooperating with the American Chestnut Foundation in a 3rd generation backcross planting of a regional ecotype.
Using herbaceous forest ground cover species to estimate relative deer browsing pressure.
Examining the effects of planting native prairie grass species on retired agricultural land to absorb atmospheric carbon (carbon-dioxide) and store it in accumulating root biomass. Recently established a 20 ac site in cooperation with the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS)
Selected
Publications:
"Land Trusts" in Hope for the Family Farm. Lavonne Platt,
ed., 1987. Faith and Life Press. Newton, KS. 175 p.
W.F. Minter. "Growth and Microclimatic Effects of Northern Red Oak Seedlings Planted Within Tree Shelters in Harvested Forest Openings." 1992. N. Journal of Forestry. 3:112-120.
Presentation topics:
- Field tours/experimental learning relating to
forests/wetlands/prairies and their management for environmental,
economic and social values.
- Care of urban/shade trees
- Establishment and management of native plants
in human-built environments for storm water control, wildlife habitat
and aesthetics.
- Tree identification (winter or summer)
- Identification and control of non-native invasive
plant species.
- The use of legally binding “conservation easements” to permanently maintain the conservation values of private lands for future generations.
Did You Know?
- Native prairie plant species
thrive best on infertile, and many times, droughty soil. Adding
fertilizer will increase the presence and competition from non-native “weedy” species.
- During very cold winter days in a mature oak hickory forest, you may hear periodic loud cracking sounds. These most likely are expanding “frost cracks’ in oak tree trunks. They originally resulted from some decades-past damage (grazing or fire) to the younger tree stem.