When students in the Biology Club at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) first studied the “prairie garden” on the Coon Rapids campus early in the year, they were a bit disappointed. The garden consisted of a variety of prairie plant specimens, each in its own clay flower pot half sunk into a small garden plot blanketed with woodchips. Not very realistic.

“They knew prairie plants don’t grow in pots, they grow in communities,” says Debby Filler, an ARCC Biology Department faculty member and founder of the Biology Club.

So the students have begun taking action. They’ve cleared away woodchips and weeded and tilled the soil in the garden, which lies just behind the science building greenhouse. They’re slowly freeing the specimens from their flower pots and planting them directly in the ground. They’ve also begun landscaping with some pebbled stepping stones. The plot of land is beginning to look like a real garden.

And the students are enjoying the experience.

“The club is providing us with a unique platform to promote environmental issues and provide unique information to the students,” says Jill Breitkreutz, a nursing student at ARCC and president of the Biology Club.

In addition to their work with the prairie garden, the club, which currently has 16 members, has explored a number of other biological interests. They’ve grown and studied medicinal herbs; they’ve created a presentation about cigarette butts and how long it takes them to decompose in the environment; they’ve assisted a high school student with her independent research project in horse genetics.

Jennifer Flynn, a member of the Biology Club at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, prepares to replant prairie specimens in the Coon Rapids Campus prairie garden.

“I wanted students to feel that here’s a place where they can hang out and feel that they are a part of the biology department and biology is a part of their lives,” says Filler, who serves as the club’s advisor. “I want them to feel that this is a place where they can find a jumping off point for a career, where they can find professional peers and share a sense of camaraderie.”

“We’re promoting our department to future students of ARCC,” adds Breitkreutz.

Budding Naturalists
They’ve also sparked new interest in biology in an even younger generation. In May, the club welcomed second graders and fifth graders from Mississippi Elementary School in Coon Rapids for tours of the campus Natural Area. The fifth graders went bird watching, and the second graders went for a nature hike.

“That was my favorite activity thus far,” says Breitkreutz. “It was a lot of fun to see the kids so excited about finding an odd species of fungus growing on a cedar tree.”

The grade school students were so thrilled by the experience they each sent a hand-written thank-you letter.

“My first favorite thing we did was go hiking in the woods,” wrote one second grader named Leah. “There was fungus, insects, poison ivy, and moss. I thought that was fascinating.”

“We discovered a fungus that looked like a jelly fish,” adds a second grader named Jacob. “We went on a nature hunt and I found an interesting insect.”

Second-graders from Mississippi Elementary School in Coon Rapids pause to rest during a nature walk at the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Natural Area. Accompanying the tour are, from the left in the back row, Biology Club members Jill Breitkreutz and Trisha Rettig, and Mississippi Elementary School teacher Deborah Boros

Sharing Interests
The club has grown particularly interested in genetics. High school student Tricia Rettig, who attends ARCC in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option program, has led the way on this topic. She began a research project on horse genetics while a junior at the Agricultural and Food Sciences Academy in St. Paul. After winning an award at the 2004 Minnesota Agri-Science Fair, she was invited to prepare for the National Agriscience Fair to be held in Louisville, Ky., this fall.

Rettig requested help from Filler with the next stage of her research, and soon after, became a member of the Biology Club.

“The people in the club are great fun to hang around with,” says Rettig, who’s planning to earn an advanced degree in genetics and continue her research in horse genetics.

Rettig’s fellow club members are observing her work and planning projects of their own. To feed their new interest, several students in the club will enroll in a genetics course in the fall.

“Dr. Filler is passionate about biology and this passion inspires students,” says Cynthia Weishapple, Dean of Educational Services. “Their participation in Biology Club activities, especially those that serve the college or the community, deepens their interest in pursuing careers in the sciences.”

Weishapple says Filler’s commitment keeps her looking for new ways to expand the club’s reach. “Right now she’s exploring affiliations with national organizations and potential scholarships for Biology Club members.”

Filler says she’s pleased with club members’ growing involvement in biology. “Before it seemed like students would come through, take classes, and leave,” Filler says. “The club gives them a new way to be touched by biology.”

Anoka-Ramsey Community College, with campuses in Coon Rapids and Cambridge, has been a leading provider of higher education and training in the north suburban area of Minneapolis/St. Paul and East Central Minnesota since 1965. Annually, the college serves more than 9,000 learners of all ages as they pursue associate degrees that transfer as the first two years of a bachelor's degree, or certificate programs that lead immediately to rewarding careers. Anoka-Ramsey Community College is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.