The green in Stetson’s school colors has taken on more substantive meaning as the university has quietly emerged as a regional leader in environmental responsibility. The university was one of the first in the nation to adopt a policy of exclusively planting well-adapted native trees and shrubs, thus greatly reducing the need for water contaminants such as fertilizers and pesticides. The university’s Facilities Management team has planted hundreds of native trees and incorporated numerous substantive water conservation practices. These efforts are complemented by Stetson’s aquatically focused academic programs, the environmental outreach of the Gillespie Museum, and the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience. The Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem project to the southwest of the Gillespie Museum is recreating an area on campus that resembles the original vegetation for use as a research site and as a model for future generations of what this area once looked like.
The Holler Fountain itself has been the center of Stetson’s DeLand campus since 1951 and graces what is now called the Palm Court, a wonderful grove of large sabal palms, Florida’s state tree. Students gravitate to this relatively quiet space for study and for relaxation on hammocks strung between the trees. This charming area with the calming sounds of splashing water makes an ideal center point for the 30-mile radius of the Aquatic Gems project.
Must-see attractions on the Stetson campus include:
• the Gillespie Museum and the adjacent Volusia Sandhill Ecosystem.
• the illuminated Holler Fountain and Palm Court at night.
• the Lynn Business Center, the first LEED certified building in Florida.
Aquatic Gems Site.
Please visit video based version of the project at http://www.floridaaquaticgems.com/
Check out VIDEO HERE!
Links:
http://www.stetson.edu/other/webcams/fountain.php
http://www.stetson.edu/today/2013/11/holler-fountain-holds-more-than-water-memories/
http://www.stetson.edu/other/gillespie-museum/vse/index.php
DeLand, FL 32723
