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.
Big Savannah Train Depot/Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries (002104)
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.
Niche
Although the on-line guide is intended specifically for educators in New Hanover and Pender Counties, it will be a valuable resource for teachers and others who are interested in the life and work of Dr. Wells and the conservation of natural diversity across the state and beyond. Hyperlinks are provided to the NC Course of Study that are relevant in Science and Social Studies, although the use of the material provided as part of the on-line guide is only limited by one’s imagination and the infinite individual differences among students.
Click chapter titles on this page to go directly to those chapters. Each chapter provides background information to help you develop your instructional plans, and a “Dig Deeper” list of links that will take you to additional resources. Use the search function to the right to locate key content in this guide.
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