An Educator’s Guide to the B.W. Wells Savannah

In 1919 Bertram Whittier Wells was selected by the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Engineering, now NC State University, to head its Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. The following year, while traveling by train on a research trip to Wilmington, Wells looked through the window of a railroad car and saw an open wet meadow in Pender County covered in an array of flowers. Its beauty and ecological significance captured him and blossomed into a passionate study that lasted his entire life. The place was called the Big Savannah.

It appeared that the botanical splendor of the Big Savannah was lost when it was drained and tilled in the 60s. But years later, a botanist discovered a nearby 117-acre remnant of the natural area that was ultimately saved through the efforts of the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust (the Coastal Land Trust) and others. The “ghost” of the Big Savannah was named after Dr. Wells.

There are many lessons to be learned not only from the study of Wells’ life and work, but also from many individuals and organizations whose passion and focus is conserving natural diversity. This on-line educator’s guide is designed to encourage students and teachers to visit the B. W. Wells Savannah, and to learn first hand about Dr. Wells and others involved in the study, conservation, and management of the Savannah. The on-line guide provides information about Dr. Wells and his accomplishments, and links teachers to additional resources that will help them integrate the story of B. W. Wells and the Savannahs into their curriculum. An important goal of this guide is to support the study and conservation of one of the Southeast’s most rare and unique natural gardens and its wet pine savannahs.